Paging through Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

I made a short, low-tech movie, using my digital mini-camera, while paging through this year's fake journal. I wanted to do this because I wanted to share the sense of moving through the pages, as opposed to simply seeing the page spread scans that were posted on this blog. Going through a book page by page gives you a different experience. Even in this low-tech movie you can get a bit of an idea of the crinkly nature of the warped pages that I have been talking about when posting about my work in this book. The presence of my hands in the frame also gives you a sense of scale. I hope you enjoy this short movie (4 mins. and 30 sec.). If the embedding doesn't work you can find the movie on You-Tube.

The 2009 IFJM Contest Winners

Above: the last post in Anne Bray's 2009 Fake Journal. ©2009 Anne M. Bray. This journal was also an altered book journal.

The judges, as I mentioned in an earlier post, were prompt with their task. The delay has been mine: no computer time. However, I'm very pleased to announce the results today.

The winner of the 2009 International Fake Journal Month Journal Competition is Anne M. Bray. You can see her first submission here. There are additional items posted on her site, and of course the image above is from the same journal.

After the competition had ended Anne wrote in to tell me about the process.

Wanted to share my latest (last?) post. Though it's not my intent to stop, I did come to some sort of an ending point and haven't journaled since (for various "reasons"). I found it much harder writing about places I'd never been, and got too busy to do research on them—probably why all the map making entered in. (Actually Leonard is back in the states now, so...)

I did 14 pages and feel very accomplished about that. I enjoyed experimenting with the colored pencils, it lead me on to using them more in my "real" art. Also impelled me to take Kate Johnson's WC pencil class.

Thanks for giving me the inspiration to try the fake journal. "We" both thank you!

Her comments hit on some points that I believe make the fake journal an interesting exercise in artmarking and journaling: experimentation, the use of new materials, and the realization of how our choices can aid or hinder our process. I hope that if you are thinking of starting a fake journal you take a moment to read past posts from other artists on this blog and reflect on how their choices helped them. It will enable you to eliminate some of the obstacles you might encounter.

In addition to the first prize winner the judges selected a second and third place winner. These are, respectively, Jana Bouc and Janet Hedley. (Janet, if I have missed a blog or website location for you please advise and I'll update this post with a link.)

The judges (4 visual journal keepers who sorted through the entries from 14 separate artists; some of whom didn't want their entries posted) told me their choices were difficult. They were entertained and intrigued by all the entries. (They've asked that I never ask them to do this again!) The altered book approach that Anne took obviously appealed to them.

They know they have my thanks. I'd like to add to that my thanks to everyone who did participate in the contest. I'm so glad that you took the plunge and kept a fake journal and then shared it with us.

And to the winners, congratulations your t-shirts will go out in the mail early next week.

So, now it's time for my fake journaling efforts to go dormant. I may get the urge between now and next April to delve into another fake journal, but I'm pretty satiated. I had a great April 2009.

I imagine this blog will be quiet for the next several months. Please be sure to check back in March 2009 when I start ramping up the April 2009 celebration.

In the meantime, if an idea for a fake journal author and situation occurs to you, jot it down. Have a special page in your regular journal for this purpose perhaps?

And if you are out shopping for journals and find an unusual book, well this might be just the vessel for next year's effort. Or, when you are binding next, take a moment to use those scraps in a creative structure, or create a certain size of book that you think would be fun to work in for one month. Just a little bit of prep between now and April first will allow you to hit the ground running.

And if you are continuing with your fake journal I wish you a great and continued adventure.

Keep thinking about how you journal, why you journal, and what you journal. Are there things you can do to jostle up your habit to make it more meaningful for you? Let's all keep learning and observing.

Thanks for a great 2009 IFJM Celebration!

The Final Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 30 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Note that there is a tab in the gutter from a cut-out page. When I first purchased this Alvin Field Notebook I didn't know what I would use it for and I cut this page out as a test page. I didn't realize at the time that in so doing I created exactly 30 spreads (perfect for doing one a day in April). In the book, the fake journal author has actually written on the backside of the tab: "Page missing when I received the book from Ted." Readers will remember that her art supplies were lost in transit and she had to depend on the kindness of her co-workers. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I am still not on the computer much these days because of a family emergency. I did want to let faithful readers of this blog, however, have my last page spread so they can know how things turned out or "stopped." And I want to tell you that I will be announcing the winner of the contest later today (I hope) or in a post tomorrow. Thanks for your patience, everyone who participated. The judges were prompt in their process, but I have just been slow at the computer.

So in this post you'll see the final page spread in this book, which I completed on April 30, at 7 a.m. because I was actually anxious to finish the book and the project, because I had a lot of work looming that would break into my free time. I think the writing will be readable if you click the image to view the enlargement. If you can't read it, give me a heads up and I'll post it another time when I'm near the computer.

Again, I want to thank all of you who have either participated in this year's event or have watched and enjoyed while others have. I'm hoping the last group will be convinced to join in in 2010!

Watch for the contest wrap up coming soon.

The April 29th Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 29 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I have had to be away from the computer the past few days, so here is the next installment for folks reading along in my fake journal. I'll try to get back on the blog tomorrow and post the last page spread so you can have some "closure." I also hope to hear back from the judges about the contest on Monday. I'll post the results after the winner is notified.

