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Art / Visual journal pages

general journal junk  -  idealog

These are just some random notes for creating art and visual journal pages. You can do it however you want with whatever you want about whatever you want, but there are some specific project ideas here as well.

Background:

• You could go with a solid colour, decorative paper, photographs, a map, magazine page, a combination, or nothing at all.
• You could add texture with patterns/textures made with stencils, stamps, masking techniques, collaged elements.

• Use different shades of one colour to paint, colour, collage, or otherwise create your image.
• Choose a contrasting colour to highlight certain elements of the image.

• Create a page around a meaningful quotation, poem, or song lyric.
• Use pages from old books as a base or for collage pieces
• An image or other element, generally placed slightly off-centre for more dynamic composition.

• Washi tape, doodles, stamps, stickers, small drawings, solid coloured strips.
• Consider contrasting colours, ribbon or lace, something that reflects an aspect of your focal point.

• Notes and reflections on what you're making the page about, names, labelling, a title, a quotation or focal phrase, poetry.
• You could glue in printed versions, hand-write the whole thing, use different types of lettering and fonts, different coloured pens or pencils, use letter stickers, or cut outs like a random note.

• Smaller photographs or images to complement the focal point.
• You could also use cutouts, stickers, small drawings, doodles, patterning, or line art.
• You could add 3D elements as well, but make sure it's not going to be overly problematic for storage of the book, nor closure.
• Include flip-outs, fold-outs, and pop-ups.

• Use fineliners, gel pens, and other colouring tools to add shadows, lettering, mark-making, and other fine touches.
• Consider sealing your page with a clear medium or clear gesso to protect the work.

• Don’t be afraid to experiment with different materials and techniques.
• Embrace mistakes, accidents, and remember to go with the flow.
• You can also do these projects on loose pages so you can frame and hang them.
• If you feel too constrained, think of the theme as a starting point and not a rigid framework.
• Combine two or more simpler themes to build something more complex.
• Look for a prompt to help inspire or guide you.

• Section a page into four equal parts.
• Choose an item or idea- something physical like a tree, an activity that's important to you, etc.
• Interpret that item four different ways based on how you approach it for each season of the year.

• Keep track of images you like or took yourself that could be used as inspiration for future work, as part of future work, or be the work. This can be done digitally, scrapbookily, or kept in a shoe box under the bed.
• Keep notes on photographic techniques and projects to try.
• Instead of traditional written works, create visual ones combining images, graphics, interactive elements, and minimal text to convey a narrative or explore a topic.