THE MAGIC OF SHOPPING - journal pages

The double-page spread with a pocket page in the middle, which holds 2 tags

Here's the MAGIC OF SHOPPING spread I've done for the Spelling Bee journal.

First page, with pocket turned to the right

I tend to photograph my journal spreads in batches, so I've finally caught up for a while. I'll post all the new ones over several days, to break the posts up and not make them too long.

Second page, with pocket turned to the left, and the tags from the pocket displayed above

I'm also having a go at doing a journal flip for YouTube (my first, so that'll be an experience) which I'll post once I've done it.

Closeup of the left page - a gel transfer of a magazine image, which I've then totally over-painted and drawn into, to make the image my own. I added gesso where I wanted hair, then painted over that with black acrylic to add dimension and texture.

I've hand drawn all the lettering - on the left page, I've used a liner pen, which gives a raised image. I also threw just a touch of glitter on the top. On the pocket page, I have drawn the letters in black poster paint pen (Posca) and then gone over this with Lumiere acrylic paints in the tiny bottles, with fine nib nozzles attached. The Lumieres dry raised, but not as raised as the liner pen, and they all have a fabulous metallic finish. I love these! Very fluid and easy to write or draw with - and not too dimensional.

On the pocket page, on the left, you can just see a faint image of a gel transfer of Marilyn Monroe (wish it could have come out darker, but the magazine image wasn't that distinct). The transfer on the right is much more visible. I love these transfers, as I really adore the effect of seeing the background printing of the vintage papers to show through the images.

On the left, the reverse side of the pocket, with a magazine image, some stamping and torn paper which I've added throughout (more magazine paper, photos of roses) plus some watered down acrylic paint and a little stamping for background interest. On the right, another gel transfer image, which I sanded lightly to distress it.

A slightly different view of the spread. I think it makes a nice set, and I'm happy with the lettering. The journal is called Spelling Bee, so the (very loose) theme is fonts and alphabets etc...

The lettering is hand drawn - I used a white poster paint pen (Posca) then added a drop shadow in black. Then I went to town with a heavy layer of Ranger's Glossy Accents with a white snow glitter thrown on top. Once that was dry, I added another thinner layer of Glossy Accents to really bring this out and make the lettering stand right out.

The Spelling Bee journal

Hope you like the journal spread.