A Before and After Peek at a Page Spread in My 2013 Fake Journal

Above: A prepainted (acrylic printing with the Gelli Arts Printing Plate) page spread with collaged paper elements. (The printing was actually on a sheet of paper that was collaged down as well.) Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I happened to have taken photos of this spread after I collaged some printed papers and some decorative papers down in place, and before my character ended up journaling on it.

Above: The completed page spread. (Well almost completed—the collage papers which extend past the pages' edges haven't been trimmed yet.) Click on the image to view an enlargement.

This year's character was all about not being precious with anything—backgrounds she liked, papers she liked, sketches she might have liked…

In the first image today you see how the page looked before she was journaling. In the second image you see how it looked when she finished. Beneath the sketches of the man on the righthand page you can see there was also additional printing with acrylic paint before the collage started. This happened during a second printing session. The journal pages were flipped through and ones that seemed too "bare" got more attention with more printing.

On top of that printing you'll see the collaged sketches which overlap each other, washi tape, collaged papers (the original blue paper on the right hand page is only visible in tiny peeks).

News that Roger Ebert had died was noted down. This character did three page spreads a day and it wasn't important to her to write much about some things, but just note them down to fill up the spaces so she could finish a page. And she liked to note things that were happening in the world.

After noting Ebert's death she sketched a pineapple in mid-blue watercolor brush pen and outlined it with strokes of light blue acrylic paint using a Montana Marker. (We happened to have a pineapple sitting on the kitchen counter—evidently she also likes to eat pineapple.)

Note: This pineapple step was like pulling teeth for the real me because it meant obscuring a sketch I actually was fond of. My character recognized no such fondness for her sketches and was brutal. Let's just say that when I closed this journal with its pages filled on April 18, I felt very bruised!

She ended all her pages by stamping a large dot (usually red) and writing the date around the dot. (See the bottom left of the spread, under the B in Ebert.)

More Background Tools and Materials Used in Roz's 2013 Fake Journal

Above: Rubberstamp ink and a message stamp; washi tapes in the background. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Note: This post doesn't encourage or endorse the purchase of the featured supplies. It is written for informational purposes, because I know people will wonder what I used on any given page. Please see a note about my philosophy on NOT acquiring a mass of new media or materials for journaling here. When you've been journaling your entire life you tend to end up with a lot of stuff, the use of which fluctuates based on your interests at any given time. 

I've been a rubberstamp enthusiast for decades. As a child I collected old office stamps. In the 1980s and 1990s I was heavily involved in mail art. I even produced two years of a quarterly fanzine—Stretch Marks. It was of course devoted to rubberstamps. But with the popularization of stamping and the proliferation of "cute" I left that arena.

Unlike some of my friends I didn't leave my rubberstamps. I thought this year, if my character was so bent on making a mess rubberstamps (especially those old office stamps I've collected over the years) would be very useful.

For ramping up the layering in my 2013 fake journal I used Brilliance Stamp Pads and reinkers and a variety of rubberstamps that were either old office stamps or "dingbats" (mostly custom, I had cast into rubber years ago).

Above: Custom and office stamps used in the fake journal. Yes, Roz has an index-cataloging system for her stamps—how else do you think she finds them! Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I think that Brilliance stamp pads are the best. They don't have any awful odors. The Graphite Black is the richest black I've found. When stamped and dry it has proven waterproof. I can go right in with watercolors. It solves all my stamping needs. But I do have a lot of their pastel colored "sparkly" pads as well, in unusual "tints." I found these were helpful for background texture throughout the fake journal. I also have a lovely dark purple and rich red from them, mostly used for lettering.

Rubberstamps were used just as I typically use them in my real journal, except that since they were out all the time and I didn't have to go into the back where the stamps are now stored, I could use them a lot!

Let's face it. I do miss my stamps.

Left: Large stamps from this company were used to stamp some words and text, and sometimes just for texture. Click on the image to view an enlargement. 

During April I had occasion to punch the covers and paper for 32 journals for a group project. I made over 400 punch motions, bringing the lever of the punching machine back with my dominant thumb. Halfway through this process I discovered that was a physiological error of great magnitude. I've been paying for that since and having to continue to rubberstamp (since it was the style my character was already using) was difficult at best. I mention my experience as a cautionary tale. I do not recommend that you do that much punching, and I certainly wouldn't do it if you are going to then rubberstamp. But even if you are going to rubberstamp, and you miss using your stamps—be careful. The repetitive motion will be something you'll pay for later—Learn from my error due to enthusiasm!