Getting in step

This NOT a tutorial. This is in line with the Process Pledge. My intention is to get started journalling and I need to start preparing the pages. This is what I'm doing and I can't claim to know what I'm doing. And I'm less than sure how things will turn out. But, I am creating. Messes? Well, maybe. But this is the first layer.

I opened up my work table as big as I could and covered it with plastic. Next time I would throw on an old blanket, the plastic and then an old sheet or possibly some fabric I'd want for later dyeing as the top layer. I have learned to put larger pieces of paper under the smaller ones to get the slops, spills and missed swipes.

The hard cover notebooks have lined pages that are too thin. I am gessoing them together. I use wax paper to put behind the page. I gesso it, turn down the proceeding page, add a sheet of wax paper and brayer it smooth. I close the book, stack them up and add weight. Inside one cover I tried to get a textured effect with gesso.

After an hour or so I grew impatient so I jury rigged my doors and drawers so the books can have their pages dangling and maybe dry faster. Some curl but I can stack and weight later, I guess. The picture is blurry but then I'm trying to get as much done as I can.

The three albums are nice heavy paper and there is rice paper (?) between each page. They were a sale item from some place that escapes me now. So I'm slapping acrylic paint in various and sundry ways. I'm leaving some blanks for some future bright ideas. These dry fairly quickly.

I like the effect of spray. But this isn't really great here in my sewing room. What a mess I make! One container had a crack and ... well, at least I didn't step in it and get it All over. This will take some practice. I have to hold the spray bottle upright but get the paper down before the drips happen. ;>)

I can see this being a perfect job for using The Shed To Dye For. Especially this preliminary stuff. I can then fine tune things on my wet counter in the playroom, it is at least on one side of the room and not dead centre.

So I am 'doing'! I can see there are lots of steps and even more options. I will probably need to get some more 'inventory' happening and then I can begin to think about the second layer. The gessoed pages have not even the first layer as they are only glued together.

I also want to make it known that I have quite the spring in my step, says she, with a few little fancy shuffles and a hop!