Tracy Flavored DIY: How To Make An Art Journal Part 2

Last week, I showed you how to make a simple and fast art journal. This week, is a continuation of my journal making activities, except this version is about embellishing your journal with whatever you choose to embellish it with. Ready?

MATERIALS

- notebook

- decorative papers

- glue

- pencil

- paper cutter

- rounded corner paper punch

- scissors

INSTRUCTIONS

- Trace the notebook cover onto the backside of your paper (this time I chose brown paper).

- Place the paper on your paper cutter and cut on the lines you just drew. On the side where there is no line, cut down your paper where the top and bottom lines end.

- If your notebook has rounded edges (like mine), use a rounded corner paper punch to punch the top and bottom corners of the paper.

- Start embellishing the top of your journal. Some ideas include collage - hand rip different types of decorative papers and glue them on, cut out shapes with paper punchers and glue those on, add elements of embroidery, add stencils or hand lettering (like I did. I prefer to do my own lettering)... and the list goes on. Use your imagination and see what you come up with. 

- In my case, I used only one sheet of paper so using my paintbrush, I applied a coat of glue to the back of the paper.

- Line up the paper on the notebook and smooth gently, but firmly in place.

- Optional Step: I cut a strip of decorative paper to the height of the notebook and a width that will cover the seam. Apply a layer of glue to the back of the paper and adhere it to the seam of the notebook.

There ya go! One hand-lettered art journal, ready to receive drawings, doodles, product design sketches, fabric swatches, hand lettering experiments and a multitude of creative ideas. Enjoy your new journal!

NOTE: If you want to add decorative paper to the back of your journal, let the front of the notebook dry first before you start on the back.