Layering and Stacked Journaling

After a lovely 10-day staycation, I took to the studio on Monday morning with a desire for hot colors, complex texture, and layers of delicious pattern.

As I've stated on this blog before, when I first conceived of and began using Stacked Journaling, I had modest aspirations for it: I was seeking an interesting and unique background texture. After working with it for only a few weeks, however, it began to overtake everything in the studio.

Such is the case now, too.

I'm content with this development because it means that I'm beginning to hit my stride again with this technique, one of my main goals for the next year and beyond.

This week, starting occasionally with blank paper, and occasionally with painted or otherwise already printed paper, my self-assigned task was to use SJ to develop rich, layered work.

On some sheets of paper, I began by stenciling.

On others, by brayering color.

  

I moved from one sheet to the next, working about a dozen pieces of paper at the same time, setting aside each one to dry after a layer was completed. 

 

Occasionally, I'd stop and do some SJ with a squeezie bottle filled with paint and then take a print of that fresh paint onto another piece in progress. 

Back and forth I went all week, back and forth, back and forth, until finally, with many of these pieces, I had to force myself to stop.

I used stencils. 

And stamps.

 

And broke out my paint markers to enhance the SJ on a few. 

Looking for finer detail, I even used my dip pen with hi-flow acrylics.

 

Seeking subtlety (yes, again).

 

And uncovering bolder images.

 

I thought it would be difficult, after such a long vacation, to get back into the swing of things, but I found it to be joyfully effortless (this time!)

Until next week, create in layers!