Dearest friends, you need Art Journal Freedom

I’ve been waiting for months (like, 9 months!) to have this book in my hands, and at long last my pre-ordered copy of Dina Wakley’s Art Journal Freedom is here!!

This book is an ABSOLUTE MUST for any crafter reading this post who likes to play with mists, paints, inks, pens, and more. This is not a book about art journaling, despite the title! Wait, what?

Ok so it *is* a book about art journaling but Dina isn’t focusing on the “journal” part of the art journaling. She breaks down her supplies of choice and she explains both composition and color while also offering up challenges, idea starters, and giving detailed step-by-step for assorted techniques so you could try making a few pages like hers.

Now I don’t pick up many books on crafting or art or anything. They tend to sit and gather dust and so I’ve learned to give them a look over and not open them much beyond that first week or so. This book? It’s going to be different. My #1 FAVORITE part about this book is that Dina designed it in such a way that you could treat it like a workshop. You could work through each chapter, try the prompts and challenges, and fill an art journal working your way through the book learning and growing along the way. FABULOUS!

The other favorite thing about this book for me, is that you do NOT need to be even remotely interested in starting an art journal to need it. That sounds weird, right? But hear me out – Dina is a master of color and composition. TRULY. She has such a unique style and way with colors, and that is what she teaches here. As I read this book I was of course in awe of the amazing artwork (TONS of samples – holy smokes… TONS!) and intrigued by the techniques as well – some were most definitely new to me. But REALLY what got me was that her lessons and advice would work on my layouts, cards, tags, canvases, and really ANY kind of project where I’d be using stamps, inks, sprays, and other such supplies.

I can use the lessons and advice throughout my crafting, and that is so very inspiring to me. I love that this book works on every level from wanting to make beautiful art  journal entries to being inspired by color and design to taking it beyond the art journal and into other formats.

Bottom line? This book is amazing and I can’t recommend it enough!! It truly is a very big workshop/class in book form and I’m very inspired by it and will be working my way through each challenge and idea. You could get it just for the eye candy and loads of Dina’s pages shown inside – but it really is so much more than just a pretty book.

I purchased my copy here at amazon – it’s available at a great price and eligible for free shipping (minimum order or prime required, of course).