By The Numbers Art Journaling Challenge "TWO"

This project is for Paper Traders members only but we would love to have you join us. Please click on the purple Yahoo button in the sidebar for more information on how to join.

The second challenge for our monthly art journaling project is to practice your hand-lettering in several fun and interesting ways.

Use hand-lettering methods to write down your thoughts using an idiom for the number "two" as inspiration for your page. You can find a list of idioms here: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/two. Just pick one that inspires your thought process and journal about it.

Here are 7 Tips for Art Journaling Handwriting by Joanne Sharpe (courtesy of Cloth-Paper-Scissors):

1. Play around with your own handwriting, creating words and entire alphabets with all the pens or markers on your desk. 
2. Write several pages of words and alphabets in many styles of letters; all capital, upper- and lowercase, large, small, tall, wide, skinny, and fat. Don't judge, just write pages and pages, sampling your letter flow and creativity. 
3. Doodle letters with colored markers. Add colorful patterns, swirls, stripes, lines, and dots to embellish the letters.
4. Look through old magazines and other printed materials to find words and phrases in assorted typefaces and sizes that you find interesting. 
5. Using assorted markers, color in layers and add words on top of each layer.
6. Collect brochures or magazine clippings with interesting letter placement and unusual compositions and layouts of text to inspire new ideas and direction for your lettering projects.
7. Do an Internet search for topics relative to lettering, such as lettering, fonts, typeface, handwriting, letters, alphabets, calligraphy, etc. Use your colorful pens and markers to jot down notes and inspirations in your journal as you come across ideas that "speak" to you.

Here are some places for inspiration and instruction on hand-lettering methods...
https://www.pinterest.com/artbeckons/art-journaling/
http://tmatthewsfineart.blogspot.com/2015/02/first-friday-art-class-for-february.html
http://tmatthewsfineart.blogspot.com/2012/02/first-friday-art-class-february.html

I think the number theme of this project can add a fun element to your pages... you might want to use the respective number prominently in decorating your pages. Don't stop with a simple saying - that's just a prompt to get you started. Let the creativity continue to flow as you journal and decorate your pages.

You have the entire month to complete your pages for this challenge. We won’t be swapping or mailing pages – you will keep the journal you create for your own.

Skill Level 2 - BUDDING - Participants will be open to trying new ideas and materials, without necessarily being competent yet with their applications. Swap Hosts are encouraged to add the requirement of a technique or process such as creating texture, using crackle paint, doing photo transfers, painting with watercolor, etc.

Here are some idioms for "TWO" to get you going...
a two-way street
be in two minds
be like a dog with two tails
be like two peas in a pod
be two of a kind
be two sides of the same coin
cut both ways
for two cents
game that two can play
goody two-shoes
have two left feet
have two pennies to rub together
in two shakes of a lamb's tail
It cuts both ways
It takes two to make a bargain
It takes two to make a quarrel
it takes two to tango
know a trick or two
learn a thing or two
lesser of two evils
No man can serve two masters
no two ways about it
of two minds
rip in half
stand on own two feet
That makes two of us
There are two sides to every question
two can play at that game
Two heads are better than one
two of a kind
Two wrongs do not make a right
two-bit
two-bits
double-edged sword
two-faced
two-time loser
two-timer
two-way street

Don't forget... As a little incentive for this project, the moderators are offering the opportunity to win a prize for participating.

For each challenge in which you participate (there will be a total of 10), you will earn one entry into the random drawing to be held when the project is complete. The more entries you earn, the bigger the potential prize:

1-3 entries = prize value of $5
4-6 entries = prize value of $10
7-9 entries = prize value of $15
10 entries = prize value of $20

One lucky person will win a gift card to their favorite local craft store up to the value for which they qualified.  More participation >> More chances to win >> Bigger potential prize!  Plus... it will be lots of fun, too.