Hello stencil friends! Nicole here with an invitation to join me and make a one-page folded journal. Then, use it for creative play with your stencils. It's the perfect way to spend a few hours getting lost in paint, splatters, drips, and layers.
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front and back cover
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I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've not been very creative lately. The last couple of months were filled with vacation, several holidays and a cold that just would not end. With everything going on, my “just because” creative time was pretty much non-existent which matched my energy, too.
This of course, left me with no idea of what to create but at the same time overwhelmed with ideas.
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If you’re like me, you probably have a list somewhere, or in my case many lists in many places, of ideas and things you want to try. One idea on my list is playing with the one-page folded journal. I’ve seen it here and there, but never tried it myself.
I love the concept of this journal because no stitching or glue are needed.
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Most of the one-sheet journals that I’ve seen use plain copy paper. However, I knew I wanted a bigger and stronger surface. So, after looking at several tutorials of how to fold the paper, I set out on my own to try it.
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Making the Journal
For my journal, I used a piece of watercolor paper that measured 12x18 inches and gessoed both sides. I had no idea if this was going to work! I opted to gesso both sides to add integrity to the paper, even though both sides aren’t created on. With all the water and drips and mess, I thought it would be best to add that layer of protection!
Then, it was time to make the journal. A step-by-step with photos is below, however you can also watch the folds in action in the video tutorial.
Step one: Fold the paper in half on the long side
Step two: Open and fold the paper in half on the short side
Step three: Fold each end up to meet the middle.
This creates a W or M with the paper.
Step four: Cut the center of the M/W shape starting at the centerfold until you get to the next fold line
Step five: Squish this center back together and fold the flaps down in the opposite directions.
Step six: Fold the center again to create the book!
I used a bone folder to help crisp up my folds.
When finished, there are several pages that have pockets. You can choose to tape them together, or keep the openings for places to tuck things into. I taped most of mine and left 2 openings. Use a strong tape, like the acid-free masking tape I'm using.
Then, either use matte medium or gesso to ensure the tape stays put.
Voila! You made a journal! Congrats!
Now coms the fun part.
Creative Play with Stencils
I grabbed my bin of all the bits of papers that I can't throw away. They are just too good to end up in the trash can, and are perfect for this small journal! I stuck them down randomly on all the pages.
I didn't really think about where this was going to go, as my intention is pure play and creative time.
All these random bits now need to come together, so I used gesso to embed them into my journal pages and add back in some white space.
Once the gesso dried, it was time to add stencils! Each time I stenciled, I made it my own by adding drips, splatters, or removing some of the paint in a process I call "scruffing up" the stencil. You can watch me do this in the YouTube video. However, here's a walk through of all the stencils I used in the order I created with them.
I had no plan in place. I simply let the stencils lead the way! I chose a variety of stencil types from industrial to floral to marks and patterns plus a few faces, too!
Ruins with Payne's gray on page 7
Night Sky with Payne's gray on page 3 (plus I traced around the stenciled areas with the stabilo-all pencils)
Nosegay with burnt umber and some Payne's gray on page 5
Tri-Textured Sheet Metal with titan green pale on page 2
Abstract Marks with transparent black spray paint on page 6
Added more Nosegay with burnt umber on page 4
Nosegay with burnt umber on page 1 + some dirty paint water (front & back cover)
Tri-Textured Sheet Metal with titan green pale on page 1 (I used the baby wipe technique here)
Abstract Marks (just the rectangle like shapes) with transparent black spray paint on page 1, and I traced around the shapes with the stabilo all.
I stamped the excess off on page 8
Ruins with Payne's gray on page 8 (back cover)
Romance Face with Payne's gray on page 8 (back cover)
123 with Payne's gray on page 1 (front cover)
Alpha Drips with Payne's gray on page 1 (front cover)
Laugh Face with Payne's gray on page 2
Final Touches
To finish the journal, I added a couple photos, some additional ephemera bits and a phrase on the front cover. I even tucked a couple surprises into the pockets that I didn't seal with the masking tape and closed those up with a mini stapler.
My final step was to finish the journal off with some Dorland's wax medium. This will add a wonderful finish (it's not waxy at all!) and ensure that the pages do not stick together.
Lessons Learned
Phew! I had so much fun not only making this small journal, but creating inside it! This was the perfect exercise to wake up my creativity, and now I can't wait to make some more of these journals.
I loved letting the stencils take me places on each page with no plan in place.
The larger watercolor paper and gesso worked great. However, when I do this again, I think I will also enforce the page centers with some tape. In the end, a small part of one of my pages started to rip. It's very minor and most likely won't continue. But, I'd recommend maybe adding some tape to the page creases.
Watch how the journal came together in the video below. (Warning, it's a bit long, because I was having so much fun!)
I hope this inspires and encourages you to not only try making a one-page journal, but also to simply create and allow the stencils to lead the way!
If you make one, I'd love to see it!
-Nicole
Connect with me on
Stencils
Supplies:
- Gesso
- Vintage book and ledger papers, ephemera, old photos
- Matte medium
- Acrylic Paint (I used Golden SoFlat Payne's gray, burnt umber, titan green pale + titan green pale in the heavy body)
- Scissors
- Round applicator
- 12x18 piece of watercolor paper
- Liquitex transparent black spray paint
- Tape (I used acid-free masking tape)
- Bone folder
- Dorland's Wax Medium
- Stabilo-all (black & graphite)
- Mini-stapler
