Monday, August 28, 2023

Visual Journaling with Stencils by Kate Yetter



Summer vacation is the perfect time for relaxing and catching up on my reading list. I have read several books this summer, exploring the journals of artist and world explorers. I love seeing how others choose to capture their narrative, whether it is solely in pictures or pictures combined with words. These journals have been inspirational to me, and I am encouraged to continue in my journal practice in the hope that someday, I will have made several visual journals full of my life's story. 




A great way to practice journaling, is to use personal events to you that are full of content and inspiration. Every year I document our vacations in a journal, setting aside at least one layout per outing. One of our vacation days was spent exploring Colonial Williamsburg and I chose this outing to document with stencils in today's column. 









I started my layout with the date and worked from there. I didn't have any ideas when I began, so putting down stencils was a great way to break up the blank page.







This grid was perfect for measuring out areas to fit my images in. I also used it as a straight edge to guide my lettering.







Once all my letters were traced, I erased the guide lines.



The entire layout was penciled in and then traced with a fine liner pen.




Now comes the fun part, adding color! Using watercolors, I started making my images come to life.




When it came to composition, I used a variety of text boxes, mixed in among the images to create balance.




At the end, I wanted to tie everything together, so I used a background that spread across the layout and connected the images. My journaling spots are blank for the moment, as I intend to come back and fill them in later.




I don't know if you noticed my mistake but I originally traced an "S" instead of a "Z" in the word, Gazette. I fixed it by using white gouache. The pen lines are slightly obvious when you look closely but it doesn't bother me.







I hope you find the time and inspiration to start documenting your experiences. Each one is unique to you, which makes your story one of a kind. Why not tell it?

Until Next Time,


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