On Keeping Art Journals and Making Art Journals

For those who enjoy keeping an art journal, there are some great online options right now. First is the free series by Strathmore Paper, Visual Journal Online Workshop Series , which started in January, is self-paced, and will be open until August 1, 2011. Three different instructors give video lessons with printable hand-outs.

In a few days, Roz Stendahl begins her 3rd Annual Fake Journal month. She already has her dedicated blog up and is advising about all aspects of keeping a Fake Journal during the month of April. I’ve participated for two years and even won the grand prize in the give-away last year—a handmade journal from Roz! It’s 90 lb. hot press Winsor & Newton watercolor paper with an odd size of 3 9/16” x 7 7/8”.

This journal I found in a gift shop in Ireland last fall. I love the size, the fabric cover, and the color—it’s iridescent green on blue. http://www.hubertbookbinding.com/ 3.50” x 5.25”

Although those two journals are still blank, I am working in one below, which a dear friend gave me many years ago, “Awaken…to the beauty of your journey.” 7.50” x 7.50”.

Still fascinating with the hand motif, I’m playing with wonderful India henna stencils and Mandala illustrations. It’s mostly blank pages, a few with colorful Mandalas by Holli Zollinger and a scattering of quotes. Pitt pens on both pages shown.

How do you approach art journaling? Although I’ve read a lot of books and blogs about the subject, I cannot say I fully merge my words and art comfortably. I’ve kept written journals since my Mom got me my first diary as a child in Hawaii and I have done a lot of experimental paintings in spiral watercolor books. But in my mind words and art seem separate beasts. I am slowly trying to integrate the two. Driving home from work today, (don't we get good ideas doing such things?), I thought about using poetry I wrote many years ago and merging photos of myself at the time.

Do tell me your approach and your successes with art journaling!

IFJM Ends and Summing Up

Here are catch-up spreads in my Fake Journal.

Unlike last year, I got an idea two weeks before April 1 but felt I couldn’t start in it yet. It might have helped if I had, at least gotten some of the design clients decided and some color swatches and magazine samples done ahead of time. Because by the time I started, my enthusiasm began to wane.

However, some good things happened in keeping a Fake Journal this month:

I experimented with a new medium: Inktense pencils with stamp pad backgrounds.
I discovered a way to make a “stamp” with the pencils and had fun playing.
I learned about steampunk, which knew nothing about.
I enjoying using a larger version of the Hand Book (just the second; 2009’s Fake Journal in a smaller green was the first). I liked the way the paper took gel pens, gel brushes, Inktense pencils with water. It’s still too scratchy for Micron pens, though.

With muted enthusiasm, I almost quit early but I still had a few more spreads in Sydney’s book.

More Fake Journal Spreads

Sydney reveals more of herself, her clients, her life in her journal.

More Fake Journaling

Here are more of Sydney's mix of daydreams and client designs, part of the fake journal I'm keeping for International Fake Journal Month.

Fake Journal

In commemoration of this year’s International Fake Journal Month, we peek into the journal of Sydney Greene, a 30-something interior designer living in Santa Fe. In this journal, Sydney keeps track of her many and diverse clients as well as occasionally sketching and trying new art media. It’s her catch-all for ideas, inspirations, designs, elements, thoughts, and daydreams. She doesn’t use this to give presentation for her clients; it’s for her eyes only.

Ladies & Gentlemen, Start Your Fake Journal!

Do you enjoy looking at artist journals? Do you like keeping a journal yourself? Have you ever kept a journal as someone else?

The 2nd International Fake Journal Month is approaching! Started by Roz Stendahl last year, she has a blog encouraging and describing what fake journals are all about. I jumped in at, literally, the last hour and had a great time. My character was a young wife and mother in 1960’s Ireland and she tried to sketch and jot down things going on in her life; you can see them here.

You could do a fake journal in a media you’ve always wanted to try, in a voice you’ve always been curious about. Last week, thinking and jotting possibilities down, I got excited about one in particular. I won’t give it away just yet, but encourage you to play along if you’d like.

April Fake Journal Ends

The International Fake Journal Month is over and so is Ashling's journal. It has been wonderful thinking about my character's life and sketching in her journal last month.

I will miss hearing about her life in a small town in Ireland, back in 1961.

But, there is some room left unfinished in the little green journal where black pen sketches and longhand written entries graced the slightly-textured buff colored pages. The door is left ajar, in case she has more to share or draw.

More Fake Journal Sketches

As the International Fake Journal Month winds down, I've done more drawing and writing in my book, or Ashling has. It has been tremendous fun doing something I didn't know I'd like to do--sketch--and also to be a bit of a novelist inventing this person, her family, and her life.

Keeping a fake journal can allow you to step into another's shoes and view the world through their eyes, something we rarely think about as we go about our daily lives.

The last few sketches I've relied more on my travel photos from Ireland than from other sources. Probably, Ashling wouldn't have been able to visit the length and breath of the island like I did several years ago but doubtless some of the countryside she'd have recognized.

Starting a fake journal, I did not pre-plan whose life I would live for 30 days. But it has reminded me of the struggles we all face, especially women, as fellow human beings sharing the planet regardless of time period, economic position, or national origin.

Fake Journal

Since April Fool’s evening, I’ve been keeping an International Fake Journal for the month, suggested and encouraged by Roz Stendahl (http://officialinternationalfakejournalblog.blogspot.com/). My best creative work usually arrives from not thinking too much so I decided at the last moment to dive into this. Near the end of the day, I looked on my shelf for a blank journal, and got out a Sakura Pigma Micron black pen, brought up a photo I’d take on an Irish beach, and began—gasp!—sketching.

I don’t sketch! Well, I did play around with drawing when I bought the original Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. But I haven’t done much since, except when I sketch an idea in my Art Idea notebook. I don’t really count that as sketching because I’m not looking at anything as a guide to the drawing.

But, as soon as I did the first sketch, I turned the page and wrote the first entry. Slowly, a story unfolded, written by a married Irishwoman. The next day I discovered she had three children. Using either a photo of mine or one from a book, I would sketch an Irish scene. The next time I opened my book, something new would appear from the pen.

So, who is she? Her name is Ashling McDurmut, which means “dream” in Gaelic (perfect since she’s my made up dream person), she’s in her thirties, married to Ryan; their children are Sean Patrick, Ann, and little Kerry. The year is 1961. Frequently, Ashling doesn’t have time to finish a sketch or journal entry. Her husband wants another child but she does not want a large family, even though three isn’t considered large by any means in her time and place.

Choosing a blank book I haven't worked in before—a small Hand artist’s journal (3½" × 5½", portrait orientation) with a green cover (perfect!)--I find the paper is good for sketching but the Micron pens (05 and 02) are very scratchy for writing.

Last week I tested some Sakura Brush pigment pens, something new to me that I really liked, and was tempted to introducing them into the fake journal by suggesting Ashling received a gift of watercolors. But, I decided to keep this fake journal pure with just the black ink pens, which would be in any case heads and tails above anything available in her era.

Although we have little in common, although we are separated by time, culture, distance, and of course, reality, I think we have a connection.

I like Ashling and I’m enjoying my first fake journal.