Wildlife Art

When it comes to journaling I have heard many people say they aren’t writers, they don’t like to write, they can’t write, etc. When I talk about putting their thoughts and memories down as visual art they cringe and tell me their drawing skills are worse than their writing skills. You don’t have to draw or write well or even like to draw to create a striking journal. You can even make the book yourself to make it truly your own.

If that’s going a bit too far, there are plenty of ring bound or spiral bound books in the store. For a blank book to make a good art journal the pages have to lie flat. They also must be heavy and waterproof. I like spiral or wire ring binding. This gives you plenty of room to have dimensional art on your pages. I like pages that are thick and card-like so they won’t buckle when I glue things on them. The best store-bought books for journaling are probably artists sketch books with smooth (hot press) watercolor paper.

Art journals or visual journals are simply put, collages. They are collections of found art. The art is already made for you. You can use phrases, words and pictures out of magazines, scraps of material, labels, beads, pieces of cut up credit cards, junk mail, campaign mail, (wait, I am repeating myself) ribbon, mesh from produce bags, fur, old wrapping paper and anything that speaks to you. You can layer until your heart is content. No worries about scratching out that misspelled word.

Of course, you can create your own artistic masterpieces. You can create them directly onto the page, or cut them out, and paste them in your book.
Another great thing about art journals is that you can put your most secret secrets and deepest inner thoughts in them and no one will know what you are getting at. Who will guess what that little cutout of an umbrella really means? Only you will know. If people ask, you can always make something up. Much of art journaling, just like much of abstract art IMO is just for decoration and to fill in the blank space on the canvas. Tell them that. They will never be the wiser.

Unlike writing, you can go outside the lines with art journals. Neatness does NOT count. Texture is important. You can tie things to the binding like strings of beads, punch holes in the pages, Tear and fold the pages, use fold out or pop-up art, whatever. It’s like scrap booking taken to an interesting new level.
I have created several journals using three ring loose leaf binders. I covered them with fabric and used a three-hole punch to put holes in smooth watercolor paper.

On one book I cut out a square in a piece of cardboard and covered the remaining frame shape with vinyl wallpaper to make a picture frame of sorts which I put on the front cover. I cut out other shapes and taped them down using thick foam double stick tape to give them a floating effect.

Visual journaling (or journeying) is a great thing to do with children on a rainy or cold evening, or a long weekend. It’s great for those recovering from illness or injury. It’s also a great way to tell the story of that illness or injury.

Remember, this is a no holds barred, anything goes type of art. Go for it.

By: Virginia Small