Scrapbooking Used For Spiritual Growth

I learn best by writing or drawing and I am sure many artists and other people also learn this way. 

When I came upon the ministry of Joel Osteen on TV I wanted to learn his positive messages and incorporate what he was teaching from the Bible into my way of thinking and being. His ministry helped me though some hard times by teaching how God really felt about me; about all of us. 

To learn these lessons in a deeper way I knew I would need to write the words down. I decided to create  my own personal book which I would also illustrate with collage. 

I used a small spiral index card binder to create my book. I recommend this to anyone who would like to create your own personal art book.

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Above is the front page of my personal Spiritual Scrapbook.


Pictured below are some of the pages I created and with it I offer some suggestions to you for creating your own book.

First, I think it is great to have a box with some cut out photos from magazines, perhaps advertising, I mainly used catalogs that interest me. When I made my little book I decided that I would not go out and buy things but I would use items I found around my house. I found a few stickers and a glue stick and some pens. I also had on hand color swatches from renovating the home we were living in at the time.

My stuff box for collage

I used a standard sized spiral index card binder and painted the front and back with gesso. Because gesso is a clay based paint it is highly absorbent and accepts paint very well. Using the gesso allowed me to paint over the bright shiny cover on the index card binder. Artists use gesso to seal canvas and boards before painting.

 The yarn was tied to the metal spiral which gave a nice soft texture and was intentionally added for this effect. 

The key and yarn were added for a textural effect

 
The old key tied to the yarn was from at a sermon our minister in Florida, Reverend Victoria Long at the Passe Grille Community Beach Church gave where she handed out old church keys to remind us of the Keys to the Kingdom.

The art in the book evolved as I worked with it. Simplicity gave way to technique as I learned what I liked and how to use the color paint samples effectively. I kept in mind to create with a bold fun carefree attitude, this was not to be work, but a learning tool and a freeing practice which I can then take into my paintings and other art forms.

As I worked on the book one device which evolved was the use of the line to frame the image and add a color note to the page, take the pink lines or bars in the above picture. I have seen this done in some abstract paintings but now that I have added it to this little book and I may use it again in a painting at a future date. It is interesting how a new technique evolves as one works on different projects or with a new medium.

I enjoy my little book and find it very helpful in my own spiritual development and because I made it myself, it is all the more personal to me. 

To see more pages from this book please visit my Facebook Fan Page and please be sure to "Like" the page.

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