Art journal pages

I said I wasn’t going to post this week, but I changed my mind. I went on a craazzzy art journal binge two nights ago, and created 28 pages in my book all at once. !!! It was a complete mind dump. 

I have felt empty from the release of built up creative tension ever since. That’s what happens when I deprive myself of my art journals for too many days. I go mad, and can’t stop myself. lol 

This, I believe, is what the British call being “cheeky”. haha 
And, so is this. lol 
One more sleep.

This book isn’t handmade. It’s actually a cheap composition notebook with a floppy cover. I got the idea of using this particular notebook from an art journal class I’m taking with Alisa Burke. I actually have a whole box full of these that I bought on eBay years ago, so it was perfect. I haven’t used a notebook for an art journal in a while, and my goodness, have I ever missed working on cheap thin paper. 

Seeing these crinkled pages reminds me of when I used to make handmade books, and I’d spray the paper with coffee to make them look aged and distressed. They used to crinkle up like this, also. 

I don’t always prep my art journal pages ahead of time, but I’m discovering this process works best for me. When I have downtime, and I’m sitting around watching youtube, I’m more inclined to grab my art supplies, and play in an art journal if I have the pages ready to go. 

OMGosh..that paper, tho. I think it’s so pretty. Other than the cover, which I need to jazz up, I am so happy how this book is turning out. 

The last step in the process is to take the journal into my studio, and finish up each page with some acrylic or gouache paint. I also go over the charcoal with black paint to make it more permanent, and I seal each page with a thin layer of Dorland’s wax to keep the pages from sticking. 

Okay, this turned into quite a long post. Now I really have to get to work on other stuff. Have a great week. I might pop in with more photos of my art journal in a couple days. We’ll see.