More Using Fold Out Journals -

I always said it was a hyperactive blog - but it is not fast!


Back in April I was writing about using the Strathmore Journal workshops to make stepped pages and fold out pages, so I have had some pages with the backgrounds waiting to be used since posts in April and June... as another part of my Art Journal Every Day challenge...

I had got as far as using some eraser stamps I carved to stamp "seek", "find" and "live" all around the edges of the page, but then I was playing with my new Cuttlebug.

I have got some Tim Holtz dies and big up plates for the Cutttlebug, so I have used his slide film die plus other Cuttlebug and Sizzix dies for lettering, butterflies and dragonflies.

I got some lovely paper by Melody Ross designer collections called "Soul Food" with these great generic fifties/sixties women, so I cut those out and used the same paper as some of the die cut material.

There was a quote on the page with the girl on the left saying "She stopped to smell the daisies" so I used that as the theme of the page. I used two other figures - one on the left looking serious and studious with one in the middle encouraging her to have a full life and also take some time out.

Then I had a rush of flowers and insects going across the whole panorama and to link the women and to give it a joyful feel...

I feel happy just looking at it!!

Making Stepped Pages - Strathmore Workshop 2 - Start Where You Are. Instructor Linda Blinn

In Strathmore Workshop 2 “Start Where You Are”  the instructor  Linda Blinn showed how to make stepped journal pages:

“ go to the front of your journal and cut the first few pages vertically in varying widths to create stepped pages as an entry into your journal. Cover these pages with decorative paper as shown in the photo or art them up with collage and paint” 

I made these stepped pages ages ago but had not got around to doing anything with them, so first I added some edging borders.

Then using Pam Carriker’s “Art at the Speed of Life” ideas for acrylic washed backgrounds and the sequin waste (also known as punchinella  in the US I believe, when I took it for a character out of HarlequinJ ) suggested in her Strathmore Workshop 1 I made a set of backgrounds for future use.

Because the stepped pages reveal parts of other pages I have tried to use some complementary tones.

This  means that the interesting glimpses of the other pages edges adds to the effect and makes the pages more interactive.

I used the sequin waste strips to make a banded effect by stippling along the edges of the strip as well as through the perforations.

The last of these spreads also uses the back of the fold out page in my night and day spread, so I have  used the same tones to give me a panoramic background to decorate.