The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Review

~*SPOILER ALERT*~

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/

So, I finally completed the second reading of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, in preparation for the release of the film. When I first heard Emma Watson describe the story as a ‘love story’, I felt irritated and betrayed. The whole reason I enjoyed this book so much the first time, was because it differed from the current bestsellers. If you take the time to look at any Young Adult section in any bookstore, you will see one similar theme: love. Love and the supernatural. I had read many of the current Young Adult books in the run-up to my discovery of Stephen Chbosky’s debut. I had grown tiresome of the same, almost replicated, story-line running through the pages of every book that made its way into my path. Therefore, reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower was like a breath of fresh air. Undoubtedly, love was a factor and running theme, however, the other serious, thought-provoking issues that surrounded the school-boy-crush, left it in the shadows, far from the limelight.

Don’t Throw it Away!

Last night, I pulled out my sketchbook. Determined to contribute AT LEAST once a day, I searched my mind for inspiration. It being quite late, I didn’t fancy carting my paints out of the storage room, and then I remembered Alisa Burke’s post on the beauty of pen and water.

The concept was simple – sketch using a water-based pen, then simply add water with your brush in order to transform the sketch.

I grabbed my fine-line sharpie to get a rough skeleton sketch going, and then outlined it with my Berol felt-tip. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy with the results. Whether it was the quality of the paper, the Berol or my application – I screwed up the page and dumped it on the sofa.

I then busied myself getting my son to bed and got ready for Noddy-Land myself. I ventured back into the living room, looking for my phone and caught a glimpse of my screwed up sketch. I noticed a blueish tinge (must have been some mixture of the Berol ink and water) and, as the felt-tip had dried, I could see a shadow of the sharpie underneath. I tilted my head and examined it for a moment.

Sure, it didn’t look like Alisa Burke’s – but I liked it. I could use this.

And there was a new lesson for me in this wonderful artistic journey of mine. I was so focused on what my finished product should look like and using Alisa’s as a model, I was blind to what my individual style and supplies had actually created!

So this morning, I got cutting and stuck the sketch on the first page of my SMASH book as a reminder to myself.

NEVER THROW YOUR WORK AWAY!

You’ll either love it, once your clarity of mind returns and your inner critic is off duty, or you’ll find another use for it!

What lessons have you learnt through Art Journaling?

 

Creating Filters in Our Lives

I have pretty much kept myself to myself lately; I haven’t even found much inspiration for my blog, as anything worth sharing, I have wanted to keep private.

In my bid to keep more of my life private, I have been absent from many social events and gatherings, yet I was still being chased (and caught!) on Facebook; I decided enough was enough. Strangers interested in my work and my writing, I welcome with open arms and smiley emails. But people who know me personally and want to know my activities just so they can convey them elsewhere – no, thank you.