Starting a New Journal, Part 2

We've traced the rectangle from the right hand side of the layout onto the first page of the journal, using a light box. What next?

I would love for this rugged looking journal to have a formal feel inside, but not too formal. I decided to make it look like a more contemporary version of an illuminated book. I decided to use a watercolor sketch of my new favorite wildflower, and to have it break through the rectangle, for a contemporary look. I'll also plan to use watercolor, because I love splashing paint around, and this Ingres paper can take it.

The next step is to draw a flower sketch in pencil. I decide to use an arrangement of grass leaves next to the flower that is a bit Art Nouveau and decorative, rather than realistic.

And then it's time to splash paint.

On the side, you can see a test strip. It's always a good idea to test your paints on the paper that you will be using, as each paper reacts differently. I like to collage these in, or use them as a bookmark, by adding perle cotton to the top.

There is more to do before this page is done. Stay tuned!

Starting a New Journal

Opening a new journal and staring at a blank white page, with many other blank white pages behind it, can be an intimidating feeling.

Over the next few weeks, I'll share some ideas on how to get started. Remember, these are just ideas. Your journal is just that... yours! If you have a gut feeling about how you want to proceed, go for it. Don't worry about messing up. Worry and fear will make you freeze, leaving you with blank pages and an empty book, which is not what we want. Keep in mind you can always slice out the first page with a hobby knife if you really don't like it.

We'll start with that very first page. What are you going to do with it? I admit, with almost 30 years of nature journaling under my belt, I've only just begun to think about page design. In the past, my journals were just resources, field notes that I took to give me something to go from for more finished work, or a record of beautiful days spent outdoors. Very few people ever looked in my field journals. Now, I find that the world of art blogging and sketching is encouraging me to think about sharing these sketches, which means they have to communicate something to others, not just to me. And they should look good on the page, ideally.

So, with that in mind, I'm going to share the process of designing pages for a few new journals. We'll start with my Prairie Journal, housed in the Lewis and Clark-inspired journal that I wrote about a while back.

The journal has a rugged look. I thought it would be a very interesting contrast to have a more formal interior. With that in mind, I turned to Dubay and Getty's Italic Letters book for instructions on how to lay out a Canon page design. This is the design used in the late Middle Ages to the beginning of the Renaissance, and it has a wonderful feel to it. There is something indescribably beautiful, I think, about the way this page layout looks.

Notice the geometry? That's probably why I love it.

I traced the text area in red ink to make it easier to see. The next step was to place it on a light box, with the first page of my journal over the right hand side of the layout.

Next time, we'll look at how to get started after tracing the rectangle.

 

Wildflower!

I found the wildflower I was searching for: the purple prairie clover, Dalea purpurea! For more about where I found it, and the other flowers that were flowering on the prairie today, see my other blog, NE Digital Daybook.

I will be using this flower as a theme in my artwork, since I now live in a prairie state. I chose a clover as a connection to my Irish ancestors, who were also once strangers far from home. And I chose this specific clover because the color is so beautiful. Local guidebooks also mention the strength of its stems. So how could I not love beauty, strength, and symbolism all in one flower? But wait, there's more! It was collected by Meriwether Lewis, too!

I set out today with a sketchbook and camera, but when I broke out the sketchbook, I was swarmed by black flies. I remember reading somewhere that Lewis and Clark complained about them. Anyhow, it became a photography-only trip. I will have to work from my photos, and the mental notes I took about the plants to paint them. So much for plein air sketching!

Have a beautiful evening. The fireflies are everywhere here!

Astronomy Journal

This has been an exciting summer for astronomy. I was awed by the sight of the Venus and Jupiter conjunction, and I am now eagerly checking the news from NASA as they post pictures of Pluto and its moons.

In August, the Perseid meteor shower is supposed to peak on the night of the 13th. The New Moon is on the 14th, so this means that there will be a greater chance to see the meteor shower without competing light from the moon.

Astronomy has been finding its way into my journals lately, but I decided the subject deserved a journal of its own. I chose a dos-a-dos (back-to-back) format, casing the pages into a hardcover binding. I think I will use one side for events like the meteor shower, and the other side for everyday observations. However, I discovered that this format is not for the faint of heart. It is difficult to get everything to sit perfectly in the binding.

Here is what the cover papers looked like, before they were glued on. The color of the illustration is subtle, as is the paper itself. To the right on the top is a test paper. You can see in the top left corner that a watercolor gold test did not go well! The tiny bit of water that I used left a large water ring. This is the messy part of illumination... finding out what works, and what doesn't! The beautiful bright gold moon was gouache, but it was too stark on this paper for my taste. (You can click on the image for a better look).

I had to use a PVA glue on this paper since my usual wheat paste left water spots. The one I used is called Jade, which has many good qualities. Its drawback is that it dries fast, so with a binding like this, I did not have much time to get things right! If I had been able to use my usual PVA/paste combo, it would have allowed me to shift things around and reposition them without rushing.

This is my book press, made for me by my husband and son. It is simple, but effective. I leave finished books to dry in there for a few days, and opening it is like opening a Christmas gift. The book always looks better when it is removed.

And here is the book being released from the press!

Tearing paper for the pages, rather than cutting, is time consuming, but gives a lovely handmade feel to the edge to the paper. It always seems to stick out a bit more when I do this. If I ever decide to make this book format again, I will add additional width to the covers.

I like how the illustrations came out on the covers. I was playing around with a monoline Uncial calligraphy written on a curve. I really like this effect- probably because Uncial is so rounded, and the curve echoes this look. I have chosen words from Psalms 147, 148, and 104 that mention stars and the moon.

Thank you for visiting! I hope this inspires you to get out and look up at the sky. There is so much beauty to see all around us.

Dodecahedron, continued!

Still waiting on the wildflower to start my journal.  It should be soon! I hope...

In the meantime, the modular origami using Sonobe units continues. Remember when I mentioned the 90 unit dodecahedron? It is taking months to finish. I put it aside to work on the journals, and am only now picking it back up. Here is what it looks like right now.

This is the bottom section, assembled. Imagine another *big* section like it, inverted over the top. That's kind of how it will look when it is finished. Once I get to this point in the assembly, it is exciting to see how it's coming together. I think the half-finished model is pretty in its own way, too.

You can see a bone folder on the side, on top of the pile of gift wrap squares, and some individual Sonobe units piled up. The bone folder takes some time to get used to, but it really will help you get the creases sharp. The finished model will be prettier.

Anyhow, I don't think I've shown how Sonobe units can form a cube, too. Here's a picture of how six of them can fit together to form a cube.

This cube only lasted long enough to take a picture... those six units are needed for the 90-unit dodecahedron!

I also made a rhombidodecahedron using Thomas Hull's bouncy units. He has instructions on his YouTube channel that show how to make this. It required 24 bouncy units.

Notice the shape of the interior holes. This model came out squishy and bouncy, just as he said. We were surprised at how much fun it is to hold. Again, I made this from gift wrap. It might be a little sturdier made from different paper, but I enjoyed how he designed the bounce into the units, and it worked well enough with gift wrap.


Enough origami for now... Happy Fourth of July!