The Journal Junkies Workshop: Visual Ammunition for the Art Addict

by Eric M. Scott, David R. Modler

YOUR MISSION:
Discover the tactical secret of self expression–the art journalHarness the artistic explosion ticking in your head, just looking for a creative way to detonate. Prepare to be bombarded with ideas, techniques and suggestions as you allow your creativity to take hold. "The Journal Fodder Junkies" are on a mission, ready to arm you with all that you need to explore artistic ways of recording your life and thoughts. Part sketchbook, part diary, part notebook, part dream journal, part daily planner, part to-do list and part doodle pad, the art journal is different things to different people. Whatever it is for you, the Journal Junkies Workshop contains all the covert inspiration and know-how you'll need to get started. Uncover your own path, your own voice, your own style. Inside you'll find:


Basic information on the supplies and materials you'll need to start your journal experience


Step-by-step presentation of techniques using water colors, acrylic paint, image transfers and more


Chapter-by-chapter demonstration that follows the Junkies' techniques as they layer a page, taking it from blank canvas to dynamic document


Ideas on how to get started writing in your journal, covering both what to write and inventive ways of writing it


Gallery spreads taken straight from the authors' journals that give you a unique opportunity to peer inside the heads of two experienced art journalists
Grab a journal and begin basic training today with Eric Scott and David Modler to become a Journal Fodder Junkie!

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Journaling, Crafts, How To, Journal, Reference

160 pages, Paperback

First published April 22, 2010

Reviews

[Marie Z Johansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have kept written journals for more than 20 years, but at some point I realized that I wanted my journals to contain more images and color. I always had added copies of photographs to my journals - but I wanted to learn to make art in my books. Art that make me remember my feelings at the time more completely when I went back to review my journal books years later.


I have been doing visual/art journaling for several years now. Oddly enough I still keep a more private written journal but my visual albums are just as I had wanted them to be. I am still learning and growing though so I am always on the lookout for new books about journals and art journaling.

There are so many wonderful techniques out there to learn! I learned about "The Journal Junkies Workbook" from a recommendation on Amazon - after all of the years that I have been using Amazon they have found some real winning titles that I have been glad to hear about from them.


I am a book sniffer and paper 'fondler'. If I am planning to use a book a lot I like to enjoy the feel of the paper, the scent of the paper and the typeface used in the book. This book utilizes a great quality paper with a smooth, semi-gloss finish. I have found that most titles published by North Light Books are really well produced. Great quality and very attractive.


What I especially like about the techniques in this book is that they are, for the most part, simple techniques that are well executed and exceptionally well illustrated. A fast look at the Table Of Content

will give you a good idea about the scope of this book. Check out the forward on page 7 written by Kathy Eldon - very moving. Most of the included techniques are pretty straight forward and not overly labor intensive - illustrating great ways to use generally easily available tools in inventive ways. I am truly enjoying this book and I think that you would like it too - if you have an interest in art, visual journals, art, journals, collage or mixed media design.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good introduction to visual journaling and how to get started. Wish I'd found this one when I was getting started - it has some techniques that would've been nice to have learned earlier.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Often when words fail, we can best express ourselves through color, line, shapes and images, and when we cannot find the right images, words take over and express our thoughts, feelings and ideas." (p. 17)

"There is no one right way to keep a visual journal. Every visual journalist must find his or her own way through the journal, discovering the techniques and methods that work best. Whatever the methods, the visual journal is a remarkable place for self-expression and self-discovery. You simply need to be open to the process...
For us, the journaling process is a nonlinear process. We do not complete one page and move on to the next. Instead, we begin a lot of pages using paint, collage, drawing and words, and then we return to rework and add to pages already in progress...
...we try to use our journals every day, even if only for five minutes." (p. 15)

Lots of helpful how-to photos:
- Watercolor (wash, bleeding, sponging, stamping, lifting, salt, stippling, stenciling).
- Watercolor pencil, Watercolor paint & pencil
- Collage
- Page Altering (folding, doors, windows, singeing, tearing, pockets, pop-ups)
- Drawing (lines & shapes, tracing, doodling, analog drawing, observational drawing with contours)
- Image Transfers (iron-on/solvent/solvent marker/packaging tape/acrylic medium/ink-jet acetate transfers)
- Acrylic Paint (opacity, texturing with sand, scraping, stamping)

