February 2023 Week 3 - Stars

Hey everyone! I'm Susie, a Guest Pollywog here at The 'Pad and I'm thrilled to be bringing you the next Art Journaling Muse!

Continuing on with the Muse's theme for February, this week we are looking at using the basic shape of a star or stars as the primary design element in our layouts.

First, a little bit about stars:

A star is a beacon of hope – a shining light that guides the way. It’s a symbol of positivity, happiness, or renewal. Look up into the nighttime sky. Don't the stars have a magical and inspiring presence? A star also is a miracle, persuading us to make a wish when we see one cascade across the sky. Stars commonly represent positive forces in life, whether those forces be related to the divine or something more internal, like personal growth, hope, or dreams.

Stars are often associated with positive messages and metaphors, and often represent purity, good luck, and ambitions. In dreams, a shooting star is a sign of self-fulfillment and advancement in life. Stars can also symbolize new beginnings — even those that are still on their way. Moreover, stars, and symbols associated with stars, hold different meanings in various cultures.

I have always loved stars, and the night sky has always fascinated me. I love to look at the constellations and try to find the North Star in the sky. My favorite constellation is a winter one for us here in the Western Hemisphere: Orion, the Hunter. For some reason, since my Dad has passed, he has become tied to him. Every time I see him in the sky, I say "Hi Daddy!!".

In art, there are many types of stars. They can have 4, 5, 6, 8, or 9 points, each representing different things.

We also have many associations with a shooting star. A shooting star has always been used for wishes. Do you remember as a kid seeing one and saying

"Star light Star Bright,
First star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have this wish I wish tonight"?

Or singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"?

Some well-known quotes like “reach for the stars” and “follow your star” are inspirational and motivational. The stars are symbolic of reaching for heights that could otherwise be thought of as unobtainable by those with narrow-minded views.

So, Susie, how do I use stars in my page?

Well, you can make your page in the shape of a star, you can shape your journaling or your photo (if you want to have one) into a star shape, you can sprinkle stars of varying sizes all over the page.

You can choose a quote talking about stars, but make sure you have a physical star somewhere easily seen.

You can journal about how stargazing makes you feel. Again - have a star or stars visible in the page as well.

I put together a little example board to show you some of the inspiration I have been looking at. Let the images take your mind for a minute and see where it leads you.


I went through Pinterest to get a few examples:

This illustration is so gorgeous!


This one is a nice paint splash fun way:



I went through the gallery here at TLP for some examples too:
Here's one by Brendazzle, who used stars in a very art journally way!


This next one by Farwen is a traditional spray of stars and a beautiful paper pile!


This one by bellbird is a great example of a not-so-artsy journaling page if you're more into a cleaner style:


And Melhope1230 made this wonderful painty, gesso-y yummy art journal page!


Here is my page:


Here is Cindy @scribler's page:


Now it's your turn! As Casey Kasem used to say when finishing his American Top 40 music show, "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars! "

Challenge for Week 3:

• This week I want you to create a layout where a star or star shapes are the primary focus of the page.
• Other shapes can be included, BUT the primary shapes should be stars (regular or irregular).
• You can create any type of page ie. clean and simple, artsy, pocket style etc.
• Remember this is for everyone, so have FUN and go where your inspiration takes you!
• Please post your layout to the Art Journaling Gallery HERE prior to Midnight EST March 6, 2023 and then post it in this thread by copying the code (at the right of your gallery image) from the box under "Share BB Code".

We will draw a winner at the beginning of next month for a coupon!! Every layout you create is equal to one entry in the random draw. So if you create 1 layout you are entered once, if you create 4 layouts you are entered 4 times.

You can use any products in the Lilypad store or retired products from current Lilypad designers, (just make sure you follow our gallery guidelines).