April - Quotes & more creative ways to add them

Write them in your journal by hand

As a recovering perfectionist, there are a few things I’ve learned over the years to write quotes in my journal:

• Write lightly in pencil first, then write over it in ink, then gently erase the pencil lines afterward.
• Sometimes after I’ve written it, I’ll “fatten” up some parts of the letters to make it look more like calligraphy. The best part of the letter to “fatten” is the vertical up-down stroke.
• I sometimes add “shadows” and “highlights” with fine black or white pens. But it’s important to be consistent ~ always putting the shadow or the highlight in the same place on each letter. It helps to imagine where the lights source is coming from.
• I “pre-write” what I want on a slip of paper, then I position the slip of paper centered just above where I want to write on the page ~ then I re-write the quote. To “center” it, I’ll actually count the letters (and spaces), draw a little arrow over the center letter to help finding the true “center” of the writing.
• I write on washi tape! Since washi tape is removable, you can easily pull it up if it’s not perfect. This works best on light-coloured washi tape using a non-smudge pen, like a fine Sharpie. I’ve also used painter’s masking tape for this and added colour afterward.
• Still don’t like your handwriting? You can use a combination of rubber stamped letters and letter stickers.

Adding "whimsy" ~ can't write in a straight line? Why not make that a feature? 

Using tracing paper over scrapbooking paper (or other coloured or patterned background)

• Cut a piece of scrapbooking paper (or magazine image) to fit a space on your journal page.
• Write your quote in dark pen on a piece of tracing paper and then trim it to slightly smaller that your piece of scrapbooking paper.
• Center and glue the tracing paper to the background.
• Glue the finished quote into your journal.
• The tracing paper will let the pattern of the background show through, but your words will be perfectly readable.
  

Some more ways I've used quotes in my journals

 

On this page: Using Tim Holtz letter stickers from Ranger. They look like the old Dymo label makers, with white letters on a black background + some of my handwriting. Plus printing out the quotes at normal text size and using as a thin single line where it relates to an already existing collage or background. Also a tiny bit of rubber stamping in the lower right corner.

Mostly handwriting, with a computer printed quote as well. Don't feel the need to fill every page of your journal when you're working on it the first time. Let the page mature and the quotes will eventually come to you.

A quote on a journal page step by step:

Step 1 ~ Cutting out letters from magazines to spell the quote.

Step 2 ~ I decided since the quote was short and sweet
it would work to make the kind of signs people might carry in a march.

Step 3 ~ Painting each sign so it stands out from the rest and making the posts a little thicker to look more real. These were painted with water-soluble Caran D'ache Neocolor II crayons using a waterbrush.

Step 4 ~ Adding a sky background and a horizon line using the Neocolors as well.

Sources for single letters (like the ones I used on the page above) and others ... 

I enjoy the process of creating a whole quote letter by letter. Just like with handwriting a quote, I find its meaning often sinks in deeper as I spend more time with it. But building words out of single letters can be a slow, too ~ it’s a good thing there are many ways to do it:

• Cut out letters from headlines and articles in magazines. When I’m throwing away old magazines, I’ll cull a bunch of the headlines first. I especially like headlines that use an interesting font or are in an unusual colour combination
• Rubber stamp letters individually using alphabet stamps. I have many of these little sets. They’re usually available for $1.50-$2.00 at Michaels near the till.
• Rub-on letters are fun and there are lots of them available, from the very straight and boring ones used for business to the more artistic ones that look like brush calligraphy
• Letter stickers. My favourite ones are from Tim Holtz. They’re white letters on a black background and look like the old Dymo label maker letters (that’s what I used in the artwork on the left)
• Mix in some handwritten letters, too!