Because of time constraints I'm not going to type the text from this spread, but I think it should be pretty readable on the image if you click on it. If you have been following along and can't read it write to me and let me know and when I'm back at the computer consistently I'll post it.

The April 28th Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 28 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

You might remember that I mentioned taping a show called, "Morphed" on National Geographic Channel. It was about how turkey's came from raptors. This was something I commented on back on my April 21 page spread and when I saw the show come up in the next week or so I was pretty interested. Well I watched the show last night and it was worthless! And boring. One paragraph of information that they kept beating into the ground and then showing computer animation of past animals and repeating and repeating after each (frequent) commercial break (through which I fast-forwarded to save some time).

The really sad thing was that the turkey was little in evidence and when he was it was only a large Tom strutting about with full presentation of tail feathers. They never thought to show the hen who STILL looks exactly like a raptor! (See my April 21 sketch if you don't believe me!)

So the only thing I got out of this show was a weird dream last night that the oxygen in the atmosphere was getting used up (part of the show had been about low oxygen levels and the mass extinction of the large dinosaurs) and we had until December 15 (!). It was a vastly scary and entertaining dream and this morning, after I got over my initial irritation with the show's producers I realized, hey, that would be a great idea for a fake journal: the earth's atmosphere is going and we have limited days left! It could be fun to find out what a journal keeper would note in those circumstances.

So I guess I got two things out of the show. But don't bother watching it!

Below is the text from today's page spread.

Verso:

09.04.28 7:30 p.m.
The cardinal pair were busy in the compound grounds today. The femail had an air of satisfaction.

Recto:

Sunny, 61 degrees F. and cloudless. Stunningly beautiful today. I spent it riding my bike back and forth between old Hwy 5 and the derelict Ford Plant. With the wind, against the wind, with the wind again. Over and over; finally back to the compound. Lou keeping up…despite his Bob Hoskins physique.

This morning I held Chuck's hand. His breathing was shallow…difficult. "Never give up," he said, squeezing my fingers firmly. "Tell my boys…" he paused. "Everything," I said. He nodded ever so slightly. Then he was gone. I could see the clock on the bedside table—9:53.

The April 27th Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 27 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

One of the most serendipitous experiences of this year's fake journal for me was the way birds presented themselves at the most opportune time. Just when I needed a "literary" symbol up pops a crow, after weeks of not seeing any. And so it goes…

The text for this page spread follows.

Verso:

"One crow sorrow…"
09.04.27
7:00 p.m.

Recto:

Shocked. Unprepared. I thought I would never see another crow—decimated in 2002. Suddenly here was one on the crumbling river road wall where I sat waiting for turkeys, hoping, with Lou who felt sorry for me. He came out with me tonight out of pity, but he keeps his distance. When the crow flew off I found a dead bunny on the other side of the wall. At least Lou can verify the sighting.

This morning the doctor tested my eyes. He had to be here for Chuck so everyone's physicals were moved up. I needed new glasses—happily a high priority—my eyes belong to the state.

This afternoon I sat with Chuck. He's worse if that is even possible. It doesn't matter it's not transferable through contact—no one but the meds will see him—no one but me. We chat, when he isn't sleeping restlessly. And I started reading him "Great Expectations," which seemed a happier choice than "Moby Dick" the only other book I could find.

"Never apologize for your genetics," he said to me.
Lacking a superstitious nature the crow would only amuse Chuck.

The April 26th Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 26 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

This is probably one of my favorite page spreads from the 2009 fake journal. I love the looseness on the verso page and I really like the detail with looseness of the recto page sketch. I am enjoying the exploration of color, still trying to find what paints in the Schmincke pan group I have will work for me. That and happy paper resistance accidents are what I love about this field book. Revisiting any subject matter over and over, in our real journals or in fake journals, can help us observe more clearly.

The text of the page spread follows.

Verso page labels top to bottom:

Tilt to head

Head on they seem impossibly wide

There's a dark split running down the neck feathers

Walking away

End feathers higher on this receding leg

The feet are very strong looking with thick toes

4th toe

Fourth toe held over pad of foot and not clearly visible in the sketch.

09.04.26 4 p.m.

Overcast, the ground is damp from the storms early this morning

Recto Page:

10:30 p.m. I sat with Chuck last night and he seemed better. Today I joined up with Lou's crew and went to the firing range to keep up the skills Chuck insists on. Lou is pretty intense, but there is a lot of joking in his people too. Alec was talking a mile a minute. In general people just left me alone. This afternoon Lou sat with me and Morgan so we could sketch turkeys outside the compound. The doctor was checking out Chuck.

This evening I was shocked to see how bad Chuck was. He'd been vomitting [sic] and his fever was still too high (103). He's having trouble breathing. I sat with him for an hour until the med tech kicked me out.

We had a good talk though…slow. "You're like a little dog who things she's a big dog," he laughed, coughing, struggling for breaths. He was talking about Ken Darling's fire riot. "Don't change." I don't like him talking like that—it's so final.

[label] One decided to stare at me off and on for a short while. They have impossibly large eyes.

