Art Journaling | Find the right spot to add your text

This is part III of III on how to use text in your art journal.

I love how letters are both beautiful (as art) and meaningful (as text) and then both of those things at the same time as meaningful thought provoking art! If I make sense, please let me know…

Do make friends with an Octopus… Interesting headlines from magazines is just meant to cut out and glue into your art journal, right? I love headlines that are questions to ponder or to take to heart, like this one.

So, part one was on journaling in art and the second part on adding text elements to that Art Journal you’re working in. This time, I’m going to be more random… This is part III (of III) on how to add text in different ways to your mixed media and Art Journal!

I could probably go on for ever about this subject, I think it is a huge topic and as I’ve said before. I love to explore my own journals… but I have other things to do in life (Hmm… I think I do? Anyway). Let’s just look at some more examples and be done with it. In that way we can enjoy our journals the whole week and play together (in spirit). Please add your favorite text tip at the bottom, I need some input and inspiration right now too.

Make space for later writings. This is acrylic paint in a altered book (my current art journal). Altering a book is a great way to always have text on your page when you start out. I hide most of it, with collage or paint, but love the glimpses of text that comes through between collage elements and here, see-through the paint.

This is one spread ready for journaling:

Altered Art Journal spread, April 2009.

If I really feel like writing I need several blank pages in a row for uninterrupted writing. That’s what I keep a separate diary for. What I do like to add into my journal is stream of conscious writing, including beautiful words or things I want to tell myself.

Here is a small portion of a text I wrote crossways. Turn your book in different directions and write where your text fits best without caring for readability! When writing in your Art Journal later reading might not be even necessary, it depends on what you’re writing off course. I write what ever comes into my head, and hardly ever try do decipher it later.

This is text I scribbled when listening to a podcast with SARK:

These kind of quick notes often end up on the nearest loose paper, a receipt or envelope maybe. Sometimes when that is something I like I’ll copy it down, sometimes I’ll glue it into my art journal:

A note in my own handwriting on a loose piece of scrap paper. There is also leftover paper with vintage handwriting under the crayon marks and acrylic paint.

Two ways to add text to your page here;

1) Use a text page from a magazine that has a interesting background color and make stripes, lacy border or decorative elements for your page.
2) Write text on the magazine page with a white fluid pen, find a favorite by trying different brands. White pens are tricky. This is written with a sakura-pen.

Because my journal is an altered book I get a lot of “leftover” text pages. Lately I’ve been looking at those and wanting to “keep” some of the information I tore out. So I cut out little text blocks and tape them back in again:

This text is about the hummingbird and the images are of the dodo – both very fascinating and beautiful creatures.

Another text book extract, underlining some words I like (just for fun);

More facts!

This is a taped in text from one of the many pages torn out from the Altered book that I thought had some interesting text worth saving:

This text extract is taped down in just one end, so it flips up to read a handwritten message on the backside. Life is sweet, especially for the hummingbirds. They can eat half their own weight in sugar – every day!

Interesting facts from magazines is fun to save and glue into an Art Journal or diary. This is factoid about the size of the universe.

One of the fun things about collage is hiding messages everywhere I think.

Collect beautiful words and use them:

My new black shoes are labeled Earth Spirit. This little tag with its bright green colored is a matter of course thing to save for indulging into the journal. Don’t you agree? I was kind of stupid to let Smilla play with it, but some scratches (here cat teeth marks) is something that also adds significance to the ephemera (for me).

If you don’t throw away paper you have a lot of them laying around in the end. I hoard all papers.

I try to use most of the papers I get hold of. This is last years never used calendar saved to be “scrap paper” for excess paint, quick phone notes or doodles. This piece never found his way to the recycle bin, poor thing.

Don’t forget to leave small spaces in between your collage elements:

Or make some space by adding acrylic paint. That is where you can write your message later. Just little spaces where you can write down a quote or a quick thought when you look though your almost-finished pages. This text is saying: To continue when nobody gets it. To share when others don’t give back. To be unselfish. To myself. To be selfish, when one needs to be.. I have no idea what it means. If you want to interpret it for me, go ahead! :-)

I hope you’re inspired to use text mixed in with your visual fun now. For more inspiration visit Crusade #30: cat got your tongue!

If you want to read a story that makes my heart beat faster with feelings that are beyond words go to Karlee’s blog and read her post about me (!) and her exploration into Art Journaling! Let me quote:

iHanna has silently and unknowingly led me to the belief that it is ok to express myself through both words and pictures. Sometimes pictures are all I have for ways of expressing myself, because words often fail me. I’m not sure I’ll ever find the words (or pictures) to thank her, or even the nerve to contact her, but regardless, I’m eternally grateful.

This makes me feel proud, teary, happy and very grateful!