International Fake Journal Month Is Only 56 Days Away!

Above: A selection of commercially bound sketchbooks that might be suitable for my 2010 Fake Journal. From top left: wirebound Monteval Watercolor Paper Sketchbook; Moleskine watercolor sketchbook; square, soft-covered sketchbook with drawing paper from Kunst & Papier (blue cover); a fresh, soft-covered Alvin Field Book (yellow cover) of the sort I used last year; and an APICA notebook with ruled pages. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

While Punxsutawney Phil may have emerged yesterday and told us all there are 6 more weeks of winter, there is a more important deadline approaching: International Fake Journal Month 2010 begins on April 1. That gives us fifty six days to gear up.

If you are new to fake journals and the celebration of them during April every year, I urge you to go to the side bar on this blog, "What Is International Fake Journal Month?" That paragraph will provide a link to this blog's first post which explains fake journals and the celebration in detail. Also in that sidebar paragraph you'll find a link to the video of my completed 2009 fake journal, which I kept using an Alvin Field Book like the one in the above photo.

A fake journal is something that is kept in real time, so you may think there isn't a whole lot to do to prepare. Actually, there are a number of things you can do before April to ensure you have success [you actually keep working in it throughout the month] and fun [you actually want to keep working in it throughout the month] with your fake journal.

Here are some helpful suggestions:

1. Start thinking about what you will use as a book for your fake journal this year.

You might consider using a book you have bound yourself. For me, since I bind my own books, I like to use commercially bound books for my fake journal as it helps me distance myself from the "author" of the fake journal—i.e., he/she isn't someone who binds books like I do.

I went to Wet Paint (my favorite art supply store) yesterday to check out commercially available options. They have an extensive selection of sketchbooks and journals. I was weighing the many options when Christina came over to help me. She showed me many books she thought I might not be aware of and remained cheerful when I said things like, "the paper smells when it's wet," "The paper smells like musty plant material right now," and "I really wanted to have pre-printed lines on the page." Suddenly, I realized that since it wasn't "me" keeping the fake journal my personal prohibition against wirebound journals didn't apply and it was back to that area of the sketchbooks. And so it went.

(One of the advantages of supporting your local independent art supply store is that they are exceedingly helpful and they realize that while you may be peculiar you aren't dangerous.)

I came away with a selection of books because I needed to think about it a bit more. I know that I will use these sketchbooks for other projects (perhaps life-drawing) if they aren't picked for a fake journal. Doing additional thinking before you go to the store is always recommended—it's just that for me this is one of the few times a year I get to buy commercially bound journals. I like to bring them home and hold them and test the paper.

2. Consider what media you'll be using.

The media you work with will determine your paper choice in your selected journal. You may elect to create an Altered Book Fake Journal. If so you'll pick a book to alter and the paper in that book will determine which media you'll use. Some printed books may only tolerate dry media. Some printed books may have slick pages suitable for use with only certain inks.

Think of the options in another way as well. Is there a medium you would like to experiment with? Do you want to apply yourself to using pencil, or pen, or acrylics for a month? What speaks to you? Now is the opportunity to take a risk-free venture into experimentation with that medium.

Last year I elected to use the Alvin Field Book. It has water resistant pages that actually took dip pen and watercolor extraordinarily well. (I tested this on the back page because I had never used one of these books before.) I was smitten. That's why I have another one on hand for whenever I have an urge to work that way again. This year however, I don't think I want to work with dip pen. (I work frequently with dip pen as it is, and would like to do something distanced from last year's fake journal.)

The square Kunst & Papier sketchbook in the above photo is a possibility, because I love square formats, but it is not suitable for wet media. Do I want to use only drawing media?

The wirebound Monteval watercolor sketchbook as thick pages that will take just about anything I throw at it and will give me the fun of working in a wirebound journal—something I only very rarely do because I prefer to bind my own books and enjoy working across the gutter of a page spread.

And so it goes. Look at the book you're considering and ask yourself whether or not it will allow you to work with the media you want to use.

3. Consider the page size.

I mentioned in item two how the selection of media will effect your choice of a fake journal. But page size and orientation is also a consideration. Do you like to work in a landscape (wider than it is tall) format, a portrait format (taller than it is wide), or square format? Do you like to work across the gutter on a page spread (which means wirebound journals are not for you)? Do you like to fold the book back when you work with it (which means wirebound books are for you)?

Now ask yourself what does the author of the fake journal like to do? This might surprise you. Working in a fake journal can lead us to explorations we are aching to make, but feel constrained to make in our regular visual journals.

Next, consider the size of each page. Are you used to working large? Do you want to work small on a large page and leave lots of white space? Do you normally work one way with page size and space? If so, a great way to mix things up in your fake journal is to select something opposite to all your regular choices.

And finally, when considering page size also consider whether or not you are going to be posting your fake journal pages on your website or blog, or if you are going to be sharing it in other ways. If you intend to post it is the page so large it can't easily be scanned? Will you have to take digital photos of each page or page spread? Will you have to scan each page in a spread and then knit them together in Photoshop before you post them?

If your intention is to share your fake journal remember that every additional work step you add to the project to share it will actually eat up valuable time you could spend working in the fake journal. You might be best served by not sharing the journal at all until the completion of the project at the end of April—then you can make a video of the completed book. Or you might find that by posting every day you will keep yourself working on the fake journal.

Whatever you decide about how you will share the journal, remember that it will have an impact on your time. Make it as easy as possible on yourself by making a "sensible" choice now.

4. Consider the time you will have to spend on the project in April and the number of pages you will need in your journal.

In 2009 I tested on the back page of the Alvin Field Journal and then cut it out. When I counted the remaining pages it left a title page and exactly 30 page spreads, which meant I could fill one a day. Work and my regular journal lead me to expect that one page spread a day in the fake journal is the limit of what is realistic. Maybe you aren't going to keep your real journal in April (I advise against this, but I know people who have tried it). Maybe you know that you will only be able to fill a page a day.

Whatever realities of life you are facing I recommend that you count on spending no more than one hour a day on your fake journal. Some days it will be less, some days more, but even at an hour, it will mean shifting things in your regular routine. And if you can't find an hour and are going for 15 minutes a day in the fake journal it's unrealistic to plan to fill an entire page spread unless you are working very quickly indeed.

When I looked at the books in the above photograph I found that there were 20 sheets in the wirebound book. Will I work on both sides? One side only? Will I be OK with not having a page a day? When I looked at the Kunst & Papier book I realized there were also fewer than 30 page spreads. Would I be happy working on a spread over a couple days? Maybe that's what this year's author does? That leads me to another crucial consideration…

5. Consider who the author of your fake journal will be.

Since fake journals are created in real time doing elaborate planning about who your author is can be counter productive. It can wear you out before you even get started. However I find that as I start to choose a book to contain the fake journal some inkling of who the author is starts to come to me. I keep these ideas rolling around in my head, so that when April 1 comes along I can hit the ground running with sketching matter and media suited to that author. Comments and other personal details just naturally flow.

Also, if you start considering at this point who the author will be, ideas which seem excellent will have time to show themselves as one-trick-ponies that are not sustainable for a month.

So let some ideas start to jostle around in your head. Just tell your brain to think on this issue and then forget about it.

Getting Ready for International Fake Journal Month
Remember, there are only 56 more days until International Fake Journal Month. This could be just the creative adventure you need this spring. So whether you ponder the above considerations or simply grab a book April first and start in, I hope you'll consider joining me this year for International Fake Journal Month. Remember, Life's so short, why live only one?

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.