In the Journal

A few months ago when I began art journaling, a dear long-time reader asked when I'd upload images of same.  At that point I was very hesitant to share my journal pages, largely because I didn't feel confident that my pages were good enough to share.  Now that I've kind of developed my own style, I'm okay with showing them.  I'm also doing this to encourage those of you who may feel as I did, that anything goes in an art journal.  Whatever floats your boat.

I'm currently working in two journals -- a spiralbound sketchbook, and an altered book.  Before working on pages in the sketchbook, I gesso the pages to make them heavier and so they'll accept wet media (the original paper is text-weight).  With the altered book, I tore out every 3rd or 4th page, then glued two pages together with matte medium throughout the entire book.  Makes the pages heavier, and removing pages allows room for the remaining pages to expand, which they will when you've added paint or collaged on them.

Mostly, I like creating pages with patterns on them, either with stencils, stamps, collaged papers, acrylic paint, etc., and it isn't important to me whether I subsequently write on the page.  It amounts to creating small art page by page in a book format, so disregard the fact that it's a journal, especially if you're thrown to thinking that journals need to be written in.  This was a hard one for me to get over, primarily because a lot of well-known art journalers do a lot of writing on every page.  But it's not necessary if you don't want to do it.

I love experimenting with acrylic paints in the journals.  I love creating backgrounds with whatever colors speak to me in the moment, then digging through my box of collage fodder (different box than the one I use for my other collages) to find elements that will work on the painted page.

I also love using scrap or blotting papers by themselves, glued into the book and worked over.  Actually, I love the whole thing!

I have a loose intention to create at least one journal spread a day, but I rarely do.  Sometimes I'll do two spreads, occasionally four, and often days will go by when I haven't even done one.  That's okay.  There are so many options of things to do that it's often overwhelming ~ should I paint? stamp? stencil? collage? what colors? etc.

Another thing that stopped me from starting at first is that I "can't" draw -- which really means I don't want to take the time to draw.  Many art journalers are terrific at drawing and I felt daunted by what seemed like the need for me to draw and watercolor paint in a journal.

The bottom line is, you can do whatever you want to do.  You don't have to do what anyone else is doing.  Make it your own in every which way.  Whatever turns YOU on.  That's what it's all about (and you thought it was the hokey pokey, right?)!