Journaling The Garden Week 1

Welcome!! WELCOME!!!... to the first post of a new, year-long
blog series: Journaling The Garden.

Each week, I plan to share a mix of art journaling tips, techniques,
prompts, tutorials, and finished pages, as I record my experiences
communing with nature.

I am very excited about this endeavor, as it is something I have been
pondering and longing to do for several years now. I hope you will
follow along on this adventure, perhaps even participate by starting
your own nature journal.


So when starting any sort of journaling project, the first decision is
selecting a book. There are lots and lots of choices, which can be
somewhat confusing because each has its own merits. Choosing a
journal depends both on personal tastes, and how you plan to use it.


Because of my affinity for vintage documents and handwriting,
I decided to use an antique ledger book. I have a collection of
ledgers, shown at the top, in varying sizes but was immediately
drawn to one particular book, shown above, as it was in good
condition with many pages of beautiful writing.


Although there was no significant damage to the binding or
structure of the book the inside cover page was torn, so I
simply applied hinge tape, (a product I had readily available)
to prevent the tear from becoming larger and give the torn
page strength.


However after applying the hinge tape, I think I would have
preferred using something that looked and felt more like
fabric, such as linen tape, mostly because linen tape has
such a nice texture. But the hinge tape worked fine, plus
saved me time and money.


Working with a journal that already has writing is one way
I help myself overcome the fear of beginning with a blank
page. Although I adore the handwriting present, I want it
to be a much more subtle part of the background.

So I elected to cover up some of the writing by prepping
the page surface.


There are many product available for preparing paper. I used
Gesso as an undercoating and Golden's Absorbent Ground for
over the dried layer of Gesso. The Absorbent Ground when
applied on top creates a porous surface that allows for wash
and staining effects.

These additional layers will also help seal the vintage paper
and provide some additional strength to the more fragile
pages.


The application of Gesso and Absorbent Ground is sparse
around the edges of the page so the handwriting can still
be seen.

I only prepped the first 24 pages, as I had to give each one
time to dry before moving to the next. I intend to prep more
pages, as I move along through the year.