After watching the daily art assignments I work on each year steadily outgrow the journal format (with the art getting bulkier and larger over time), I’ve decided that I’d like to try something completely different for the foreseeable future. No more journal? I’m a little nervous…

New Plan

Separate Art Books Instead of One Journal

I really enjoyed making several zines and booklets in 2021 and was already planning on upping that game – using more than just printer paper, choosing different folds and formats, trying my hand at simple binding, etc. At some point, the ideas for bookmaking projects morphed into an official journal replacement plan.

An old meandering accordion folded book from a few years ago:

Collaging and photography count for most of what filled past journals, so I fully expect that a lot of the content for the books will still be organized around those activities. And I’m going to shoot for working on some part of a book every day (since I really don’t want to lose the create-daily part of past journal assignment goals). I’m just hoping that channeling things into separate books will leave room for using different materials and presenting whatever I make in new ways.

I also collect inspiration on a Pinterest board, but here is a very loose overview of my favorite ideas for possible content, materials, or forms the art books could take:

Cloth Book:

Using fabric scraps, embroidery, thread doodles, etc. with the finished pages sewn together.

Update šŸ‘‰ I’ve made a start! Check out the progress

Vellum & Transparency:

Using or printing onto vellum. Or flat-ish items squished between clear packing tape. One of each?

Update šŸ‘‰ I’ll be doing one of each after all. A squished-between-tape book and one made with vellum.

Single Color:

Picking one color (to be decided) to focus on for a whole book.

Monoprints:

I’m not sure if I want to keep it to one method of monoprinting or try several different kinds.

Windows:

Using cutaways, holes, or punches to see between pages.

House Themed:

Could be combined with the window/cutaway idea?

Update šŸ‘‰ I’ve made a start! Check out the progress

Hide & Seek Portraits:

Self-portrait photos, but with my face hidden in some interesting way. I guess this could be considered an expansion of the blurry self-portrait idea I used for #The100DayProject in 2020.

Scratch Paper & Scribbles:

Made from the paper that covers my desk where I test pens and paints, wipe extra ink off of stamps, doodle, etc.

Update šŸ‘‰ I’ve made a start! Check out the progress

Ghost Collages:

I made 31 little ghosts in October of 2018, 2020, and 2021 and really want to continue the tradition. And I think they deserve a booklet of their own. Here are a few from 2021:

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I’m sure the list will continue to grow and change, but these are my favorite jumping-off points at the moment.

Update šŸ‘‰ Here are the books that were added to the above list in 2022: a stab binding book made from discarded or retired library books and a pocket accordion book with instant photo inserts.

Things have been moving slowly – please bear with me while I figure out this new process!