Sheena has some fabulous new
stencils coming! I used two of them to share a sneak peek in a
jump start journal.
The idea behind a
jump start journal is to give you color and design as a basis to jump start your art. A blank white space can sometimes be intimidating. This is the perfect size to slip into my purse and have available to sketch, doodle, capture a moment, jot down some thoughts - all on top of an interesting design filled with color. By changing colors, using only part of the stencil, and by varying the direction of the stencil, each page is unique yet there is a familiar design throughout the journal.
The journal pages are
Ultra Smooth Premium White Cardstock - 8.5" x 5.5" and
Shimmering Cards coastal pearl. Sheena's
In The Forest stencil provides the theme design.
Starting with the cover, I used EZRelease Tape to hold my stencil in place and also provide a mask. I added color with Distress Ink Pad frayed burlap and an
Ink Sweeper, giving the sweeper a light twist in the small areas.
NOTE: I used a baby wipe to clean the colors in between pages for all ink pads.
Next, I laid the stencil over it and used a
Sponge Dauber to add
Memento Ink Pad pear tart just at the edges of the larger trees in the stencil to leave a highlight in the center. I slid the stencil over slightly to add more large trees.
For the center of the journal, I turned the stencil sideways. Color was added with
Fireworks Sprays dandelion, tangelo. I spritzed in the center of the stencil then slid it over and spritzed again to cover the whole page. While the stencil was still wet with ink spray, I took another page and laid it down on top of the color picking up the negative design and also picked up some really cool outlines.
For this page, I turned the stencil diagonal and moved it to fill in
Distress Ink Pad rusty hinge on the larger trees. I added a different design element with another new stencil from Sheena's release
Grunge Tree and
Memento LUXE Ink Pad morocco.
For the rest of the pages and also for the inside front and back cover, I used the
eBrush System with Spectrum Noir Markers BT4, HB1, IB1. Love the soft look! I used air pressure 2.
Another way to pick up color from the stencil is when you clean it. Here is the stencil after I used it with the
eBrush. The colors are really pretty!
I put the stencil on top of a clean piece of copy paper, spritzed it with alcohol and laid
Ultra Smooth Premium White Cardstock - 8.5" x 5.5" on top to pick up color. I repeated with different pieces of cardstock until all almost all the ink was gone. I'll use these pieces as backgrounds for something later!
NOTE: copy paper is a nice weight for making your own design paper to use in collages.
To bind the journal together, I punched two holes along the center, about an inch and a half from the top and from the bottom, and pulled cord from my stash through and tied it. This little journal can be a standalone journal or a signature set of pages to be included in a thicker journal. I like having options! On the back of the journal I used the
Grunge Tree stencil with
Distress Ink Pad broken china and an
Ink Sweeper.
Crafter's Companion has had several new releases. For more ideas, be sure to pop over to the Crafter's Companion Information Blog, as well as visit the Crafter's Companion Education and Inspiration Team members. You can see their latest designs by clicking on the names on the left side of my blog.
Take care and STAY POSITIVE!