Telling a Story or Not in Your Fake Journal (and Roz's April 25th Page Spread)

Above: the April 25 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.Something always happens when I keep a fake journal, it starts to be a story of some sort. It Starts in the middle of things without a lot of background and lead up, but then something typically happens part way through the month. By the end of the month there is some sort of change has occurred or in process. Often there is a definite sort of end, actually written on the page, or implied by what is written on the page.

I enjoy this aspect of the fake journal. I think it is that Dickensian part in all of us that wants the world to be connected, coincidences meaningful and linked, an overview of understanding possible. I find that usually by April 15 I see where things are going and write a couple notes down to myself. I still go about letting things happen and drawing whatever comes up, but if I can get some of those points in the plan into the journal I feel pretty happy. That certainly happened this month. (One thing that popped into my mind about my journal's author was the knowledge that she had arrived in Minneapolis after loosing a working partner in Chicago, and this gets referred to a couple of times in her journal. This spread is one of those times.)

For other folks (and at least on one occasion for me) the point of the fake journal is in part to have even more chaos. To embrace the chaos of life, its randomness. The beauty in this approach is that people are getting a greater comfort level with the chaos in their own lives and it can be a month of ephiphanies about how they live their lives, what is truly valuable to them, and how they might want to journal in the future.

However you embrace the fake journal I hope you find new methods and approaches to incorporate in your regular journaling.

The text on the above page spread follows.

Across the top of the page
Verso (label)

taller space but legs all hidden

Recto (top)

09.04.25 4 P.m. Bald Eagle!! On an old lampost on the edge of the old freeway 94 visible just outside the compound. I was told as a child these were extinct. I never thought I would see one—almost didn't catch it but it turned its head at the exact moment a ray of sunlight hit it—brilliant, unmistakable, incredibly large! Even Lou was excited!

Across the base of the spread:

Chuck collapsed last night and is in the infirmary—at least we have one. It was hard watching Gordie ill and dying in Chicago with no medical help—except me, "the first responder." It's how I got assigned to the field in the first place—first responder status.

The med tech—Joe—doesn't know what's up with Chuck. A doctor will arrive tomorrow—high fever, stiffness. It's serious. I'm scared. I keep thinking "he's strong," but I've seen that doesn't matter much ultimately.

Everyone is treating me like a pariah, but Lou suggested Fleck and I come along with his team today—crows and songbirds at Witch's Hat. Afterwards he sat with me while I sketched outside the compound. He seems to know I have to keep busy.

I'd love to get on the old highway—with my bike, glide down the empty spaces. Trouble is the freeze thaw cycle has left them full of potholes + cracks. And then Chuck gave me a lecture when we got the bikes about problems with sniper fire from scavengers wanting our gear.

Everything Is Grist for the Fake Journal and a Look at Roz's April 24 Page Spread in Her 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 24 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Note: If you are reading my page spreads in order this is the SECOND post for today and you'll want to read the other post first.

Whether this is in a fake journal or not I will always remember this bird and this day. I was returning on my bike from a lengthy ride, tired of fighting the wind, and this female just swooped along side me. I had to stop and sketch. (I used those sketches to make this page spread because I didn't have my fake journal with me on my bike.) I was fascinated with the way the bird kept hopping vertically and clinging to the bark of the tree that was right on the parkway edge. She was totally unconcerned that I had stopped and was watching her. There is something very joyous about the red cap of a Pileated Woodpecker, but watching them work (eat) is a marvel as well.

On this day I also noticed that there were about 6 houses for sale along the River Road (Minneapolis) and then Mississippi Blvd (which it turns into in St. Paul). This is the largest turnover I have seen in decades and I think it's indicative of the economic situation. This translated, in my fake journal, into abandoned houses. Everything is grist for the fake journal.

The text of this spread follows, Verso to Recto, top to bottom.

8:30 p.m.
Everyone was subdued today and Chuck was esspecially quiet. (His left eye and cheek are horribly swollen but he told Roger he was good to go so we went back to Hidden Falls to look for more geese.

On the bike ride home this afternoon this female pileated woodpecker swooped out of one of the abandoned houses on Mississippi Blvd. That dipping strong swoop that woodland birds h. She was parallel to me for a short while. I had to stop. Chcuk let me sketch her while Fleck took lots of photos.

Because of the fire pit and problems last night there is a two-city wide kerfew [sic—curfew], but even at 4:30 it was already abandoned—empty on our route.

Chuck begged off a sketch session tonight so he could rest. Rather than go out with Lou or Hopper I just did paperwork and worked on my geese illustrations.

Pileated (symbol for female) woodpecker

Brown-ochre tones in the forehead and along top of the beak.

09.04.24 4:30 p.m.

A little bit of white ticking on the breast feathers on the side of the breast.

Withdrawal and the April 23 Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 23 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Looking at yesterday's post, before putting this post up I was struck with how much I enjoy having that grid pattern from the paper behind my sketches. It just seems yummy to me. Maybe I'm easily amused. I wish I could get the paper in large sheets. I would mount it on mat board and use it for large paintings. I'll have to look into that. I'm still having withdrawal from my fake journal. This is something that you will need to deal with if you were keeping a fake journal daily (or almost so) and have stopped at the end of April to return to your regular journal. Hang in there and keep working in your regular journal.

