Painting Journal Pages...HOW TO

Use...Fluid acrylic paints - antique white and one other for background, 2-3 colors of gel pens, Wax paper, Sponge cut into pieces
1. Put wax paper behind both pages of your spread to keep the paint from getting on the rest of your journal.
2. Put blobs of both colors of paint on your palette (I use wax paper.) Dip the sponge into both colors and spread thinly all over both pages. You should get a mottled affect.
3. Add images from photographs or magazines would work just as well.
4. About a half inch away from the images, draw a horizontal wavy line with a gel pen following the ups and downs of the images. Draw more lines between 1/3" and 3/4" away from the first line. Don't try to keep them equidistant, just follow the curves getting wider and narrower apart. It will be more interesting if there is some variance. Draw the lines right up to the top of the journal.
5. Print your journaling on the lines starting at top left and going across both pages. Your letters should get taller and shorter depending on the distance between the lines. They should touch the line at top and bottom. I like to mix upper and lower case letters. The lower case letters that normally drop below the line shouldn't. Just lift them higher in the space than you normally would. Since the text is so close together, I use 2 different colors, one for each alternate line.
Dawnhttp://on-the-banks-of-bay-creek.blogspot.com

more ideas...1. Squirt acrylic craft paint directly onto page. I like to use two or three
colors at once. Quickly spread with 1" or larger flat artist's brush.
Don't overmix and don't necessarily try to completely cover.
Unpainted bits of white add sparkle to a page (see "Fourth of July" file for
photo example.
Don't worry if you can still see the lines. It's just another dimension in
layers, and even gives you guides to write on. Leave open to dry. If you have
to close it sooner than an hour or two, place clean wax paper between even if
it feels dry.

2. Sometimes you will get good results when squirting on one color
(eg. "Buttercup") and spreading it with a brush that was previously used for
a different color (eg. "Napa Red".) Take it out of the water jar without
swishing it to clean. Just rake it gently along the rim to remove the
drippiest bit of water. It will make nice streaks if not blended too much.
(see "LeeAnn" for photo example.)

3. Paint all over with bright and/or dark color(s). Let dry. Overpaint with
white or cream. (see "Rain, Rain" for photo example.)

4. Paint the left and right pages contrasting colors. While at least one
of them is still very wet, close them together and immediately pull back apart
very, very carefully. (see "Dinner for Two" for photo example.)

5. When painting facing pages entirely different colors, consider adding just
a touch of the opposing color to the page. (see "Olathe" for example.)

6. Glazes give a sensuous feel to the page. You can buy them premixed or
make an infinite variety of colors yourself by mixing soft gel medium with
a few drops of Golden's Fluid Acrylics or Createx Pure Pigments. Use the
glazes by themselves or underneath and/or over acrylic paint to add depth.
(see "Shapes" for example of painting over a glaze; and "Bluebonnets" for
example of adding glaze stripes over acrylic background.)

7. In addition to flat brushes, use different types of sponges to pull the
paint, or to pat it on. (see "St. Pat" for example.)

8. You might consider keeping a record of paints and techniques used on various
pages in the back of the journal, or recording these on a blog. Saves
reinventing the wheel each time, and makes your journal more valuable as an
art resource.

Be willing just to try things. Don't be too meticulous when getting your colors
down. Don't overthink. Just pick 2 or 3 colors and go for it. Sometimes I close
my eyes when reaching for paint bottles just to see what will happen. Often
backgrounds that don't look like much by themselves are wonderful when you add
text and illustrative elements.

THINGS TO BE AWARE OF:

If you paint a page, it's a good idea to paint both front and back sides. The
page will lay flatter when both sides are moistened.

Think ahead. If you plan to glue something to a page and also want to paint
the back of that page, paint before you glue because the damp paint can
loosen the glue and also cause wrinkles in your glued-on element.

Gluing something to one side of a page can also affect the look of the other
side, causing wrinkles, etc. If you've completed a spread and need to glue a
large area on the back side of one of the pages, do it where it will least
affect what you've already done (example: choosing to put the nurse in "Shroud
for a Nightingale" on the righthand page instead of the left, because I knew
I was going to use gel-mediumed tissue paper all over the top of her and was
aware it would wrinkle the back side, and I didn't want that to happen to the
completed page that was under the left side of the spread.