June 2022 - Week 1 Monthly Muse Challenge

Hi everyone and welcome to the June Monthly Muse Challenge. I will be hosting for the entire month and during this time I thought we might explore some different styles of art journaling through the eyes of some well known artists in those particular areas. I bet if you asked ten people what art journaling 'looked like' to them you would get ten different answers!

One of my most favorite mixed media/art journaling artists is Laly Mille and I love her magical and beautiful style of artistry. I especially love her collage work and how she approaches her art, it evokes such a beautiful connection to the natural world around us. Laly's art plays with the union of light and shadow; structure and intuition; ethereal, but with an earthy edge that really calls to me.

Laly describes herself: “As an artist and art instructor, I find joy and a sense of true purpose in not only bringing beauty into this world through the art that I make, but also in nurturing the creative longings of others.”

Laly uses several mixed media mediums in her work such as, acrylic and watercolor paints; acrylic inks; collage with magazine pictures and old book pages; alcohol inks; posca pens; and various pieces of fabrics such as lace, cheesecloth etc. Of course she doesn't use everything on all of her art journal pages (or canvases), they are just her favorite tools to use.

Here is a small sampling of Laly's work, put together into an inspiration board for you to use. Each picture is numbered, so when you create you layout, please tell here in this thread the picture number/s you used as inspiration for your layout, I would love to know.

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To view more of her work you can use these links if you are interested:
Laly’s Web site
Laly’s Instagram
Youtube video

While Laly is a hands on artist, I thought it would be a great challenge to use some of her artwork to inspire us to make our own digital versions.

This is my page:

ALL credits (a lot of them!) are in the gallery.
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I used the following pictures for inspiration from the board above:
#5 - white script text in background
#6 - lots of white paint and gesso
#7 - paint splatters

Challenge rules: Select a picture (or pictures) from the inspiration board above to use as inspiration to create your layout, please let me know in this thread what picture # you used.

So now it is over to you!!

You may create any style of layout (ie. clean and simple, artsy, pocket style etc.) you wish, with or without a photo. Create any size page you wish. This is for everyone, so have fun and see where the inspiration takes you.

Please post your layout to the Art Journaling Gallery HERE prior to Midnight EST July 3, 2022 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).

Looking forward to seeing what you creative peeps do this week!!

 

Isn't it just! that's one of my faves as well Cath!

 

wow!! simply stunning Carmel, need to head out for a little while now but certainly will leave a lot of love on it in the gallery when I get back!!! awesome work!

 

A lot of our designers have done the hard work for us in creating some super drawn lines and messy marks etc. I am sure you will find something Susie!!

 

@Pachimac Lisa has given you some pointers above but it really comes to what inspiration you want to draw from any of the pictures on the inspiration board, it doesn't have to be in Laly's style, just go with what inspires you Susie!

 

hahhaaaa!! Jan, yes! I do believe I recognise that butterfly!!! What a great page and yes, I love the word snippets that Laly uses as well!

 

WELL THERE YOU GO SUSIE!!!! what a wonderful and artistic page and truly stunning!!!! yay!!! now go and do another one to cement the techniques you used for this one!! xxxx