Welcome to the 2017 Art Journal Adventure!
2016 was our first year and from my perspective, a wonderful success. This time the format is altered very slightly; Bonnie Irvine and I will provide prompts on alternate weeks. For the Week 1 kickoff we’re both creating covers for our journals.
I filmed a short video that introduces mine and my overall ideas for how I plan to work this year. My biggest change is moving away from a bound journal to loose pages. You’ll hear about that and more in the video. Bonnie also has a post here on the blog so be sure to check it out. As usual, her cover is simply fabulous!
Scroll down the page, under the video and list of supplies, and you’ll find photos of my cover, in progress after I finished filming, and then when both sides were complete.
Supplies For This Week’s Page:
Hand Book Journal Company Fluid Hot Press 9″ x 12″ 140# Watercolor Block
Tattered Angels Mixed Media Origins Papers. I used “Barn”
Derwent Coloursoft Coloured Pencils
Lindy’s Stamp Gang Starburst Sprays
Now, photos..
Something I forgot to mention in the video is that I glued two pieces of the watercolor paper together (using Scor Tape) so that the cover would be really sturdy. I’ll do the same for the back one when the time comes.
Here’s the finished front side of the cover. I did add the “year of the rooster” text. It was vexing and I’m not as happy with it as I am with the other lettering, but I’m (trying to) let it go.
**If you decide to bind your loose pages like I plan to, make sure to leave space on the left side of the front cover. I know you have not seen the binding yet, but can promise that it’s nice. Where I went wrong was placing the words “ART JOURNAL ADVENTURE” too close to the left edge. I have barely .25″ for the binding to wrap around to the front. It will work, but I’m going to lose the squiggly border along that entire side. I completely forgot about it I was so engrossed in what I was doing.
You should leave a half inch, or perhaps 5/8″, from the left edge of your page to the top of the letters, for the binding to wrap around. Of course this presumes you align your lettering the way I did. Or have some part of the cover design there. Just remember to leave that space for the binding!
This is the inside of my front cover. Imagine the journal with the cover opened – this is what you’ll see.
That piece of Media Tape? It approximates what I’ll be using to bind the pages together, one at a time. I’m leaving space for it and keeping the right edge of my design far enough away so none of it will be covered. I’ve penciled in the area where I plan to make a note of each week’s prompt. I can’t take credit for this brilliant idea, it was Bonnie’s and I’m just borrowing it! The lines will act as a guideline for placement of the squiggly border.
A cow? I know, right? Where the hell did a cow come from? The Tattered Angels Mixed Media Origins Papers are dual sided and the cow was on the reverse side of the sheet where the rooster came from. It was placed in such a way that it didn’t get cut when I cut out the rooster and it seemed a shame not to use it, so I’m gonna.
Note that the border is in and the penciled lines are gone.
Horizontal lines in place.
And the vertical ones are too, though the first two I penciled in (meant to divide the page vertically in thirds) were incorrect. I erased parts of the incorrect ones at the top of the page so when I was ready to number the places for the prompts I didn’t align the digits with the wrong one.
Oh yeah, I glued that goofy cow in place too.
Numbered and ready to go, though I probably should have written “create journal cover” in the space for week #1. I’m leaving the pencil lines so I have guidelines for horizontal alignment when I enter each week’s prompt. I’m pleased with this and now that it’s done I’ll be ready to move on when the time comes!
Be sure to checkout the Facebook AJA group. Click here to go there and request access. It’s a “Closed” FB group, meaning everyone has to be added by either me or Bonnie, but that’s just a formality. We want everyone to join the group and participate in this year’s journal adventure!
8 Comments
Love the rooster! That cow belongs there! Looking forward to the 2017 AJA and hope to participate more this year. Thanks for providing us with the opportunity to follow you and Bonnie on your creative journey.
Thanks Linda!
Yep, I like the cow, which is good since it’s glued in place.
I hope you can do more this year. :+)
Awesome layout! Can’t wait to see the binding technique. I also like the idea of the index for recording the weekly prompt.
Thanks very much. I think the binding video will be in a few weeks. I need to work that one into the schedule. :+)
Love that big bold rooster! Great layout. Love the cow on the index page (which is a brilliant idea and one that will be borrowed).
I actually plan to take part this year and not just lurk!!
Thanks Deb! I’m happy with the start of things. Will be looking forward to seeing what you create!
My question is, is the plan to bind the Journal using the Dina Wakely media tape? Or the happy planner punch system? Or did I somehow miss something?
I’m using the media tape like I did in the Mixed Media Origins journal from the video. Bonnie is using the Happy Planner Punch. Either is a good choice. You could use book rings too, if you want.