"Stream-of-consciousness writing lets you open up and dump the stuff that gets in the way of your creativity on a page." "The trick is to keep writing."
"We encourage people never to tear pages out of the journal... perhaps you can seal it [private writing] in an envelope [attached to the journal page]." (p. 123)

Prompts (examples):
- Dualistic pairs (e.g., I believe.../I don't believe...; I think.../I feel...; My dream.../My nightmare...; Work.../Play...)
- Your greatest triumph/tragedy/joy/regret
- A time when you witnessed an act of tolerance
- All that you are grateful for in your life
- All the things that you would change
- All the memorable events from the last year/month/week/yesterday
- What is the one thing I would change about the world/myself/my life?
- Respond to a piece of music/book recently read/famous quote
- Photocopy a page from your favorite book, glue to journal, highlight three key words from each line to create a unique version of the text
- Glue five images from magazines/newspapers, and respond to images
- Using photographs & writing, create a timeline of your life
- Create a "bucket list". Why haven't you done them? (p. 125)

Daily journal writing; Stories; Lists (one of the easiest ways to write); Random words (can have a strange, poetic effect) (p. 129)

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are brand new to the world of visual or artistic journaling and the aesthetic of this book appeals to you this is not a bad place to start on your journey into image-based journaling. The photos and layout of the book are clear so if the authors' style pushes your buttons, regardless of your experience in the world of art journals, you may find the book a good catalyst for your own journaling. On the other hand, if you've read any other books on the topic or are well versed in a variety of artistic mediums and how to combine them you are not likely to find anything new in this volume.

[Tristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a really basic book on art journaling. So basic in fact, that it probably should have been marketed to kids. I also didn't care for the aesthetic of the book - even the art journal pages throughout the book are very basic & don't seem to push any kind of interesting boundaries. I'm giving an extra star for dedicating the book to Dan Eldon, who is one of my art journaling heroes, but I really can't recommend this book.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this! I haven't been very good about journaling this summer, and it was a good motivator. I've been wondering for a long time how to get into art journaling, and this gave me a lot of ideas on how to make the switch from straight writing to being more creative!

[Rift Vegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent overview of many visual journalling techniques. But nothing new here.

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for visual artists!

[Gretchen · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the beginner. Nothing new.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Lots of ideas with out saying "You must do it this way" more of a gentle guideline. And really easy to understand.

[Gina Lento · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how these guys approached sketchbook journaling....it's raw but the approach is "just do it!"

[Crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my aesthetic.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for the beginning art journalist.

This book is one of the better books I’ve read about art journaling. It takes you from the very beginning basic techniques to more advanced, but it does not overwhelm with so many additional challenging techniques as other books I’ve read do. The explanations of “how to” are clear, and the examples are well photographed and instructive in themselves.

I also liked that examples were not all rainbow colored with overused affirmations all over the pages. The authors give you “how to” and “why to”, but the “what to” is up to you. I learned techniques that will enhance my art journaling experience and make it truly my own creation.The only criticism I have is that I wish there had been supply suggestions or examples with brand names.

[Lexy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was loaned to me by our art teacher when I mentioned I was planning on starting a visual journal and asked if she had any tips or recommendations. For that reason, plus the fun content of the book itself, it is definitely worthy of 4 stars. It's a fantastic starting point for someone like me who feels confident in the journaling aspect, but not so ready to take on a blank page and fill it with my subpar doodles or paint. I finally worked up the courage to conquer my first page last night and I can't wait to get back to it today. My only issue with this book--entirely a personal qualm, nothing to do with the book itself--is that so much in terms of art journaling or bujo or traveler's notebooks has advanced since 2007, so this certainly isn't the most updated resource. However, this still helped me make the jump and I love it and our school's art teacher all the more for it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am NOT an artist. My stick figures produce confused looks from people. But I am trying to increase my creativity and I enjoy working with the written word. A friend passed along thus book a few years ago and it sat in my TBR stack waiting for the right mood to strike.

I have been seeking new direction and meaning in my life and recently attended a church retreat which featured a class on journal writing. I dug this book out and took it along and have been perusing it bit by bit since then. I cannot say that this has inspired me to get into art journals but it has reaffirmed my commitment to making more time in my life for creative self-expression. And it has inspired my New Year's project around my word of intention for 2023.

[melydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of ideas for art journaling from the Journal Fodder Junkies, some of which I'd done before, but some that were new to me. A few fun techniques in here, but in general I prefer my art journals a bit more structured. Which kind of goes against the idea of an art journal, but I'm okay with that. I think the thing I liked the most was the packing tape image transfer - it works pretty well with magazine pages (though not with brochure pages, as I discovered). Recommended for folks just getting started with art journaling.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book, highly recommend! I've been going through journaling and mixed media books as so far this is one of my favorites. It has great pictures and details, good information and instructions on how to do many types of techniques. I think both those interested in art journaling and mixed media should check out this book and see what they can use in their creative processes! There were some techniques I already knew and lots of good ideas for me to try as well.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides demonstrations of step-by-step techniques and ideas for creating your own art journal. It provides encouragement and interesting example pages from personal art journals. Rather than prescribe specific projects to recreate, this book gives readers ideas, tools, techniques, and examples to start their own pages and make them interesting and personal.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book to look through. I"m not a journal type person, but am trying to get into the habit, and keep looking out for new options, new ways to get started, and this one gave me some ideas.

[Debra Weller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one big permission slip to discover your inner artist and start creating.

A straightforward and clear introduction to technique and and materials, lots of ideas and illustrations and encouragement to be expressive and use the the everyday and ordinary to explore and document life.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed writing in journals and occasionally I have draw pictures in them. Well, that's nothing compared to the art used in this book! This book is a great introduction to art journaling as well as serve as an inspiration for those already acquainted with the art form.

[Bridgette Guerzon Mills]

Good starter for a variety of techniques

[Jennifer Shafley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ton of great, new, and creative ideas.

[Starshine Everlight · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this was just ok. Maybe a bit dated. Still contains some fun activities i might try.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the past two months, I've been reading through this book a bit at a time. Visual journals really fascinate me for a number of reasons. I've always gravitated towards collage aesthetics, but merging those images and found objects with journaling seems even more promising and rewarding!

Journal Junkies is a great introduction to this concept and there are a lot of great tips on how to begin and keep a visual journal. The authors introduce a wide variety of techniques, ranging from image transfers to watercolors to more basic collage. Some of the approaches are too complicated for me, but I still enjoyed reading through the instructions and seeing how each technique could be used (there are lots of great examples of finished products).

If I have one criticism, it's probably that Journal Junkies is not structured to reflect its dual emphasis on text and image. Most of the first 2/3 is taken up with instructions related specifically to visual arts. The very last section focuses on text and writing, but I think the book would be stronger if that section were integrated with the visual, image-based information.

[Kristal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always collected paper scraps, tidbits of this and that, doodles on napkins, words written down, notes from books or movies. For me, these were called scrapbooks, but the terminology has changed and now 'scrapbooks' are monumental undertakings of photographs arranged strategically on a page with lots of expensive embellishments. I have discovered that my oldschool scrapbooks are now 'visual journals'. But what I want to try my hand at are 'art journals' , where I actually draw or doodle onto pages. And this book was great at explaining the simple things and getting you started. It has some wonderful pages with prompts and explaining different art mediums.

It also has a wonderful dedication to a pioneer artist Dan Eldon and his legacy. I do recommend this book for anyone wanting to start out with art journaling.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read but potent visual smorgasbord, this manual is a sudden jolt into the world of visual journaling. It's not a manual of how-to-do, but a TO-do reference book full of ideas and triggers to get you journalling on a viSuAl bAsIs. I am both a writer and a visual artist, so this was like caffeinated candy for me. It really is visual ammunition for the art addict.

[Rikelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard tonratebthis book. It's not a bad book if it is the first book you've read on journaling. The problem is that everything in the book is stuff I've already seen in several other books and blogs. There was really nothing new. However, if you are just getting into art journaling this is a great book on the basics.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dedication was a strong part of the book. The basics on techniques and the open-ended prompts for writing were worthwhile. There was a gentle push to get you moving, some consistent examples, and a few advanced techniques with some tips along the way. Its not a ultimate tutorial, but it will be helpful.

[Paula Hagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although there was nothing in this book that was truly new for me, I loved the presentation of it, and the simple descriptions of the various techniques were very easy to understand. The visuals were great too.