Art Journals
It's been a long time coming, but I have finally started an art journal for experimenting in with mixed media techniques. It has 4 signatures, 2 with 4 sheets each, and two with 3 sheets each because they each include a sheet of heavy watercolor or mixed media paper. I had spent a day, and then a class, making Gelli prints, and wasn't happy with many of the first experiments. So I decided on painting over those. Each signature contains a print I like as the center spread, and the other pages are slowly being converted through the various techniques I am learning.
I started with a sheet of 140 lb. mixed media paper that is about 11" x 14". My inside sheets are all 9" x 12", which when folded in half are 6" wide. 11" was a little too tall, so I cut just over an inch off that side, reserving the cut piece. I folded the paper at 6 1/4" in from each side for a 1 1/2" spine, which I glued the cut piece in the center of to reinforce the area the signatures would be sewn into. Two credit card offer envelopes that were extra thick got glued inside and covered in gesso. Holes were punched in the signatures and the cover, then the inside was covered in three colors of tissue paper adhered with glossy gel medium and the holes were re-punched with an awl.
I started with a sheet of 140 lb. mixed media paper that is about 11" x 14". My inside sheets are all 9" x 12", which when folded in half are 6" wide. 11" was a little too tall, so I cut just over an inch off that side, reserving the cut piece. I folded the paper at 6 1/4" in from each side for a 1 1/2" spine, which I glued the cut piece in the center of to reinforce the area the signatures would be sewn into. Two credit card offer envelopes that were extra thick got glued inside and covered in gesso. Holes were punched in the signatures and the cover, then the inside was covered in three colors of tissue paper adhered with glossy gel medium and the holes were re-punched with an awl.
I learned a great mixed media layering technique in a class with local artist Jacalyn Sanders, who is just terrific! If you live in south Florida, take a class with her. Here is what I made:
This was a perfect technique for the cover of my new journal. Here it is, along with the first step:
First, I covered the entire surface with patterned paper scraps leftover from previous projects, all adhered with glossy gel medium. Then I applied washi tape and paints, mostly with my fingers, to pull the various patterns together, mute them a bit, and blur their edges. After that, stencils and stamps were added. The finishing touch was the word PLAY, taken from a free download font template printed on copy paper and cut out, leaving a little white around the edges to make the letters stand out, which is a little trick learned from Jackie. The holes were re-punched and signatures sewn in with DMC #5 cotton thread in variegated red/purple.
The sewing was done at home, so I worked on the first signature before doing the sewing, since the paints were already out. For 2 spreads, I did an ink-blot technique introduced to me by Jennibellie in this video. Basically, you dribble acrylic randomly on half your page, fold it in half and smooth it down, then open it up. The results are gorgeous! And so easy. :) She's right - it is addictive. I had to hold myself back from just doing all the spreads at once, but that would defeat the purpose of the journal. For the other spreads, I mainly finger-painted. I find this a truly freeing form of self expression. To do the first page, I dipped my fingers in all the leftover pools of wet paint, and also turned the page over on them to get a starting print. Here's the inside so far:
The sewing was done at home, so I worked on the first signature before doing the sewing, since the paints were already out. For 2 spreads, I did an ink-blot technique introduced to me by Jennibellie in this video. Basically, you dribble acrylic randomly on half your page, fold it in half and smooth it down, then open it up. The results are gorgeous! And so easy. :) She's right - it is addictive. I had to hold myself back from just doing all the spreads at once, but that would defeat the purpose of the journal. For the other spreads, I mainly finger-painted. I find this a truly freeing form of self expression. To do the first page, I dipped my fingers in all the leftover pools of wet paint, and also turned the page over on them to get a starting print. Here's the inside so far:
The original prints are on the left sides of each spread, and they did not go to the edges of the paper because my plate is only 8" x 10". So I brushed and finger-painted and paper-towel-blotted those colors to fill out the space and the right side before finishing the spreads. The last one is a full Gelli print that I liked, so just extended to the edges. It's the middle spread of the first signature. These are only backgrounds at this point, so more will be added to them, but I'm very pleased so far and will add more pictures soon.