The Complete guide to creating a mixed media journal

The complete guide to creating a          mixed media journal

I've kept one of these for about a year, and I'm not going to lie, these are so fun. I like how it seems that you can never run out of ideas. So what are you waiting for? Get crafting!

Setting up your journal

So this is not your average mixed media journal. Instead of using a sketch book, we will be using a old book. I actually got this idea from a art class i took about a year ago. 

Picking your book

    When picking your book, you should not pick your favorite book. I recommend picking an old book that you have no interest in reading. Thrift stores have tons of old books for really cheap. Pick out a book that has a cover that speaks to you. I also recommend that you get a book that is pretty big. I filled up quite a bit of pages in my book so i definitely think it is a good tip.

Prepping your journal 

 Cut out every other page in your book. If you use thick paper or will being using your journal a lot then this tends to be very helpful. If your book has any pictures in it, you might want to save those in case you might want to use them in the future. If you are not in love with the cover of your journal, then you can paint it or cover it with stickers. 

Ideas for your notebook

 There is so many things you can put in your mixed media journal. Anything from collages to watercolor paintings. I have provided some ideas that you can use in your journal.

• Doodles

I drew this by putting a whole bunch of random colored blobs on some card stock, then drawing some little petal like things inside the blobs.

• Quotes

This is a really simple idea for your journal. Pick out a quote from a song, movie,book, or look up quotes by a specific person. Write that quote on a piece of fun paper, like something you watercolor on or a piece of scrap book paper. Size it and glue it in to your journal.

• Black out poetry

This is a really good thing about using an old book for your journal. Start by outlining the words you want to appear with a black or dark colored marker. Cover the rest of the cover in the dark covered marker. You can also cover the rest of it in black or dark covered paper. Next, i like to draw or put a collage on top of the black paper or marker.

• Create a color theory chart

You can print out a color theory chart or draw one your self. Then once you complete the chart, glue it in to the notebook.

• Drawings

Your mixed media book can also double as your sketch book. You can either draw on a piece of paper and glue it into your notebook, or you can draw directly on the words. It really depends what your drawing, and what your style is.

• Collages

On this page I did what I like to call a,"basket weaving" collage.

Its where you weave the paper through each other. That is the best I can really explain it.

Any way, mixed media journals are so fun and a really good way to pass time.