Hello and welcome to my latest blog post all about journaling. I'm hoping this will be the first of many posts where I guide you through the different types of pages that I'm currently creating in my journals.
I turn to my journals whenever I want to express myself, get thoughts out, plan some new ideas, document special moments or just have a desire to get creative.
I hope this post provides some inspiration for your own journals too.
I've really been enjoying using a Hobonichi journal for my planner this year. It gives me plenty of space to plan out my tasks, plus there is always some free space for adding decorations. The paper holds up really well to watercolour and fountain pen ink which I love.
I definitely plan on using the same journal next year too. I bought this notebook from The Journal Shop and will be keeping an eye out for when they release next year's journals.
One thing I've been finding really relaxing is creating small pages full of patterns. For this
I'm using an A6 sketchbook from The Stamford Notebook Company. I've always loved creating simple patterns, but was inspired to do this more regularly by Amy Maricle.
I start off with a watercolour splotch in the middle of both pages. I do this by adding lots of watercolour to one page and then closing the book. When you open it up, you get this lovely mirrored image on your pages to work around. I then add marks around the outside. For this one I added circles, but I've also been sketching wavy lines and cross-hatching. I tend to add the patterns in the evening whilst watching television as I find it the perfect way to unwind.
I've been having so much fun in my art journal this year. I completed these pages after watching the latest Wanderlust class taught by Mary Beth Shaw. There is something so satisfying about building up all those yummy layers of colours. To me, this just feels like joy on a page. For my art journaling I am using a small Dylusions journal.
Speaking of joy on a page ... I completed this rainbow page of watercolour, which was definitely inspired by one of @rebelunicorncrafts videos on Instagram. I just loved adding all that beautiful paint, followed up by some white splashes on top.
For my daily journal I use a Travelers Company insert. I really enjoy making a few notes every evening about the main things that have happened during the day. At the weekend I tend to use the right-hand page to write a summary of my week. This type of journaling feels really manageable to keep up with and is so lovely to look back through at a later date.
My video on Patreon this week is all about painting Asters in watercolour. I love adding decorative elements to my journal pages and being able to add some of my own watercolour paintings has brought me so much joy. You can access a free trial of the top membership tier of my Patreon journaling club here.
My publishers very kindly sent me a book called Botanical Art by Kew Gardens which has just been published.
The whole book is designed to be cut up and used for collage pages. As someone who loves nature and collage, this book is just perfect for me.
For these pages, I tore some of the images out and use the backing papers for the purple and pink strips.
I then used some brown ink around the edge of my pages for a vintage look and finished off by adding my journal writing. I will definitely be using this book for a long time to come.
Also, in case you missed it I released a new junk journaling video on YouTube this week which you can watch down below:
I really hope this blog post gives you lots of ideas and inspiration for your own journals. Do let me know how you're getting on by leaving a comment down below, I would love to know, Helen x
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