The bite of need to do the fake journal came today on my bike ride. I was returning home along River Road (the road runs along the Mississippi River) and saw some crows mobbing a Bald Eagle over the Franklin Avenue Bridge. It was a fabulous sight to see the brilliant white cap of the eagle darting and weaving to avoid the intent black swarm. On any day this April I would have spent some time drawing and writing about it in my fake journal, letting it be something that my author saw in her day.

Today, I'm just mentioning it to you all and then getting busy printing 150 prints for an upcoming art exchange—so it's a good thing I don't have to do a fake journal page spread today!

I hope your day was filled with real wonders that you were able to record in a journal of some sort!

Here is the text for the above image:
Note: I'm starting at the top of the verso page and transcribing the entire related text across the two spreads. Below this I will put the labels and bottom of the page notes from first the verso and then recto page. It should be clear.

10:30 p.m.—We're all back safe—more or less. Chuck has a black eye. We were returning from H. Falls when a woman came running down one of the cracked side streets picking her way through the weedy asphault [sic] yelling!! There was a fire in the corner park an old Ronald MacDonald statue from the children's hospice there seemed to be standing guard—colors faded, arm broken off.

Chuck got out in front. A small crowd was milling about. Then's when Ken Darling saw us. I recognized him from the posters and was going to call Chuck's attention to it be [sic—but] I could tell by a look Chuck already knew. We'd been told to watch out for Darling—he's the last of the neighborhood watch—a diehard.

He came charging at us and literally bounced off of Chcuk who'd got off his bike. Then on the rebound Ken made the mistake of grabbing Fleck—who immediately crumpled, whimpering. I don't like to be hit either, but it if it going to happen anyway give as good as you get—so I dropped my bike and stomped on Ken's foot while he was kicking Fleck with the other one. Boots always trump sneakers. Ken fell back two steps screaming not in pain, though is face showed it, but about there not being enough bat houses in the area. He cocked his arm, ready to punch me. "Take care of us not the damn birds," he shouted in my face. That's when Chuck got between us and was all over him. Free for all—with the fire stragglers joining in. Ken pulled a knife on Chuck who got him down on the ground just as a guard unit showed up. (Fleck had called them!) They bundled Ken into a jail van—he was screaming about flu, warm temps, and mosquitoes, as they dragged him to the van. Some guards stayed behind to break up the crowd and clear the pit. We stayed to assess the damage. We found 31 partially burned birds—12 turkeys, 5 downy woodpeckers, one male cardinal, 7 crows, 5 pigeons, and a ROBIN!!

The guard science officer said he'd send us a report but he would bet they were all trapped or poisoned. It's what Darling does….Now they have him on assault with a deadly weapon. They were jubilent [sic].

[Verso bottom]
09.04.23 7 p.m.
Hidden Falls 73 degrees F. with storm clouds and no storm. My ink is congealing on the pen nib! I love this neckline view. I'm sure I have enough details to use it for Fleck's article illustrations.

wide stance

[Recto bottom]
look at the level angle

The April 22nd Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 22 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Well there may not have been a lot of dogs in the alternate world the author of my fake journal was living in, but in my life there was—one small Jack Russell Terrier-Mix type dog, feathered out and looking hypothyroid-ish, but sweet and eager nonetheless. It would have been odd indeed for me to finish even a fake journal without one canine in it. By April 22 my real life was impinging in the most seamless way with the life of the author of the fake journal. I have to say that today two days out from the fake journal I am missing it mightily.

The text on the page spread reads follows.

Verso, top to bottom:

We got geese. River Flats and Hidden Falls. Fleck and I prefer H.F. as it's larger and provides more species. A tactical nightmare for Chuck.

After a day of sketching geese and helping Fleck at H.F. I have zero inclination to be shut in with the others. Chuck came out here to the vacant lot with me. How grand to spot a dog—so rare in any urban area effected by the 2005 urban die off. Ownerless dogs rounded up and euthanized. Holistics crusading with their "no safe dogs" laws. I always believed people—wherever they were would have dogs despite the Holistics. Perhaps we're living in a sorting out period. Yet here comes this little hypothyroid-looking Jack Rus. Terrier mix out of the shrubs—contained in a cloud of white feathery fluff! No contact of course, but I had to sketch him as he searched about in the failing light. It's hard some times to remember the familiar shapes. Some corps members still have dogs at home but he's lucky Michelle is no longer with us.

09. 04.22 8 p.m. 56 degrees F calm after another blustery day.

Recto top to bottom:

Topline visible but then there is feathering all over the body and beyond.
The topline.

Lots of feathering on the legs.

All this feathering around the body is bad enough but on the feet you can't see where the structure is!

Happy Serendipity and Roz's April 21st Page Spread in Her 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 21 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Note: Over the next few days while the judges are deciding the contest winner I am going to be posting more than one of the remaining pages in my fake journal. I'll still be posting them in order so people who want to read along can, but if you come to the blog late in the day, check to see what the first post of the day is so that you don't miss any of the entries if you're reading along.

