My first Junk Journal—a Make Nine finish

Little did I know when I set my Make Nine 2023 prompts, that the first "finish" would be the response to the "New to Me in '23" prompt. Although this project is not a "wearable," it was a technique that was new to me, and something different. So, here it is... my first Junk Journal art journal.

A bird's eye view of my Junk Journal's pages.

Art supplies + fabric, fiber, and threads

The Junk Journal January challenge prompted this art journaling adventure (see this blog post for the background). Getting out—and using—various art supplies and combining them with fabric and yarn scraps was exciting and liberating! The kitchen table was a clutter of mixed media for the month, but you can't be creative if you're frequently cleaning and tidying. AmIright?

Junk Journal spread in progress. 

Here are a few page spreads from my Junk Journal, starting with the inside front cover with the list of daily prompts.

The first spread inside of my Junk Journal.

"Mulberry" was the acrylic paint color for the "One Color" prompt.  The "wordy" prompt features words from a hotel napkin. 

"One Color" (left) and "Wordy" prompts.

This "Musical" quote came from an old calendar and the dragonflies were already on the paper used on this page so it was a perfect pairing.

Day 29 "Musical" prompt.

On Day 30, the book spread had an "unexpected" short page...

Day 30 "Unexpected" prompt.

... that turned into an "unexpected" adventure.

Day 30 short page.

Notes and discoveries about Supplies

"Keep friends close, keep art supplies closer."

"Keep friends close, keep art supplies closer." was the response to Day 31prompt, "Close." Being this is my first art journal, I learned things from the experience about using my art supplies. 

• Acrylic paint is opaque and dries fast! It's a good color medium to modify a page, cover unwanted images, and unify a background through color before collaging and journaling.
• Acrylic paint creates a good surface for mark making. It has a flat, matte surface and is easy to write on with markers, pens, or pencils. Glue stick adheres well to these painted areas.
• Posca paint pens are so cool! I want a few more colors and some with a finer tip for lettering.
• The pages with gel medium are still a bit tacky. Maybe my application was too thick.
• I'm making a conscious effort to find more printed paper napkins. These are fun and have lots of possibilities in a composition.
• Some papers used for the Journal pages were somewhat "wimpy." I had to cover a fast food paper bag, for example, with a collaged background to make the page more stable.
• Stamping on coated papers takes longer to dry and is prone to smudges. Uncoated papers are easier for this technique.
• Next time, I would make my journal pages closer to a square format. This is to accommodate posting images on Instagram.
• I'm glad my journal signatures were sewn to the journal spine with space between. This better accommodated any thick, bulky pages due to layering, attaching 3D objects, and using foam stickers to attach items to pages.

Notes and discoveries about the Process

Go Wild with your Art.

I feel my art journal pages definitely improved as the month progressed. Here are my notes and discoveries about the process.

• Prompts were helpful. Although I had to think about how I would respond to several, it was good to have jumping off place for each page or spread.
• Don't think to hard! Creating a page based on a prompt doesn't have to be a literal translation.
• I enjoyed mixing sewing and stitching materials with paper, paint and other art supplies.
• Warm up by working on the background: painting, collaging, throwing on color.
• I began noticing a lot more things in the scraps of paper, threads, torn pieces and other recycled materials that I was using.
• I really loved the recycling aspect of this project—from making the journal with recycled papers to using scraps and crumbs from previous projects.
• Details—dots, outlines, a bit of washi tape, marks—adds a finishing touch.
• The different paper types and page sizes made each day interesting. It was also liberating to let collage pieces hang off the edges and stick out beyond the journal's covers.
• Be fearless! You can change your mind. An image/background/text/etc can always be covered, modified, or veiled with something else if you don't like it or it's not working.
• As with most things... the more you do, the better you get!

2023 Junk Journal.

There are still a few unused pages in my journal—opportunities for additional collage and mark making. I'd also like to make a few more junk journals. Perhaps I'll try another size/shape or use an interesting binding stitch on the spine.

Make Nine tracker

I've fulfilled the "New to Me in '23" prompt for Make Nine 2023. On to the next adventure!

First finish documented on the Make Nine 2023 tracker.