Here, I made a sketchbook spread about my experience with the art classes at West Potomac High School in Alexandria, VA.
Materials
Leaf pattern paper
Brown card-stock
Ripped magazine texts, pages, +images
White gelly roll pen
Process
Thoughts on West Potomac H.S.
It was very lovely seeing how WPHS has its own tremendous art wing that encompasses multiple classes and medias. My favorite of them all was Ms. Nosal's visual art journaling class. This was the first time I saw that course being taught, and I fell in love with her students' art journals. Because they're art journals, it's required that they incorporate both text and artistic elements. They follow prompts given by her, then incorporate some techniques suggested by her as well. Everyone's journals have vastly divergent outcomes and are extremely personal. They're a healthy outlet for teens to process and express their emotions caused by any type of experiences, whether traumatic or joyful, and also be used as a way to destress. Students can discover more about themselves by both writing their thoughts and adding traditional or nontraditional visual elements. Through art journaling, they're constantly experimenting, learning new techniques, documenting their lives, and enjoying their creative process. To learn more about art journaling and how you can incorporate it into your classroom or do it for fun, check out Kristina Nosal's website here! Like right now!!
For my sketchbook reflection, I wanted to do a spread as if I was part of the class. My prompt was "Where's a place that you go to when you're stressed?" because it's finals season right now and I feel extremely overwhelmed. I remembered that my favorite place is anywhere that has a body of water, for the fresh air and the sparkling water view is so serene. Location-wise, the closest to me is Mason Pond. The view is gorgeous in the morning when there are no students or cars. As I was looking through my magazine, I found a similar prompt to my original one by coincidence: "Tell us about a place you return to again and again. What draws you back there?" so I added it to my spread. I looked for words in the magazine that described my experience at the pond, then glued them on the page. I also chose a color palette that would evoke feelings of content and serenity, which is how I felt while being at the pond, and used organic shapes to add on to the nature aspect. Lastly, I made a little 3D journal where I wrote my own thoughts answering the prompt. Feel free to read it! I realized the whole journaling experience helped me destress a lot even though it took me a long time, and it was therapeutic remembering a place I enjoy. Portraying the feelings I get from the pond put me at ease and its process made me forget about my other stressful workload as well. I encourage everyone to make visual art journals in order to unwind. You might surprise yourself!
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