Journal Page Prep

Good days for hunkering down in the studio space. Temps way below freezing for a few days. But we are hardy stock here. 

 Wanted to share some of my journal pages, hopefully to inspire others to get in there and just play!

It's always a nice jump start to getting the brain working in a creative direction. Once the hand starts moving the ideas usually flow.
My go to format is these:
 






I like the 9X12 size.  A little big for travel but I make room for it as feels the most comfortable to me.
   Then I doctor it up to my liking on the cover.

 

I dive into the scrap trunk of painted fabric or create a new piece that I sew onto the cover after
I've painted the edges with acrylic. Yes I do that on my sewing machine. Canvas seems to give the cover longevity and protection from wear.
 Over time I found it important to leave a couple pages blank at the front to create an index.It's loose but it helps me find notes, ideas, etc. I want to refer back to.

 I'm one of those people who have a hard time with a blank page, even if I am just writing to clear my head...so I embellish. Light applications of acrylic or water color allow writing on top.

 

Here I will mention one of my favorite "tools" for texture and adding lines is hardware cloth.

 

One piece I have cut to to fit my journal pages. Water down some acrylic, apply with a stencil brush and voila. A grid in which to write.
 I'll be back tomorrow with more. Time to feed the cat & get ready for my day job.