Art Journal Every Day: A New Journal Begins!

If you're new to Art Journal Every Day, there is a short introduction here.  All of the previous posts can be found archived here.  Remember, it's just ten minutes of nourishing your creative self every day!  No need to finish anything or even like it. If you've done some art journaling this week, use the hashtag #artjournaleveryday so that we can all take a peek.  Even if you're not on social media, you can see everything (from twitter, pinterest, instagram, and facebook) that uses that hashtag here. 

You know, I often get asked how many journals I have completed and I really have no idea.  I know that I currently have about five "open" journals -- i.e. journals that are in-progress.  I think that's pretty normal. I currently have my daily journal (which is not always daily), a play journal, a watercolor journal, and two demo journals.  My demo journals (journals that I use to demo techniques in class) usually graduate into becoming daily journals at some point.  And, in fact, that's the case with today's journal.  I put it together in a class I taught last year and then started to work in it in October.  

I really like how the cover turned out:

For the "ribbons" on the cover I used strips of burlap that I striped with a fat marker.  I love the way it looks and I want to do that again!

The "end papers" in my journals are always a little bit different.  They usually start off as painted deli paper and evolve as I glue random things in over time.

Some junque of note:

This big heart is cut from a piece of Dura-Lar I was using as a palette.  Don't you ever wish you could put your palette into your journal?  If you don't use palette paper, but another surface (one which the paint sticks to) you can!

This leaf was a mask I created using Grafix Frisket Film.  To get it to stick permanently, I covered it with Matte Medium.

One thing I've started to do in my journals is add the year to my end papers.  When I date my pages I tend to include only the month and day, so putting a year in the front is extremely helpful!

The first actual page in my art journal is almost always a disaster.  I don't know why.  This one is no exception.  Sigh.

Perhaps I'm trying too hard in the beginning?

A little bit of fancy lettering to kick off a new journal.

Layers of stamping and stenciling and doodling.

I glued in the little leftover bits of striped burlap that I used to bind the book.

I will never ever tire of eyes.  Seriously.  Never ever.  Ever.  Did I mention, never ever?  ;)

A rough start, but it gets better.  I've often thought about why it's so rough at the beginning?  My current theory is that each new journal has a personality (I know, it sounds crazy, but go with me) -- especially these junque journals.  Because they're made from stuff with a previous life and aren't just blank pages, you have to get in tune with the personality of the new journal.  I think it takes me a few days to do that.

What do you think?  Does that sound insane?  Or does it explain away my ongoing "first page problem?"

Thanks for stopping by!