Journal Lettering: Part I

Writing on dark, vivid, collaged or textured backgrounds in your art journal can be tricky, so I'm exploring alternatives. As a test, I started with an extremely rough background in an altered book, a worst case scenario, perhaps. The page started with cardstock, covered with green Golden fluid acrylics layered with Golden fiber paste, more paint, etc. You can see another project using fiber paste at Linear Textures in Lime. The surface is rough and uneven. A typical ink or superfine nib PITT pen would not flow on this surface, and you could ruin the tip in the process. {Note: Later I tested a brush nib PITT pen and it worked on a similar surface}.

On each page, I wrote a quote with black fine point permanent Sharpie marker. On the left, you can see the results. There is not enough contrast between the background and the letters, so they are difficult to read. On the right, I edged each letter with white fine point Sharpie Poster Paint marker (which is not very fine, but as fine as the Poster Paints get). At the outer edge of the white marker, I edged with Sakura gelly rolls in random colors, leaving some of the white marker visible. The Sharpies and gelly rolls held up perfectly for the task, and I like the way it turned out. The ink in the gelly rolls flowed smoothly, and these continue to be favorites. The letters pop. The scan shows the right page more faded than the left, but in reality the pinks are exactly the same. Still, I'm in search of a sturdy opaque permanent thin white marker for the edging.

There are many ways to get non-typed thoughts onto the page ~ from lettering to alphabet stamps to fountain pens ~ and so much to explore. Check out Journal Lettering: Part II for more ideas! Also see Top Picks: Art Materials for Art Journaling, Doodling & Beyond.

Comments

[carliursula]

for white outlines over my projects i use Elmers Opaque Acrylic Paint Markers. super cheap and come in a variety of colors including pearlescent colors and calligraphy styles which i haven't tried