journaling tip tuesday: letter writing, part 2

Several years ago I saw a movie during the Seattle Independent Film festival about a 20-something woman who comes face to face with her 12 year old self. Their encounter is an awakening to her, making her take stock of her life.

Write a journal entry to your 12 year old self- what would you say to that younger self? Is there any advice you would give?

visual journal entry by Julie Prichard

The words that mixed media artist Julie Prichard wrote above in her journal entry are words that I wish I could tell my younger self. Actually, they are good words to keep in mind even now in my current life!

Visual journal tip:
Find a photo of yourself a 12 and make a copy to use in your journal. Either glue this copy in just so and write around the image, or do a transer.
Here is a very easy way to do a black and white phototransfer transfer:
1. Photocopy your image. The ink has to be toner ink.
2. Brush on Gel Medium onto the image. There are so many gel mediums, but my favorite is any medium made by Golden. And right now, I am really liking the
Golden Acrylic Gel MediumsHeavy Gel Semi-Gloss. I switch gels and mediums every so often. So, right now I am using the Heavy Gel Semi-gloss.
3. Lay image and gel face down onto your page. Burnish really well. You can use a brayer, a bone fold or even the back of a spoon. Let this sit for a while. If you can wait at least an hour that would be good.
4. Spray water onto the paper and start to rub off the pulp off the back of your image. You should start to see that the ink has transferred to your receiving paper.

mixed media self portrait

The above image is not an image of a 12 year old me, but it is an example of a transfer using a photo of myself. Using your own photos and photos of yourself and those in your life can really enhance your journal entries. It brings an even more personal and intimate documentation of your life to accompany your words and your thoughts.

Posted in journaling tips, visual journaling

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 2:56 pm.