Journal Spilling by Diana Trout – book review
Back to some Art Journaling, shall we girls? :-)
In Diana Trout’s new book Journal Spilling you will find months worth of inspiration for your Art Journal! I like her approach to journaling, probably because it is similar to my own and what I preach here in my blog. It’s all about the process and not about the outcome. If you’re happy when you make it it’s worth creating!
In Journal Spilling there are many fun techniques like transfers, ink writing with objects other than pens, carving your own stamps, easy bookbinding, painting your own background papers and Diana’s favorite play: to make resists with different materials like Sakura pens and crayons!
This book contains many how-to-photos and easy to follow instructions. I like that for most techniques you can use cheap materials that you already have at home, and are not encouraged to go out shopping for lots of new art stuff. Some books and articles lists too many new materials (and specific brands etc) that you are told to get. Diana uses lots of gesso, a glue stick and ordinary crayons for many of her suggestions. Some of the tutorials are on how to make a whole page from start to finish complete with spill writing idea and embellishing. Inspirational, simple and also easy to break down and do what ever you like with them.
I have journaled for a few years now, and have tried most of the ideas in the book at some time or other – but as I read through the book I am really inspired by the way they are presented here. And some stuff is new to me which is great fun! I want to jump up and start spilling my heart out! I like the book title, the cover and the design of the pages too. Mmm.
New to me are the Japanese painting methods suminagashi and orizomegami (!), and I’m putting them on my list of experiments to try with soon. Diana Trout’s book also inspires me to start thinking and planning new projects. How about making paper dolls, free write more into my pages and maybe get out some pom-poms (and other fabrics) to print with – that looks very cool!
If you’re new to art journaling I would absolutely recommend this book, and even experienced journal folks will find lots of juicy stuff in this book! I think this is one of the best books on the market for the beginner Art Journaler, because it’s full to the brim with tips and advice! Yes, I must say I really like it.
Journal Spilling Advice
Concluding the essence of this book (and also my own thoughts on art journaling) mine and Diana’s list of advice would probably look like this:
1. Anything is allowed in your Art Journal. Any material, any color, any style, any papers.
2. Experimenting is a way of finding your own style, yourself and your favorite methods.
3. Trying other’s prompts can be fun but it’s You who got to show up on the page.
4. Let it be a bit haphazard! Shabby, grungy and torn is good, as well as spilling paint, random collage and no-plan writing – or all of it mixed together!
5. A little goes a long way, try to make space (and time!) for your spilling!
At least this is the feelings I get when I read through Journal Spilling and by looking at Diana’s own pages, full of wild writing and spilled colors, you will get the feeling that anything is allowed and what ever you create is beautiful if it comes from you.
♥ Diana Trout is a blog friend and she was kind enough to sent me her new book, maybe she knew it was on my wish list of new cool mixed media books! Because I really like it I thought I’d share my thoughts about it here with you. Below you will find some great interviews with Diana that you can listen to while you make your amazon order or spill on your next journal page!
Journal Spilling inspiration
- Check out the book Journal Spilling (Mixed-Media Techniques for Free Expression) at Amazon.com!
- Diana Trout’s blog Hub Bub and her Youtube videos
- Listen to Diana Podcasts at Rïce’s Voodoo Lounge and CraftCast Studio!
- Also check out previous book reviews by me
Spread from Diana Trout’s book Journal Spilling. Yummy right?
Note to self: look for a water sprayer, eye droppers or pipettes, bottles of fun colored inks, Golden’s “flow release” (?), masking fluid for watercolors and rubbing alcohol (?). Oh, and I really want a calligraphy brush too.
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23 Responses
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Hi Hanna (Hi Diana).
I love love love this book! And by sheer luck, Diana was one of my postcard swap recipients, which made me a *little* nervous but I got over it :)
Because of her book I immediately bought sakura glazing pens–why are resist techniques so beautiful/addicting? I need to get Golden “Flow Release” as well. Does anyone else is have a hard time keeping track of all the acrylic medium/additives that are out there? Here is more info: http://www.goldenpaints.com/products/medsadds/additives/additives.php
p.s. here in the States we call “rubbing alcohol” for over-the-counter or store-bought isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol) or ethyl alcohol (ethanol)
p.p.s. yes, I am a big nerd
Hi Gina, thanks for your helpful comment my dear! I think the book is great because there are not as much crazy new stuff I need to get, but yeah, some things sounds like fun to try out…
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look out for this book! I am pretty new to art journalling but i love playing around with paints, it’s fun!
Thanks for commenting Karen! As a newbie I think it’s great that you paint and experiment, but if you ever need a boost of creative inspiration to get you started this will be a great book to have on your shelf close by… :-)
I love Journal Spilling, too! It was the first art journaling book I bought. It made me love my watercolors.
Great review! I’ll add this to my ever-growing wish list.
I bought this book several months ago and just love it. (I get to take a class with Diana in May!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I have been journalling for years, but this book continues to inspire me and I keep returning to it to try something new. Have fun playing!
Thanks! Paula, you lucky girl, I have never taken a class in anything mixed media, I get so darn jealous every time I hear that someone did. :-) One day though…
The book looks bursting with cool projects! I hope to get my hands on a copy. Thanks for sharing :)
It makes me incredibly happy that you are enjoying my book. You folks are really lovely! This has absolutely made my weekend. Thank you to the commenters and to you, Hanna for such a generous review.
adding to my wish list!
I was just treating myself to Diana Trout’s amazingly creative paper quilt in Cloth Paper Scissors this month. It’s actually on the cover as well. Gorgeous!
Thanks for the heads up about her book. It looks like so much fun. I see that you can order it straight from her, here.
I hope to get in to her class at Journalfest next October, which I have discovered is (almost) right in my own backyard.
Hanna, I think I hear America calling you!!!!!!
:-)
I love this book, and you did a great review on it! Funnily enough, my friends and I did an ‘inspired by Diana Trout’ journal playdate last week, and my friend Julie at Juliesopenwindow blogged an interview she did with Diana. It must be Diana Trout week LOL
Hanna, thank you for bringing me to Diana’s blog. I look forward to seeing her postcard video when I get home. My allowance doesn’t call for more books right now, but I am going to put this on my to-get-list!
Hi- I just got the book a week ago and have been reading it. I have not busted out the paint to actually DO any of the processes but I like her approach. Thanks for the review!
Aloha, Kate
I’ve been looking for rubbing alcohol everywhere here in the UK, and when asking for it I get strange looks, esp. when I explain that I want to use it for mixed media work… I just googled Isopropyl alcohol and to my surprise I found it at Maplin’s, an electronics store. It is used for cleaning taps and disc drives.. Who knew? ;) Will try and get some next time I pop into town.
Thanks for sharing so much detail. It really helps to make selections, what with soooo many books to choose from and a tight budget.
Enjoying your blog, nice to ‘meet’ you.
What a great review! You are such an enabler. ;)
Much Love
I can’t wait to check this book out. Thanks for the rockin’ post!
xoxo
HonestChitchat
This book was what got me started on art journaling… Actually I didn’t get/read the book, I saw it on book depository and was interested in what it was about… after a lot of googling I got hooked. However your review reminded me that I should actually go get the book which started it all… out with the credit card then…
Haha! I just kindof-accidently-slipped this book into my Amazon Christmas order for the dog! Oops, silly me…..^..^