Keeping a journal opens you up to serendipity. Things happen and you notice them because you are alert and looking about. Your brain is actively searching for the things you've set it to look for and great connections are made. (It's another reminder that positive thought does have benefits. We can set our internal mechanisms to look for the fabulous.)

When I did the above page spread I was struck with how the turkey I was sketching looked like a raptor, something out of Jurasic Park. There is the same tilting of the head, the elongation of the neck, the strutting. This raptor vibe is mentioned in the text.

Well a couple days ago one of the science/history channels put on a show called, "Morphed" and it's about how turkeys developed from dinosaurs. Of course this is something people have been writing about since the 1890s when people started looking at the fossil record more closely, but on another day, if I hadn't been sketching and thinking about this topic the previous week I might have just skipped over the commercial for that show. As it was I have taped it and will watch it soon. New information? Old information? I don't know, but it will be interesting to look at. Journals give us a way to have on-going conversations with the world about our many interests.

In this fake journal text I also make use of what actually happened to me—mentioning weather and wind conditions I experienced on my bike. You don't have to create all new details in your fake journal. Try skewing things only slightly, exercise becomes work-related for the journal's author.

Here is the text on this spread:

Verso:

Well I'm glad I wasn't assigned the turkey population! After a full day drawing geese and ducks down by the river at Hidden Falls I can hardly concentrate on the shape of this raptor cousin, let along focus on the pattern and color of its feathers. Pedaling back in the 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts (almost constant) didn't help either.

I was glad to be greeted by feeding turkeys outside the compound. And even happier when Chuck suggested I sketch before dinner. I'm still persona non grata around here.

Recto:

09.04.21 4:30 p.m.
What is she looking at? This Hen outside the compound was constantly looking up into the sky.

The April 20th Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 20 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

One of the happy "accidents" of doing the bird sketching theme of my 2009 fake journal is that I ended up with some fun sketches like the gull walking towards me (bottom left-hand page) which I am intent on using in a finished painting. Just like our regular journals fake journals can provide more reference material for our artwork outside the journal. It's still about observing, seeing, noting details and gesture.

The text on this spread reads:

Verso (top to bottom):

The pages of this journal are now so bulky they are hard to hold down while sketching.

Sprinting across the cracked tarmac

Leading edge on ground and this portion up [refers to bird's foot]

They are walking away today—or so it seems

Head shape works

dip about to raise wings

Yes!

09.04.20 2 p.m. Target Parking Lot

Recto (labels, then text):

Brow has slight overhang from this angle.

ack too short

tail doing something odd

Yes!

Stretching a wing

head down and turning away
sense of a brow here too

8:30 p.m. Last night there was a lot of anger—again directed at me. Others wanted the chicken dead. whether they agreed with Michelle's actions or not (and Hopper did!)

Chuck played his harmonica last night in an impromptu concert with Fleck on guitar. An obvious attempt to diffuse the situation and distract everyone—but hey it worked. Chuck also got us assigned to Target today so I could draw more gulls. And it's away from everyone else. Fleck has been taking lots of photos and today was no different.

It took me a while to warm up—I'm still stunned by Michelle's action—but I got some good final sketches on watercolor paper by the end of the day. Roger was pleased.

It was only in the low 50 degrees and overcast (morning rain) but still comfortable to sketch.

Michelle had been transported out on helicopter by the time we returned.

I Finished My IFJM Journal for 2009

Above: my fake journal kept to celebrate International Fake Journal Month 2009, finished today, the book contains exactly 30 page spreads, one done each day in April. This photo shows how the Alvin Field book pages warped and responded to the dip pen and watercolor attack! Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Well, it's over. For me anyway. Other folks have about 4 more hours until the end of IFJM. If you are new to this blog and wondering what the heck IFJM is go to the right-hand column where it says, "What is International Fake Journal Month?" and click on the link in that paragraph. Read other early posts for more details and suggestions on how to keep a fake journal (or any journal for that matter). See my posted page spreads.

I will continue posting the remaining page spreads over the next few days as we count down to the end of the contest. (The judges need some time to look over the entries, deadline for which is tomorrow at noon.)

I would like to take a moment to comment on how it was to work in this Alvin Field Book—I loved it!!!!

It's sturdy, tough, and resilient. It isn't made for acrylic ink and watercolor, but it took them just the same. I loved that the pages buckled and curled and that they make a delightful crinkly noise when you turn them.

There were a couple draw backs. Because the paper is water resistant painting in watercolor on them isn't the same as other papers. You can however, if you're mindful of your drying times, still glaze colors on if that's your thing.

Another drawback was that the acrylic ink didn't always dry before I got to the watercolor application. So there is some bleeding of the ink. That doesn't bother me.

Still another drawback, the early pages, which have been pushed together in my hand when I've been drawing in the later pages, have started to have areas of spots and smudging, where the ink and sometimes the watercolor, rub onto the previous page. I think this gives those pages a great patina, so I'm fine with it. But there really is no way around this because the pages warp so much that holding them closed and still means they are going to rub against each other in ways that stiffer pages wouldn't. (Everyday, before I started the next spread, I would scan the previous page spread so I do have a record of the pages in the condition they were when completed, perhaps this helps me be OK with the patina?)

This is something to keep in mind should you decide to work in this type of book with these materials.

