Art Journaling Online

I made a Beaded Longstitch Placemat Journal for an online class from Kelly Kilmer called A Prompt a Day. The paper is 120 lb. hot press watercolor paper from Dick Blick. Click Link for related blog: https://anneritataylor.blogspot.com/2016/06/repurposed-fabric-book.html

I met Kelly in 2003 in her fabulous Los Angeles bookbinding class in Beverly Hills. Kelly still teaches around the L.A. area.

Kelly has this wonderful class - A Prompt a Day - on her blog site:  kellykilmer.blogspot.com  She gives 30 days of suggestions for backgrounds, such as collage, colors, images and writing prompts - for example: writing about a current life issue.

I enjoyed a prompt about writing a secret and placing it in a sealed envelope tucked away on the left side of the dancing girl page - above.

Finished with 10 Things I Do Every Day on April 30th. On this page I used a photo of my younger self.

Please tell me about your art journaling; and let me know if you have any questions in the Comments.

©Anne Rita Taylor 2017

Bookbinding in Los Angeles

©Anne Rita Taylor 2016

I like to take a class when I travel. I found Charlene Matthews Bindery in Hollywood when I visited Los Angeles during Halloween 2010. We emailed to come up with a day when she had a workshop. Turned out I was the only student!

Charlene’s bindery is a storefront on Melrose Avenue where you can see the famous Hollywood sign. Charlene has bound books for movies such as Indiana Jones. We had a whole day - including lunch - of bookbinding. I was in heaven! 

Charlene showed me around her fabulous shop and asked me what I’d like to learn. Even though I was bookbinding for a while I look for alternatives to use. Charlene let me know she was using something new: a fine mesh screen-like material for pages and covers. 

Charlene demonstrated, covering the fine mesh with paper; we each made covers. We made the spine pieces, figuring out which paper to wrap around them; we hole-punched the signatures using lovely watercolor paper, and sewed the text block through the mesh onto the spine.

Since I made two spine pieces Charlene suggested I make another book with a leather wrap-around cover. I learned that the thread does not need to go through every station (hole) that was punched. It was a revelation to me!

I love these variations of the Tightback Longstitch Bindings taught by Charlene. I had not used spine pieces before and the books open flat for art journaling.

Charlene sent me home with some of that fine mesh material which I’ve since found at Ace Hardware. Recently I bought a whole roll of it and I'll use it too.