Watercolour Calendar Journaling

As you've seen in my last couple of posts, I finished the journal I've been using for my calendar journaling and had to make a decision about which journal to use next.

Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions journal was a major contender ::

I bought the large size (11 3/4 x 9 inches) in my last December, Christmas money spend before my thrifty intentions started. However, the pages are much the same size as what I've been using, and I was thinking that a different format might be fun. As I put the Dylusions journal back in the cupboard, I came across this pad of watercolour paper - I had purchased it for a VERY thrifty sale price of $1!

I've been enjoying my watercolour crayons and twinkling H20s so will be fun to do more of that, and 20 pages should keep me happy for a while. The only problem with using this is the glossy paper front which isn't going to be any good as a cover. I will share what I've done about that in the next post.
In the my last post I showed you how I created this cover 

The first step was to apply modelling paste through a stencil 

I cleaned off the stencil using a baby wipe onto my first watercolour page

It still has a wee bit of texture, and resists watercolour twinkling H2Os nicely

I decided to try the twinkling H2Os applied over a stencil (below shot still has stencil in place)

Low expectations of how well this might work since the watercolours applied quite runny and was pleasantly surprised when I lifted the stencil

Quite happy when enhanced by pens

Here's the first page completed. Click on the photo to see it larger.

Looking forward to experimenting more with my various watercolour paints, watersoluble crayons, and watercolour pencils. I have quite a stash ;-)

Finishing with the Cover

Sometimes I like to leave decorating a cover until the journal is all filled. Started with this in January 2012

It was a journal for workshop experiments 

Creative Jumpstart Tags 2012

21 Secrets class with Cathy Bluteau

and calendar journaling as I finished with Kate Crane's format

and later started my own current practice

Now it's full

I began the cover decoration by scraping modelling paste through a stencil

and also just scraped onto the cover and then stamped into with a wooden block stamp. Click on any photo to see it larger.

Then added more texture with dictionary paper, torn sheet music, paper serviette, and drywall joint tape

Left to dry completely and then it was time to add paint

and tissue tape

and more paint

have to show you a close-up of the delicious texture

and still adding...pieces of paper serviette and more paint

metallic rub-on paints for extra depth

and painted bondaweb (see Kim Thittichai's youtube technique HERE) for crunchy gorgeousness - the bondaweb parts are the orange sparkle below right, and the purple sparkle to the left and below the gold dots

and here it is finished

front cover

back cover

detail

detail

And now it's time to find a new journal...

Calendar journaling

As I turned the page on my last calendar journaling I realised this is the last spread in my current journal

I started with the party invitation for my sister-in-law's birthday and was moved to add colourful watercolour crayon lines beneath for happy doodling.

For the second spread I thought I'd try some embossing

and using Perfect Pearls

As the page evolved, these elements changed. I love the embossed flower with watercolour crayon added.

and the perfect pearls flowers are still lovely with Twinkling H2O watercolours applied

but sadly the watercolour wash over the butterflies disguised them completely. It's all learning!

I'm trying to work out why I feel happier with the look of this spread

than the previous one. Seen here

Is it that there's less writing and larger "art" focals? Softer colours? More of my favourite colours? More doodles framing the individual days? Love that I have this blog to capture development of the pages and my art style, and also happy to have you along on the journey. What do you think?
This last spread business snuck up on me. Now I need to create the cover for this journal - it's totally blank right now

I am forward to seeing what I come up with. I was really happy with the last cover I customised on this kind of journal

Travel Journal

After that I'll have to make a {quick} decision about what my next calendar journal will be.
You can see my other calendar journaling pages in my Flickr set.

Art journal pages

Had some time to play in my Full Tilt Boogie journal. This base journal page had been waiting for further inspiration

The second prompt from Journal 52 : Somewhere, a Simple Place led me to words about where I feel happiest.

The next base page in the FTB journal had another image of a lovely indian woman.

No idea how to incorporate that into any of the prompts I am trying to catch up on, so just went ahead and added stencil and paint, 

collage papers,

butterflies *I seem compelled to add these to almost every page!* and some words and tape.

This page just makes me feel good because of the colours and imagery.