Mixed Media Moments is community-supported, and we are committed to never putting ads on the site, therefore, M3 reviews and stories may include affiliate links. If you click one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you, however, I will only recommend products that I have personally vetted. M3 does not accept money for reviews and all opinions are strictly my own.
True confession time: I’m not much of an art journaler, even though I love looking at other people’s spreads. My relationship with art journaling is rather weird, now that I think about it. I remember seeing a book about art journaling in Barnes & Noble in 2006 and having a visceral, physical experience. I actually got lightheaded as I paged through it. That was one of my first introductions to actually doing art journaling. I bought the book, took it home, and then was afraid to read it! I felt both home and apprehensive. Since then, I’ve loved looking at journal pages, and I’ve created a few. I mostly enjoy the process and occasionally, I’m even happy with the outcome, but I don’t have anything resembling consistent practice.
The title of Caylee Grey’s book – Get Messy Art – caught my attention before I even realized it was about art journaling. I love the idea of making messy, imprecise, and expressive art – and I’d like to develop a regular, low-pressure, creative habit – so I gave several of the exercises in the book a try.
Caylee has a very “Hi! I’m your friend!” approach to writing and the photographs are plentiful and beautiful. The text is very accessible and the instructions in the included projects are simple and easy-to-follow. None of the projects are overly complicated, nor are the supply lists.
In the first part of the book, Caylee talks about what it means to be a messy artist and the power of keeping an art journal. The book includes what she calls “an anti-supply list” for a basic art journaling kit along with some recommendations for more advanced supplies. She even includes detailed instructions for making your own junk journal (Because I’d recently created a small journal a la Andrea Chebeleu, I’ve decided to use it, instead.).
The bulk of Get Messy Art is what Caylee has called “The Trails.” There are three (with an extra bonus trail), each consisting of several “recipes.” The trails range from collections of recipes designed to spark your creativity, ones to help you grow as an artist, and to cultivate one’s creative practice.There’s even a section on the benefits of community.
The first recipe that I decided to try was a short one called “Pieces of me,” on page 52. Ever the perfectionist, at first I was disappointed that my face is elongated because my picture wasn’t tall enough for me to skip strips. But now, when I look at it I love it! It’s messy and imperfect, just like me!
I even had some journaling strips left over for another project!
The second recipe I tried was definitely my favorite! It was a project called, “Make a Messy Recipe Salad Using Dice,” found on page 54. The idea is to use a six-sided die to help you decide what your next medium or technique should be. This was a great warm-up exercise and I can see myself repeating it. The linear, left-brain part of my mind likes things to be predictable and “just so” but with the randomness of this process, I had to really let go, and that was good for me. I can be a little tight and controlled with my art, especially as I begin a piece. I was definitely not in control and had to make some moves that made me uncomfortable at the moment, but I absolutely love the final piece and I had a lot of fun making this spread. As much as I want to make aesthetically pleasing art, I want to enjoy the process even more – and I certainly did!
My die rolls had me start with scribble writing in orange gouache. I then made the pink marks (straight edge) with acrylic paint. I topped that with the splatters in watered down purple acrylic paint and yellow watercolor drips. The last layer was gold marks made with my ultra-fine (.7 mm) Posca pen.
The final recipe I followed was a project called, “Left Brain + Right Brain = Mixed-Media Grid.” This one was also a lot of fun. The idea is to use your right-brain for intuitive mark-making and then use your left-brain to arrange the results. I’ve been crushing on the color teal lately, so I chose to use it for my marks. I used a wide variety of mediums: graphite watercolor, water soluble crayons, acrylic pens, paints, & inks, as well as the dregs of a bottle of watercolor ink. Making the marks was freeing, since the only choice I had was which mark to make with which medium. The hardest part of the whole exercise was determining the size of my final pieces! I’m using a smallish journal and I wasn’t feeling even simple math, so I guestimated. I think it works. I tried several arrangements before I landed on the one I liked best.
This was an interesting way to study colors and get familiar with different mediums. I can see myself repeating this recipe, too! It’s a great way to get to know your supplies!
All-in-all, I enjoyed Getting Messy Art by Caylee Grey. Subtitled “The No-Rules, No-Judgment, No-Pressure Approach to Making Art,” I’d say it delivers. Many of the projects are quick and easy to complete. I found them to be a no-pressure way to loosen up before tackling my regular art journal or a blank substrate. In addition to Caylee’s own words and pictures, she invited several Guest Artists to join her; they share a variety of art journaling techniques and perspectives. I was thrilled to see one of my favorite artists, as well as to find new artists to explore.
