Art journaling - The beginning

As told before I started with my art journal in October 2013. I must admit I was always under pressure when I created something because I felt it must be prefect in any way. I wasn't used to color outside the lines (literaly and metaphorically speaking) and it wasn't easy to shift my perception. Before begining I watched tons and tons of tutorials, read blogs and watched how other people made their journals, what supplies they had and what inspires them.

I always knew I had some talent, but also knew I never really worked on developing it fully. I had lots of art supplies that I piled through the years and didn't use them, because I didn't have time, inspiration or whatever other excuse I found.

When I started art journaling I wanted to express myself and do things my way, to be unique, to be me. But at first I had no idea what I'm doing and in the process I found out that it is good to follow some tutorials or just use other people's ideas and develop them for yourself. So here are some works that were inspired by others, and are derivative of someone else's work where the original is comparable, but at the same time changed.

In the picture below you can see the original page by Julie Nutting Design that I fell in love with. I just love the media, colors and shape of this little princes. The second is my page where I used papers cut and torn from old magazines, some rubber stamps and dark grey color for background and added words "Skozi poglede žarim, najlepša se zdim..." which are supposed to be magic incantation for beauty ;)

Or another example when I used the idea of an already perfect art journal page (top photo) and turned it into something very similar, but yet, my own:

I understand that practice makes perfect and that even the greatest artists copied others work when they were studying and improving their skills, but it is also very important to respect others' credits for their work. Sometimes things you find on the internet can't be properly credited. I hope none of the artists whose ideas I used won't be ofended by my doings.

I sell some of my work, but not the pieces that aren't my own idea, because I want to show respect of others' work, ideas and their copyrights. Not to mention it is against the law :D