Dragonflies and Dreams Journal

It has been a while since I made one of my journals and this one has been made by remodelling another one. I had some more ideas I wanted to incorporate into this one. No art is really ever finished, is it?

 I have included hand painted pages, gel print paper, digital printed tags and bookmarks, stamping and ephemera, amongst other things. I have stitched 5 signatures ( not all have the same number of pages in them) to make a coptic stitch journal. 

There are 20 pages altogether, 28 coloured sides, plus front and back covers made of board, and 12 sides of blank paper (which is heavy print paper). The front cover is an original collage stuck onto binder's board. Some of the pages are lumpy and bumpy as they have several layers of paper stuck on them. It all adds to the texture of the book. 

The journal is approx 13.5 cm by 18.5 cm, (or approximately 5 1/4 inches by 7 1/4in). 

I have stitched the coptic stitch with natural coloured waxed Irish linen thread.

There are some inserts such as printed bookmark included. Some of the pages have components which lift up so you can write on the back. 

This is what it looks like inside.

The dragonfly page lifts up to reveal some flowers underneath.

The dragonfly page lifts up to reveal old envelope. Left page has been collaged with painted image and gel print paper.

Painted and stamped page on the left, Collage on right. the leaves are painted. 

Pages painted and stamped. Bookmark attached by paperclip.

Painted page on left, gel print and metallic leaf stuck onto leaf. Original bird tag clipped on to page.
Blank pages.

Painted and stamped.

Painted and stamped gel prints.Original fern tag.

Stencilled over paint and gel print. Collage on right page. Original bookmark. 

Stencilling, gel prints and tape transfer on left. Original bookmark.

Gel prints and stamping. 

Left image collaged, drawn and painted flower. Right hand page gel print and original butterfly card. Can slip paper under left side image.

Painted pages. Left bottom holds small paper which has been cut to let image of flower be seen.

Painted pages, gel prints and stamping. Bookmark lifts up on left side, can slip paper into bottom of left page.

Painted pages.

Painted pages, painted card, gel print on right. Flower image can be lifted up. 

Gel print with original bookmark on left and library card in envelope on right. 

I hope you enjoy looking at the images. As usual the copyright remains with me and images may not be used without permission. 

"Ideas" Hand made Journal

This is the little journal entitled "Ideas" which I made at the same time as the other one the same size, which is called "The Story of the beautiful."

Once again it is a tiny journal, it is approx 7.5 cm by 9.5 cm. Just under 2 cm deep. 3 in by  3 3/4  in by approx  1/2 in deep.

Once again I have incorporated many different techniques into the making of this journal; including the use of ephemera, gel prints, drawing, painting, mark making, collage and digital prints. The cover, front and back has been made to look old and worn. 

It has 12 (heavy weight watercolour paper) pages, (24 sides), and most pages are  fully rendered, you can however write your thoughts or quotes on the pages, (especially effective if you use a white gel pen).

The book  has been Coptic stitched so it will sit flat when you are working in it.

 I have stitched the Coptic stitch with natural waxed Irish linen thread.

This is what it looks like inside and out.

I retain all copyright restrictions to these images. Linda E Clarke 2017.

"The Story Of the Beautiful" Journal

This is the smallest little journal I have made so far. I am really enjoying working small and seeing how much detail I can fit into my tiny books. This little journal has incorporated many different techniques, including the use of ephemera, gel prints, drawing, painting, mark making, collage and digital prints.

It is a tiny journal, it is approx 7.5 cm by 9.5 cm. Just under 2 cm deep. (3 in by 3 3/4  in by approx  1/2 in deep).

I like to wonder how people will use the little books I create. Some might not write anything in them, others might use it as a tiny journal for their big thoughts, and recently I had the privilege of seeing how one customer used it as a place to write quotes which were particularly meaningful to her. This spurs me on to create more. Each little book is a labour of love and it is wonderful to be able to send them out into the world for others to enjoy.

Here are the images from this journal.

The journal is in my Etsy shop here

I retain copyright for these images.

Linda E Clarke 2017

How things grow

Another little journal has evolved out of the mountain of paper and imagery which surrounds me, paper that has been created or collated by me. If there is an old piece of paper or ephemera which is in need of a home it will always find a home with me. In fact one of my favourite things is going to local second hand, (or as we call them in Australia "op shops") and seeing what treasure has been deposited recently. If you want to start finding interesting paper of your own, begin with the drawers and cupboards in your house, or better still your parents house and find a treasure trove of handwritten envelopes, and the old worn tatters from days gone by. One thing I would encourage you to do if you are using imagery is to  ensure that the images you use are out of print and copyright free.

This little journal has used all these things, scraps from old books, calendar numbers, images which I have hand painted and drawn, and especially gel prints. It  has all come together in a fat little book which is waiting to be written in with secret thoughts or encouraging quotes to live by. You can use the images as story starters or idea generators. There are 30 pages altogether, 60 sides.

These are some of the pages from this journal. A few are almost blank so you can render them yourself. I hope you like it and that it sparks some interest for you.

It is available here.