Tools and Materials Roz Used for Creating Backgrounds and Layering Effects in Her 2013 Fake Journal

Above: Brushes used in my 2013 Journal include, on the far left, Stencil Brushes, Foam Brushes, and rubber-tipped paint tools. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

NOTE: Same thoughts about acquisition of supplies I opened yesterday's post with applies today. I am writing about these products for informational purposes and do not believe that any of them are essential in any way for successful visual journaling. Read my previous note on my philosophy at the link.

My 2013 journal is filled with lots and lots of layers. It's pretty much "encrusted." To accomplish this I used several media and tools.

Above: Some of the sheets I printed using the Gelli Arts Printing Plate. I even printed over sketches (bottom right). Click on the image to view an enlargement.

First I used a Gelli Arts Printing Plate to print on mulberry paper (often colored sheets) or on the pages of the journal directly.

I think most of my friends would probably suggest that the Gelli Arts Printing Plate was responsible for all the chaos that ensued!

In March I was visiting a friend who'd just had foot surgery. She'd been watching videos about the plate on YouTube (go to YouTube and keyword search, you'll find a ton of stuff). As anyone who has ever made a gelatin plate can tell you it often doesn't turn out as you would hope and the resultant plate is fragile. And it degrades. So as soon as I saw this product I knew I wanted to try it and when we couldn't find one in town (we called everywhere) I ordered one online and had it in a couple days. At which point I started printing. I had already realized the paper in my selected journal wouldn't be suitable for the mixed media work that I wanted to do so collaging these papers over the pages would be a great solution. Also printing directly on the journal pages created an acrylic paint layer that "beefed" up the paper, or rather stopped the absorbency of it.

Above: Following recommendations on the internet from people already using the Gelli Arts Printing Plate I selected an inexpensive craft acrylic paint—Americana. I found this paint to yield excellent results with the plate. I wasn't worried about archival qualities because my character wasn't. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I have friends who have used various tube acrylics, but this is the only product I've used with my plate. I will leave it to others to inform you as to their results. (Note: In October 2013 Briana Goetzen will be speaking at the MCBA Visual Journal Collective about her use of the Gelli Arts Printing Plate. I encourage you to attend the meeting—which is free and open to all adult journal keepers. We'll have a couple plates and some other supplies on hand so that you can give it a try for yourself.)

Above: Stencils of all types were used. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I've used stencils in my real journal in the past, but because I was going to use the Gelli Arts Printing Plate I purchased a couple new stencils and got out ALL my old stencils—everything from pre-cut templates to tag board letters. Besides using these stencils in the printing process (again, any video on the Gelli Arts Printing Plate will show you various ways to use stencils with it) I also used them to add additional layers and color to my page spreads with rubberstamp ink, but that's a post for later.

Using the above items and also an 8-inch wide brayer I made the base backgrounds for my journal pages.