I have to say I loved it so much that I am going to miss it. I'm going to go into withdrawal tomorrow when I'm not walking around the yard or the river flats looking for a bird to sketch, spilling acrylic ink all over myself (my clothing did not fare well with this year's choice of art materials!!!).

I want to thank all of you who participated, even if your participation was to simply read along and enjoy other adventures vicariously. Maybe next year you'll get pulled in! I hope so. There is a lot to be gained.

What's left: well in a about a week we'll have a contest winner. I'll announce that here. Over the next few days I'll post the remaining pages in my journal. Then I imagine the blog will go pretty quiet until March of 2010 when it will be time to design new buttons, select a new book, find a new author, and start the process all over again.

If you end up keeping your fake journal over the next few months, or you happen upon this blog and start a fake journal before April 2010, let me know. I would love to hear about it.

Thank you all for taking this journey with me.
Now, for me, it's back to my real journal.

Who Is Budgie Marsh?

Above: fake journal work from Janet Hedley examines the life of Budgie Marsh. ©2009 Janet Headley.

Janet Hedley wrote to say that this was her first journal ever! Way to go Janet, jumping into a fake journal to start things off! She had the following comments about her pages:

I loaded up my Lamy pen with Lexington Grey Noodler's Ink and using a journal that I bound myself and was afraid of using—didn't want to mess it up—I just dove in. I found I really like pen and ink on 90# Fabriano Hot Press paper. I tried things I have trouble with like perspective. I used materials that I was unfamiliar with, but purchased at the recommendations of those on the Everyday Matters list. Those would be the pen, a Niji waterbrush, Albrecht Dürer watersoluble colored pencils, and Neocolor II crayons. I found I enjoyed using all of them, but need to get more control with the Niji.

My real name is Janet Hedley, but I took on the fake name of Budgie Marsh. I have had so much fun doing this and have delighted my friends and family with the adventures of Budgie. The best thing for me was breaking out of that idea that everything I did or attempted had to be perfect. After all, I didn't care how Budgie performed. I found out that, when I looked at her work dispassionately, I wasn't critical of her work as I am of my own. This whole exercise was very freeing for me and Budgie plans to continue even after April is over. She's probably going to adventure all over the world. Why not?

I just have to say that I love the name Budgie. I used to have a budgie (budgerigar) when we lived in Australia. I love that someone has that for a name. I was looking forward to seeing the adventures of Budgie Marsh when Janet originally wrote to tell me of her fake journal. I'm thrilled that Janet has been able to take risks (vanishing point indeed!) and enjoy the freedom. Janet wrote that she is hoping that by this time next year there will be more Budgie adventures and even a blog! I hope so. I'm glad it has been a good leaping-in point for Janet!

Below: Two additional selections from Budgie Marsh's journal, artwork ©2009 Janet Hedley.

A Peek in Diana Oakley's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: A page spread from Diana Oakley's 2009 Fake journal, which includes expressive art with written entries. ©2009 Diane Oakley. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Diana Oakley sent in the above excerpt from her 2009 Fake Journal. You can visit her website to see more of her pages and read more about her process. Read about the interesting approach she has taken in her fake journal, in her own words:

I decided to keep a journal of the flip-side of my world: dreams, daydreams, and everything running through my head. I'm writing it down as if it is real. Makes for some really eclectic reading. The drawings are random too and follow no theme.

I'm using pencil and watercolor pencil - dipping the actual pencils in water and drawing with them. It's going well. I have to make sure I write my dreams down right away or I forget them. I was translating some of the journal last night on the page I set up for it and was surprised at how many of the dreams I had already forgotten.

Diana has given herself a great opportunity for freedom with the use of random drawings following no theme. I love that she is using her actual dreams. She will get the added benefit of having them recorded at the end of the month.

The April 19th Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 19 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Fake journals, just like regular visual journals, can provide the opportunity to experiment with materials. I've used Schmincke pan watercolors for decades, but never as my primary, day in, day out, palette. My color choices with this palette are similar to my main watercolor palette (which consists primarily of Daniel Smith watercolors and some M. Graham watercolors), but there are some differences, nuances. There are some colors that are hold overs from before my last major palette overhaul in 2003. (After that overhaul I created smaller palettes to carry with me, but those smaller palettes were based on my selections for the 2003 palette.)

Click here if you would like to see a PDF of my palette selection process. When you arrive at "Leisure Reading" click on "Adding and Deleting Pigments…" under the "Educational Content?" heading.)

One of the benefits of using the Schmincke pan watercolor palette for this year's fake journal is that day after day I've had to confront my color choices and rethink them. The process can be most readily seen when looking at the turkey sketches that appear throughout the fake journal (April 1, 4, 10, 12, already posted; and 21, 26, and ??—there are 3 more days—of drawings not posted yet). These drawings provide a record, interesting to me of my search for the correct mix of blue for the turkey heads. It is also a record of a lot of looking in different types of light, from different distances, and my wavering on whether, after all local color was the right choice. Perhaps next year the idea of local color is something my fake journal author can address?

The image in today's post from April 19 is actually the sister post to the image in yesterday's post (April 18). On two separate days I deal with the idea of shadows on white feathers using different selections of color.

