To make an art journal, find yourself a book from a charity shop. Hard backs are best and if they have an interesting cover all the better. You should be able to pick up a no longer loved novel for 50c.
First job is to reduce the number of pages so that when you start to work in your journal it has space to expand. Take a steel rule and scalpel and take out evey other page. Don't tear the pages out as the stitching will come undone and the whole book will fall apart.
Keep the removed pages to use another day. They can be used in mixed media works or back in the journal.
Unless you specifically want the written word, typed pages, paint with white or black paint as a neutral surface to work on. Any old paint will do for this job,... household emulsion or cheap poster paints. Gesso makes a lovely velvety surface to work on but is comparitively expensive.
Don;t forget to paint the hard back cover as well so that you can decorate as you wish.
So this book is going to be based on some intuitive collage. A notebook or diary as I go through the Summer. We plan to do some workshops in the Autumn , so this will be a great reminder for me,
I randomly tore pages from old magazines. Not thinking too much about what I was doing but chosing images that appealed. Lay them all out in front of you and start with one image for the background. build on this with the images that catch the eye. When you have finshed, take time to ponder the collage, what is it saying to you ?
The symbolism: Mountain (Xwejni in Gozo) with a figure on top, unreachable perhaps. A figure has been placed on a pedastal, possibly by them selves ? Perhaps the characture is not what they seem, snake skin for clothing, a peacocks head dress, a mask for a face. Three monkeys climbing, hear , speack, see no evil. There are guides to help travellers accross the water aided by some ancient words. You have to be able to see them before they can help.
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