An artsy design to match my artsy mood.
Because I've devoted more time to sketching and painting this month, I couldn't help but go with an artsy theme for my journal.
The Design Theme
I wanted to create an artsy theme for my journal that matched my Polymer Clay Art-Themed Book Cover Attempts. It seemed fitting since I've devoted more time to sketching and painting this month.
Like the polymer clay crafts, I tried to incorporate a variety of art tools and supplies in my design. Since I'm still not feeling all that well and didn't want to spend a lot of time on this design, I opted to use a pen, watercolor paints, and a few markers.
Title
For the title page, I drew a large canvas on an easel. Below the canvas were supplies I'd normally use when I paint including a jar of water for rinsing my paintbrushes, a cup containing other paintbrushes, and a palette with various paint colors.
I first outlined the artwork with an archival pen. I love using my new Uni-ball Vision waterproof/fade-proof pen! I don't have to wait long for it to dry before I color over it.
I used watercolor paints to color the artwork. These paints dry faster than other cheap watercolor paints I've used in the past. It could be because it's warm in my house and the air conditioner doesn't work well.
I wrote the words "April 2021" with a Firefly alcohol ink brush marker. I wanted to practice my brush lettering throughout this journal design.
Calendar Overview
The calendar overview is where I note important dates and tasks I want to remember to do.
The larger calendar fills much of both pages. I note events such as birthdays, appointments, and holidays within the appropriate block that represents a day in the month. During the month, I'll make a short note of something that happened. For example, I noted the days the VA hospital called my Dad to get his COVID vaccine and he passed on the chance because I couldn't get vaccinated at the same time.
In a box towards the top-left, I note things I want or need to do this month. Below that box, I have a mini calendar for next month and another box where I'll note next month's events coming soon. I like being able to visually see ahead to things I may need to be aware of before those days come.
As for the design, I added paint tubes, graphite sticks, colored pencils, crayons, and mechanical pencil. I don't use graphite, colored pencils, or crayons often, but I wanted to include a variety of supplies not represented on my polymer clay crafts.
Highlights and Trackers
Every night, I write a line of text highlighting one good thing about that day on my highlights page. Usually, I write about a simple thing that made me happy. Even on the worst days, I try to think about a highlight of that day to write down. This page is intentionally left blank since I'll fill it in throughout the month of March.
On the trackers page, I note when I complete my favorite hobbies. While many journal enthusiasts track multiple habits, tracking my favorite hobbies reminds me to not forget to dedicate time for myself and happiness. The hobbies I track are:
arts + crafts,
writing,
gaming, and
workout.
My dogs' care and happiness are equally important. I track the following for my dogs:
when they go for a joy ride,
when they received teeth care with brush chews or tooth brushing,
when I've cared for their coat with a brush, leave-in shampoo, or bath, and
when they participated in extended or extra playtime.
Again, I added paint tubes on both pages. I also added a blending stick, pencil sharpener, and eraser.
Mood and Websites & Stuff
I treat my mood tracker page as a coloring page of sorts. Each night, I'll color-in something that represents my overall mood for that day: awesome, meh, bad/sad, or sick.
Since I was using my portable travel watercolor kit my niece gifted me last year, I thought it'd be fun to use it as inspiration for this page. I'll color in a paint well that represents my overall mood each day.
My websites & stuff page is where I'll note changes and updates made to this website, my YouTube channel, and my Instagram account.
This time I added a couple paint bottles in the empty space. After all, I use a variety of cheap paints that come in tubes, bottles, and other containers.
My Thoughts
This design isn't as colorful and vibrant as my Mario inspired March 2021 Journal Design. However, I liked this design and enjoyed creating it despite feeling ill today.
I'm glad I challenged myself to paint daily because it's nice to take my mind off things and keep myself preoccupied. It's also motivating me to do more arts and crafts.
What's Next?
Easter arts and crafts are coming soon, so check back next week to see what I share with you then.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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