See how much fun this can be? And you didn't believe me!

Gulls and Canada Geese also have repeat appearances in this year's fake journal and they too show me a record of what I'm playing with. Since the author of the journal is someone who is painting and sketching birds the WHOLE day, only warm up or cool down sketches appear in her personal journal and she is happily unfettered by the need to get things down exactly. She will write notes to herself about spacing and sizing and color, but the impression I get is of someone who is much more fussy in her "real" artwork, the work of her daily life. (Perhaps I needed also to keep her "work journal" as well as her personal journal!)

At any rate, those are some quick thoughts on my Schmincke pan watercolors and their use in this year's fake journal. I think testing something out over several consecutive days is always the most efficient way to establish pros and cons, good points, bad points, artistic felicities. What more pleasant way to accomplish this than in a fake journal? So much more accommodating and inviting than a workbook of charts. (Though I have to say, one of my colored pencil students once informed me that she loved making charts and indeed her workbook backed up her statement—the most lovely, artful charts you could ever imagine which still yielded all the "required" and desired information.)

Colors on my Schmincke Pan Watercolor Palette
Note, this palette is the only one I have that still contains a cadmium paint—I don't use cadmium colors much at all. I also don't normally work with this many colors; but all these colors fit nicely as half pans in a small 3-3/4 x 5 inch Schmincke box which I adapted to hold 4 rows of pans instead of 3. When I travel I like to have more colors along with me because I don't know what I'll find. It gives me different options. I have to say I prefer using my smaller palettes with fewer colors, but then they are so small I can have them always with me (about 1 x 1.5 inches). In general I prefer to use colors that are made with single pigments.

Titanium White, Lemon Yellow, Aureolin Modern Yellow, Translucent Yellow, Indian Yellow, Titanium Gold Ochre, Yellow Ochre, Translucent Orange, Burnt Sienna, English Venetian Red, Vermillion, Cadmium Red light, Permanent Carmine, Deep Red, Purple Magenta, Madder Brown, Manganese Violet, Dark Indigo Blue, Delft Blue, French Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Helio Blue Reddish, Helio Cerulean, Helio Turquoise, Cobalt Turquoise, Phthalo Green, Zinc White
To see a chart of this palette click here.

Here is the text from the page spread featured above:

Verso to recto:

09.04.19 7:20 p.m. [side label]

I'm still not calm. It's 9:30 p.m. now. I was sketching the neighborhood chicken after dinner. Two head studies done. A quick body sketch because of the way she was holding her foot was just finished. Up comes Michelle, at my side, about 10 feet away. She shoots the chicken, literally to pieces, feathers floating up and away. The bulk of the body limp when moments ago she'd been looking at me with coy eyes. The noise had been so sudden, so loud. And then silence. I guess when I threw down my sketchbook the wash around the body sketch smeared all over my hand because the teal blue and the black ink was [sic] all over Michelle's collar where I grabbed her. Later Chuck told me he couldn't hear what I said to Michelle—and he was right there—his hand on her gun hand. Lou walked her back into the compound and Chuck took me for a walk. He didn't try to talk 'til we came back.

Now that it's over all I remember is what I was thinking while I was sketching the hen—"I haven't had chicken since I was a child. I miss it."

When Chuck and I got back from our walk there were a couple feathers clinging to the underside of the hedge, and some maroon black spots in the dirt.

Chuck and I filled out breach of protocol reports and an endange[r]ment complaint. She's being evaluated.

[label] curious, tilting her head.

International Fake Journal Month is Winding Down

Above: the April 18 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

There are 4 more days (if you count today, and today isn't over yet) left in IFJM. I've said it before, and I'll say it again (OK, maybe I won't say it again, as time is really short now), there is still time to keep a fake journal.

Take a lovely sheet of watercolor paper and tear it down into halves or quarters. Take one piece of that, fold it in half and you have 4 pages on which you can sketch and paint. On the 30th when you finish the fourth page you can cut and fold a colorful cover out of cardstock and sew or staple them together down the center.

Simple isn't it?

Also, you still have time to enter the IFJM contest.

Several people have written to me to tell me they are keeping a fake journal, but they haven't told me if they are posting it, and if they are posting it on their blog or other internet site they haven't said if they want to enter the contest.

If you are posting your fake journal somewhere else and would like to enter the contest without posting here you can certainly enter simply by sending me a URL to your post. Just sent an email to me at rozjournalrat@gmail.com with the subject line: IFJM Submission. Your URL for your image should be in the body of the text.

The contest deadline is May 1, noon (CST).

Here is the text for the April 18th entry in my fake journal:
Verso to recto with main text entry, followed at the end with transcription of labels:

09.04.18 7:30 p.m.
Sunny with cloudy periods, 70 degrees F and breezy.

Now I've really done it just by sitting here on the fence. I was hoping turkeys would strut by—out of the bushes comes this domestic chicken. I suppose it's some sort of Bantam…I don't know anything about chickens—and then there was Lou just getting back with Morgan form theri asig[n]ment (Minnehaha Falls) and he started tsk-tsking as if the chicken's appearance were my fault. Michelle suddenly appeared telling everyone to get inside. If I hadn't been blocking her line of fire she would have shot it. Chuck stepped in to remind her of protocol. She stomped off to find Roger and I kept sketching. Bell and Ted finally joined me—but from a more distant vantage oint—sketching and taking photos.

