Starting a New Journal, Part 3

We now have a page decorated in watercolor, but it still needs something to draw a reader in. I decided to use Copperplate calligraphy to draw a heading. I'm still learning Copperplate, and am not an expert in that hand by any stretch of the imagination! And this is drawn with a pencil, then overdrawn with a colored pencil. It is good enough for this, though. I have the look I was trying to achieve.

This is one way to approach that first page: using calligraphy, watercolor paint, and a page design. Of course, yours will be very different, but it is fun to see how other artists work.

For more inspiration and variety, here is a sampling of a few recent page designs that I've done. The astronomy journal on the bottom left is still in progress. It needs more contrast, and I will probably add inks.

You can tell from the cow design that I am playing around with different lettering, too.

Next time, we'll discuss content... thank you for reading!

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 search and journaling

Well, I promised to return and talk about how to start a new journal. I still hope to do that. But my own journal is delayed because I am in search of a very specific wildflower, since it has important symbolism for me. (Sorry for the mystery and suspense! The reason will be clear later.). I will say, though, that I plan to use the image of this wildflower throughout my journal.

You won't need to go this far to start your own journal, of course. But I will talk about choosing your own meaningful images or text.

Anyhow, I went out today on one of my favorite wildflower walks, and didn't find it. All is not lost, however, since I suspect some species are running a little late this year. You can see some of the beautiful flowers I did find on my other blog, Nebraska Digital Daybook.

Finding the flower is important to me because I always rely upon firsthand observations for my artwork. I have to see the flower to determine its true color, and its overall form. Until I see it, I can't draw it or paint it. Half of the fun for me is in the search, too. I am still the 18 year old girl who spent a day mesmerized by minuscule orchids hidden in my lawn back home.

And I don't want to start the journal without it. So, I will wait, and when I find it, I will be back, and I'll show you how I started the journal, and how you can adapt my techniques to get started on your own. Stay tuned!

Lewis and Clark inspired journals

I still find myself saying that I am new to Nebraska, even though I have been here for a year. This landscape is so different that I still feel as though I am seeing it all for the first time. This will be my second summer here, but the first one was lost to unpacking boxes. I know now where I want to go, what flowers and plants to look for, and some of the wild places that I want to explore before the cold comes again.

Thanks to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Nebraska City, I have also rediscovered my interest in Lewis and Clark. I have my own journey of discovery now. There are new vistas to explore, new plants to catalog and paint, new scenes to admire.

These are views of the Missouri River from the National Headquarters of the Lewis and Clark trail.

To commemorate my personal journeys of discovery, I made my own versions of an explorer's journal.

Clark's journals were bound in elk hide, with a very specific paper. The top journal, which does not yet have the pages inserted, is made from leather remnants. The bottom journal is made from imitation leather. (I found one that did not have a strong plastic odor). I like both of these journals very much, though I think the imitation leather may actually be a bit sturdier and more water repellent. They are constructed by sewing the signatures on bookbinding tapes, with a wraparound cover. This is probably the sturdiest construction for this type of journal, which I hope will be used heavily. I've dropped journals in the dirt so often that I know they need to be sturdy!

Inside, I have bound in Thai Uruyu and German Ingres papers. These are meant to be used. Once you get past the intimidating feeling of a handmade journal, and start to actually write in it, they become like old friends. Next week, I hope to show how to break in a new journal. Stay tuned!