Visual Journals

On Saturday, I attended a Visual Journal workshop with the local Art Guild that I am a member of.  It was great.  Visual Journals can serve so many purposes, and can be created by anyone.  Following the same type of idea that I use with old recycled books, I began a journal with blank handmade paper from India.  I splurged on it because I fell in love with the leather embossed cover.  I felt it may help inspire me.

The Instructor, Leigh, is an awesome art teacher, who taught highschool art for years at a local private school.  When she taught high school, she encouraged her students to journal, sketch, and brainstorm ideas in altered books and visual journals.

To begin our journals, she encouraged us to use different painting techniques  to create interesting backgrounds.  She often creates a few backgrounds, and then brings the journal with her to sketch and write over the creative backgrounds.  After our backgrounds were dry, she showed us a few different transfer techniques, and we painted and collaged.  The handmade paper I used ended up drinking up the paint very nicely.

 The below method includes gesso, writing text (I chose some Narnia quotes) and smudging. The quotes are two of my favorite interactions from the Last Battle. On a funny note, my daughter asked me a while back, who my favorite fictional animal was, and without thinking I said "Jewel the Unicorn", yes, I really haven't changed much since 6th grade.
To finish the page, I added watercolor paint over it.  Highschool students love this creative activity.

 A background I created today, not sure what I will do to finish it. 

I have a student who is creating an art journal for her confirmation.  I am looking forward to sharing some of these new techniques with her.