Painted Birds Junk Journal by Jane Chipp!

Painted Bird Junk Journal

Hey, everyone! Jane Chipp of Willow Blue Vintage, one of our amazing Junk Journal Design Team Members, created a fabulous Painted Bird Junk Journal for us this week. As you know, we feature one new Junk Journal project each week created by one of our creative team of artists. Our Design Team Members select from the 100’s of Vintage Image Bundles on our Premium Membership Site, for their creations, in order to show you beautiful ways to use those images. We hope you will be totally inspired by this series!

Therefore, please make sure you check out the video tour at the bottom of the page…please scroll all the way down to see it. Are you ready to be inspired? I will step out of the way and let Jane tell you all about her lovely project…

Often, in the autumn and winter, I feel the urge to get cozy in my studio and paint.  I decided therefore, to make a journal that combined collaged pictures with paint…hence, the painted bird journal!

My main thought when deciding on the structure was that I wanted to be able to make one piece of art that combined various elements, rather than separate pages.  I therefore selected a concertina structure so that one side could be used entirely for the collage and paint, and the other side could have pockets for journal cards.

I made the base from some sketchbook paper that I completely covered with old book pages and ephemera from the French Paperie, Antique Paper Scraps, Antique Ephemera, Script Ephemera and Ephemera Collection bundles. As always, I printed on different weights, shades and textures of paper so that the base had a lot of interest, even before the decorative elements were added.

For the painted side of the journal, I used seven images from various bird bundles (listed below) and stuck one on to each of the seven pages (one page was left blank for the back cover of the journal).  I added paint and gesso around the birds to create a composition that pulled all the birds together.  I used a color palette of black, white and sage greens and used stencils of dots that wound their way across the journal.  I extended branches so that they stretched from one bird towards another and painted leaves that floated across various pages.  I added a moon and stars to the black areas for the nocturnal birds. Finally, I added some phrases and words from a printable in the Feathered Friends bundle.

I wanted the other side to contrast with the painted side, and for it to be more functional, hence the pockets bursting with bundles of journaling cards.  Most of the pockets were made from card that I printed on both sides using the fabulous new Vintage Paperie bundle (already one of my favourites!).  I couldn’t resist painting a bit though, so I added a dove that I found by searching in the images section, spreading peace, and another bird as the final page.

The journal cards were made in a variety of ways:

• postcards from the Vintage Postcards bundle with foxed paper on the reverse from the Vintage Paperie bundle
• printables that were designed to go in Altoids tins. These gave me tablet-shaped cards with the designs ready done.  Again, on the reverse I printed foxed paper.  Search in the printables tab for ‘Collage sheets – Altoid tin’.  I chose ephemera, nature, lunar and bird themes to match my journal, but the choice is huge!  I aged some of them by adding wax and rubbing acrylic paint around the edges.
• bird images that I reduced in size and printed on card

The journal folds as a concertina and is fastened with a piece of sari silk that I dyed using leaves, as a connection to the birds and nature theme.

I hope this journal has given you some ideas for using these fabulous bundles. Thanks for reading.

PAINTED BIRD JUNK JOURNAL SHOW & TELL VIDEO TOUR

Let’s take a tour of it together:

• Vintage Postcards
• Antique Ephemera
• French Paperie Collection
• Antique Paper Scraps
• Script Ephemera
• Ephemera Collection
• Vintage Paperie
• Winter Birds
• Birds on Branches
• Camping Trip
• Bird Watchers Bliss
• Feathered Friends

I will be listing this journal for sale on Wednesday 17 November 2021 in my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/WillowBlueVintage

Follow me on Instagram @janechipp and @willow_blue_vintage

See more of my work here  www.janechipp.art

Thanks for reading!

Jane Chipp

Check out the Graphics Fairy Premium Membership Site HERE!