This is part two of How to Keep an Art Journal.
Another way to keep a journal is to record things you learned about creating art that can help you later. I like to write down techniques, tips and hacks I learned about while reading art books or magazines or while working on my art. Often when I’m trying to figure out how to do something specific in my art, I’ll do a Google search or do some experiments on my own, then I’ll write down what I learned so I don’t forget it.
I also have a visual techniques art binder. This is actually a 3 ring binder with removable sheets of thick cardstock (it’s actually an old photo album). In this book I record the results of ideas I had, techniques I’ve learned and record various experiments. For example, I spray painted some oatmeal in a gold metallic color and glued it in my binder, I also put in a miniature butterfly net that I made with some wire and netting. Beside each experiment, I write down what I used and how I did it.
Then there’s my playground art journal. This is where I play and experiment and have fun without any pressure. This is a good way to use up old craft materials or greeting cards or images I’ve ripped out of magazines or paint that’s left over from a project.
I also like to use it for items that I don’t really care for, those stickers I bought on clearance, that outdated scrapbook paper I bought at a garage sale, those items I’ve collected over the years and never found a use for. The good thing is, if I create something fantastical, I can cut it out of my journal and use it in another art project.
You can make your own playground journal, using a composition notebook or an old book or magazine. If the pages in your book are thin, you can glue a few of them together to give you a thicker base to work on. Because you’ll probably be adding a lot of paper and other elements to your book, you’ll want to get rid of some of the pages to give yourself more room. I like to go through and remove every third page, either by tearing them out or cutting with a craft knife. Ashley Hackschaw, from http://www.lilblueboo.com uses a razor to cut out pages.
It’s a good idea to put dates in your journals so that you’ll have a point of reference and you’ll be able to see the progression of your ideas and your art. I also like to put page numbers in my journal. (I usually just go through and number on every other page.) Then I can make a reference page (or table of contents), usually in the front of the book for those times when I need information or want to refer back to a project or idea.