My first attempt at the Strathmore Visual Journal workshop exercise was less than satisfying. I didn’t like working with the oil pastels. I thought the charcoal dirtied up the page. I didn’t have gesso, so I used a semi-opaque watercolor instead.

So I decided I needed a do-over, using materials that I’m more comfortable with. After all, they keep saying it’s all about the process, right?

Steps from Lesson 1

• I resized the sketches and reformatted the text and printed them out.
• I prepped a two-page spread with a random application of turquoise watercolor, added texture, stenciled stars, and random sprays of ultramarine blue.
• Strips of blue metallic tissue paper provided my vertical element.
• After topping it with my sketches and text, I brushed on a light wash of my turquoise watercolor to tone down the white and darken some of the shadow areas.

Steps from Lesson 2 and Lesson 3

• I added a few details and “underjournaling” in white crayon, which will provide a resist under the next layer of water-based color.
• Using Derwent Graphitint and Inktense water-soluable pencils and an unknown brand of watercolor crayon, I added the shading in blue and purple, and highlights in yellow and green.
• A thin application of white gouache enabled me to smooth out and re-establish the white areas, and to add highlights to the eyes. I then added more shading and color.
• For the stars, I made a stencil using cardstock and a punch.
• I used a blue Faber-Castel brush pen to re-darken the text.

Lesson 4 is still a mystery. I expect we’ll be able to access the video for it this weekend.