Journal Cover Tutorial

I planned to decorate a new journal's cover and thought I would document it for you. So here is a tutorial on decorating a cover.

This is the ugly brown cover of a Strathmore Visual Journal.  It is shiny with all these marble shapes. It's got to be the uglies journal cover I have ever seen. I always like to decorate the covers of journal if they are not pretty to begin with.

I dealt with the shiny surface of the cover by sanding it.  I took a sanding block to it but sandpaper would work just as well. Just sand it enough to remove the sheen.

I painted over both covers with 2 coats of gesso and let it dry.

Then I layered on some Portfolio water soluble oil pastels. I added water and blended the colors together.

Next I drew in the wet areas with oil pastel and it pulled some of the color off.  I let it dry and added black in the lines and more oil pastel on top.  This was the back cover.

For the front cover I layered oil pastels with no water.  I added a hair spray fixative to both covers and I was done. The one where water was added is much smoother and the one without has more depth and texture to it.  I like them both.

Making A New Journal

Its been several years since I made my own journal.  Having been frustrated using Canson's Mixed Media journals with wet media I decided it was time for more control. I had ordered some Fabriano hot press watercolor paper last fall. So it took awhile before I used it.  I made the journal with canvas boards as covers.  The front is covered with painted paper using my favorite colors of blue, turquoise and purple. This paper was made on a gelli plate.

For the back I used embossed wallpaper.  I painted it first and then picked up some leftover paint on the gelli plate to add additional color.  

The spine is a piece of canvas I painted to be darker than the rest.  I used Golden fluid acrylics for all the painting.  I added cat beads to decorate the spine. What a challenge and pleasure it was to make this.  I kept making silly mistakes.   Its going to be great to work in. The instructions to make this journal are from Teesha Moore, it used to be on her website but I couldn't find it there, luckily a friend had a copy.  I also am really loving the Japanese Screw Punch I got for a gift back in December.  They are really pricey but if you are going to do any book making so worth it. Punching the holes is so easy.

Do you have any summer reads that you have been lost in. I am loving the world I have fallen into with Neil Gaiman's new book. Tell me in the comments what you've been reading.

Two Journals and a Goddess

After taking Connie Hozvika"s course BIG I put a huge piece of paper on my painting wall. 6 sheets of 18 x 24 paper. I found it so intimidating that I just couldn't begin to paint on it. The other day I thought this is silly and told myself to paint on part of it. So that is what I did. This little goddess came out. She is 18 x 48. It feels great to have overcome that white paper and just paint again.

 Here is a little video showing a couple journals I just finished.

Art From a Friend

I got this lovely piece of art for my birthday from my friend Janet. How cool is that. It was painted on an old book cover. Its going to hang in my studio.

I have been finishing up a journal, just a few more pages to go.

I just love this image, its all starlight and sparkles.

She seemed very sure of herself.

I could use some luxury time in the pool.


I ordered some things from Dick Blick and they came a couple days early.  Now that is exciting.



















I can't wait to plat with these. I saw Jane Davenport doing some video's with these markers and they look amazing and quite fun.  My other purchases were a couple of PanPastel colors and some colored pencils.

I recently got some of these babies and oh they are so much fun.  I'd love to have the whole set of colors but that is probably not going to happen any time soon.

This is one of my exercises in BIG, I loved working with these colors.