This is the very last page in my journal. I’ve been working in it since January 1, 2009. The right side is the inside cover of the book. I might finish that tomorrow. But tomorrow I definitely need to make a new journal. Tonight after I finished this page, I looked through my vast collection of books that I have solely to make books with, or to use the insides for collage material, or both. I found several candidates, but I’m just not sure. One was the perfect size for me: 8″ x 10″. But it had a pretty wide spine. And I think I want to make a book that won’t take me as long to fill up, which means not as many pages, which means not as thick of a spine. The others that I liked better, had a better “vibe” to them. But they were a little smaller. I’m leaning towards one that is actually a little wider, but a little shorter. The problem with wider is fitting it on my scanner. . . I’ll see how I feel tomorrow.
Anyway, about this page. It’s pretty simple, but pretty powerful. The center hand was done using one of my henna stencils and the copic airbrush system. (In case you missed my videos on using henna stencils and also using the copic airbrush system with it, here it is: Part 1 & Part 2.) The corner hearts are stamps I carved during my 30 Days of Carving. I also used Sakura Souffle pens, a Kuretake metallic brush marker, a Pentel pocket brush pen, and some crayons. Oh yeah, and alphabet stamps.
Here’s what Bianca did today in her journal. You can see the rest of my posts for this project here.
I love the simplicity of this, ending off the book with something slightly different and super vibrant.
In my current journal, I cut down on the number of signatures I used from my usual 5 or 6 to only 2. It still feels substantial as I included a few more sheets of paper in each signature than I normally would, but it was much quicker to make, and filled up pretty quickly. It's still 8×10, just thinner and lighter. Easier to cart around too if you want to journal at a coffee shop or something. I'm on my last 2 spreads as well, so I need to make a new one too.
I'm sorry you're having to deal with all the financial bullshit, I definitely know how stressful that is. I really hope it all works out for you, you'll be in my thoughts.
Oh, I noticed below that the "Comment As:" dropdown doesn't have the name/url option – wasn't sure if that was something you could change or not, but I always go to put my info in there and I realize I can't :p
Love it!
Great focal point, and love your use of art elements.
And yes.. things WILL work out, keep thinking positive :]
Traci, I always love your blog and all of your book(s). Can't wait til May til I can get my hands on the Workshop! I am pre ordering it this weekend. And knowing Amazon, I might get it a few days sooner than the actual launch date! I so wish I could travel and take a class from you. maybe someday. I just finished a journal and had to find another. So I am using a comp book I bought from you several years ago!I am sending you positive, financial thoughts your way today!
@Brent: I always put 4 signatures in my books, and in this last one, they ended up being BIG signatures, and the book (now finished) doesn't lay flat. So I think if I just put fewer pages in the new, it'll be better. And yes, weight makes a difference. I want to weigh this finished one out of curiousity–it's definitely hefty to carry around which makes it hard to throw in a back pack for journaling on the go.I'm not sure about the name/URL thinging. I wonder if it's something that blogger changed because I didn't do it (intentionally anyway).Unless when I worked on my blog several months back I somehow did that. I'll check into when I get some time.
@artistaprilcole: Thanks!
@Sharon: People who pre-ordered my book said they just got e-mails saying it's being shipped. So depending on how many amazon ordered, you might be getting yours very soon! Glad you still have the comp book!
I really like finding little things like this around the internet. It looks good. I noticed the Pentel pocket brush pen made an appearance. I really like it, though I never got used to brushes (I’d always use pens and pencils) but it’s still great, especially for those used to brushwork. Nice job, though.