Cover Art

I am finishing up my Third Daily Journal today.

Someone asked what I do with the covers of these Moleskine Watercolor Journals. These Particular books are my favorite for my dailies.

I considered some different sketchbooks when I started but landed on these. They are a very portable size. They fit in my art bag or in my purse so I take them most everywhere. The pages are thicker than a usual sketch tablet. I sometimes watercolor on them, sometimes gesso them, use any pen or marker and all but one is perfect every time. My copic markers DO bleed through the page, which is my only disappointment. So I am careful to only use the copics on a page I have gessoed on.

I was so careful when I covered my first book. It kind of scared me! I was new to Mod Podge and wasn't sure how it would work on the cover.

Well, it turns out I didn't really have anything to worry about! 

I had just been learning some new techniques around the time I covered my second book. I used a Crafter's Workshop 6"stencil with Matte Super Heavy Gel for some raised diamonds.

 The Tim Holtz products I ordered in the spring...

tickets and tabs and Distress Ink...

and a set of cheap-o letter and number stencils from the drug store...

influenced my cover design choices on #3.

 Look at book four. I can't get over how different it is. I approached it totally different this time.

I love to layer my art.

I love colors and numbers and words peeking out from underneath.

I started this cover with a paper towel I blotted my paints and wiped my brushes with.

It was full of color and texture.

I mod podged scraps of paper and a pink border and a bar code.

I laid paint down and wiped it off again.

I dripped ink splats and rolled them around.

I glopped paint on and let it dry and crackle.

I stenciled over a screen, and then over sequin holes.

Then I glimmer-misted a #4 stencil.

There were times I did not like it at all and I was sure it was a ruined book.

Everyone says to walk away from it for awhile...

and Never Give Up!

Melody says you can add 76 layers if you want ;)

But it turned out great!

The layers are beautiful and Look at that texture!

Hooray for paper towels!

Most important? It was Fun!

And you can always learn life lessons if you look for them.



The other thing that makes this cover different is totally obvious to me, 

but maybe not to everyone else.

I am different.....

Therefore my art is different.

I evolve..... my art evolves.

I am confident... my art is confident.

What can I say?

This is life.

And life is good.

Be Brave, dear ones.

xxxooo