Art journaling, and a bit of an update.

I finally did a bit of real artwork in my journal last weekend. I realized that I've been mostly making simple backgrounds with the intention of cutting them up for my jewelry, or simply writing everything down to relieve rapidly building pressure. All of this is absolutely fine, but I missed the "art" part of art-journaling.


I'm posting the "steps" I take in making journal spreads, since I'm always curious how other artists layer materials. This process has come about as a result of trying techniques described in magazines (ie., Somerset Studios and Cloth Paper Scissors) and reading others' blogs and websites (Anahata Katkin, Teesha Moore, Sabrina Ward Harrison.)

1. Gesso - I coat both pages of the journal spread with white (or sometimes brown or black, but mostly white). This keeps the paper from buckling or wrinkling when glue or water hits it.
2. Paint - I usually use cheap acrylics for this, and usually don't bother waiting for the gesso to dry completely. This works out because it keeps the colors light, and I can darken them as I go along if I want.


3. Paper - I add random bits of printed text or scrapbook paper, paint over it a little, leave some unpainted, whatever.
4. Charcoal and/or chalk pastels - I trace around/shade the papers I've glued on with complementary colors of chalk pastels and charcoal, smudging them with my fingers. Be sure to have some fixative spray around for when you're finished with this step.
5. Stamps, doodles, precise images - this is when I add some rubber stamping and doodling for texture, and adhere any main focal images I want to have on the spread.
6. Write - of course, you don't HAVE to write. A lot of the time, I'll make spreads and wait until I feel like writing to use them - and some don't ever get written on. It's all up to you. :)