She's way too tame and well fed to not be an escaped domestic. An illegal. I guess that does scare me, because we don't know to whom she belongs. Who's out there breaking the law?

Michelle just showed up with Roger in tow. He said let it be. For now. No feeding it—as if that would happen with this lot! A reprieve for now. (8 p.m.)

[labels; left to right]
lovely rivulets of shadow cascading down her neck.

Yellow orchre [sic] and orange tinges in the white feathers.

bend here under cover of feathers.

great thick pale yellow white legs ending in thick "ankles" and fat toes.

The April 17th Page Spread in Roz's 2009 Fake Journal

Above: the April 17 page spread from my 2009 fake journal. I used Ziller Acrylic ink with a dip pen and Schmincke pan watercolors. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I'm fascinated with the feet of Canada Geese, and I've allowed my fascination to spill over and become one for my fake journal's author. Sharing some likes and dislikes is a simple way for me to let my real life feed into the fake journal, making the latter easier to keep up.

It's down to the wire now. I have 5 blank page spreads left in my fake journal—one for each remaining day in April. Later this afternoon I'll take a few minutes to do today's page spread. I've been keeping my time involvement down in the 30 to 50 minute range. The most time is spent on the text because my life is always filled with birds. Friday I was surprised by a Pileated Woodpecker on my bike ride—that event made its way into my fake journal, but more on that when the page comes up chronologically. It is always good to be open to any sketching possibilities. Visual journaling keeps you alert to your surroundings for "raw material."

Also, on this day I had a headache that was quite severe and this got folded into the fake journal. Sometimes the fake journal is a good place to escape from such realities, but on other occasions if it means giving up working on a project or working on the project at the best level you can, I think scaling back your expectations and doing "parts" is preferable than taking a pass. Afterwards it also feels better to push through the physical impediment.

While there are only 5 days remaining in International Fake Journal Month, it still is not too late to keep one. A five-day journal can be a wonderful experience. Consider stepping in to try it out, to prepare and plan for next year perhaps?

The text of this page spread reads:
Verso:

sharp angle where these join
near leg
far
thinner profile to far toe
There's a flatness to the foot as it flops onto the ground taking major contour shapes from it.
Close alignment at base—pigeon-toed.

O9.04.17 4:30 p.m. East River Flats on Bike again.
April snows in Colorado today 12 inches! Here it is 70 degrees F. with sun and a bit of a gusty wind.

Recto:

This afternoon we were given a half day off to explore on our bikes…get used to them. Fleck is greatly subdued, and staying eactly where Chuck wants him. Fleck's natural fears, put aside by the enjoyment of being out yesterday are now back in force. I helped him fill out some of his charts. Then he took photos while I sketched. I've had a headache all day so I focused on parts. It's all interesting. I'm hoping we get our assignments in the next couple days. I'm getting a bit claustrophobic at the compound.

A Look into Trudi Sissons' Fake Journal

Above: A page from the 2009 fake journal of Trudi Sissons (©2009 Trudi Sissons). Click on the image for an enlargement. Read below for additional information.

Trudi Sissons wrote a couple days ago to tell me she had just stumbled upon this blog and immediately sat down to participate. I love to hear that!

Here's what Trudi had to say about her process:

I have had an 'alter ego' for a few years now. Her name is 2 and she is the artist in me wanting a simple life with two dresses - thus the name of my blog - Two Dresses Studio. Two summers ago, I completed two workshops (no pun intended) with Nick Bantock on Salt Spring Island. He taught me to let go of my 'inner critic' and I have done a paragraph or so about the death of the IC (as in "iK') But, I realized he'd been born again when I read through some of your posts, so I thought I must have a little talk with IC.

I wasn't prepared to take on a bird, but I loved your 2009 IFJM journal, so I started with watercolor (H20 Twinklers) and mapped out a feather. My IC was alive and well, and initially even bigger than I ever recall. But slowly, Two got the best of him and eventually, the brush moved outside the lines and complementary colors went the way of the dinosaur. Well, even the feather morphed and up popped Mother Earth. You never know when you let yourself go!!!

Trudi has posted another page to her fake journal at the web link I've provided above. You can also see her photography and collage work, plenty of fun things to look at and be inspired by.

But perhaps the best inspiration from Trudi today is the way she just jumped in and didn't let the internal critic hamper her!

All of us get a little cocky sometimes. We think that we have things under control because we have been productive creatively for long periods. Then we see something, a glimpse perhaps, if not a full-blown situation, which shows us the internal critic is alive and kicking. Don't be discouraged by that quick glimpse, just use it as a check point to do diagnostics and get tuned up again. Silence the internal critic at the first whimpering or needling noise. It's faster and easier than waiting. All the time you gain is time you can put back into your art and life.

Oh, Trudi did one other thing that I have been recommending, she kept her time expenditure under an hour. Don't set out to spend hours and hours on a new project such as this. A missed session will put you overwhelmingly behind.

Remember, 15 minutes, even 10 minutes a day. That's all it takes.