virgoreader

I recently started doing spreads for books so I'm by no means an expert, but I've gotten quite a few questions on my journal and journaling habits so I figured I'd put it all in one place!

There's no one right way to journal but personally I've found I have the most fun and am the most successful when the spreads are centered on book vibes (or mood boards) > reviews. Some people use their reading journal as a place to track every book they read, which is so awesome but I knew if I tried to do that I would be setting myself up to fail because there is no way I could do an entry for every book I read, or even every book I like. 

These physical, visual mood boards give me a chance to be creative in a way I haven't since I was a kid, when I would collage and make art for fun. 

Supplies

Journal

Any size or type will work but after trying (and failing) with a mini journal I've found a 5x8 is my perfect sized notebook. It's personal preference but I always buy journals with dotted lines so if I want to add quotes, it keeps my lines straight. The journal I'm using currently is the Paperage Dotted Journal in blue. 

Stickers / art

I compiled a master list of bookish art stickers you can use for your journal! Some are ambiguous so you can look up descriptions that match the characters in your book. If you don't have stickers, try...

Pinterest for vibe-y pictures

Finding pictures that emphasize the atmosphere of the book or calls out scenes / locations is a good way to get filler pictures for your spreads. 

Don't get too hung up on specifics and instead go for mood / feel. "Aesthetic" is a key search word... "luxury travel aesthetic" / "football player aesthetic" / "medieval aesthetic" ...

I use a HP Officejet 3830 - I'm not a printer expert but it's fine for what I need. If you want to skip the printer you could get 4x6 prints from Walgreen's or CVS instead. 

Stationary and stuff

One of my favorite items to layer in is film strips. Sometimes you'll get lucky and the images in there will match the book (like the film strip that had pictures of San Francisco that fit perfectly for my spread of The Heart Principle) or you can cut out the images from the original film strip and glue in pictures from Pinterest behind them, using the film like a "frame". I did this with my Den of Vipers spread, and added extra character stickers to each one so it looks like each frame represents a different character.      

I'm all about reusing things I have on-hand. I've used Polaroids for over a decade so I cut out the picture from a Polaroid that didn't develop to use in a spread like a "frame" over a picture I had printed from Pinterest! 

I like to save anything I can use, like packaging from shops or cards I've received (though I never use the part with a message on it since it's usually sentimental or sweet). The background in this spread for The Heart Principle was packaging from a small business sticker company. I liked the colors and pattern so I used it as a background! 

Creating the Layout

I have a lot of fun playing around with the layout of my page - even when sometimes I'm really not happy with the outcome (I have one particular page that's needling me and I know I need to go back and fix it). 

When something doesn't look "right", I can sort of... feel it. It's hard to explain but it's almost like a sixth sense, or an itch where you can't scratch. It just looks and FEELS off to me. 

Building your own layouts are all about look and feel. Some people prefer to leave art/prints/stickers off and focus on writing, which is totally cool. My own favorite look (at least right now) is sort of a collage hodgepodge. I focus on layering pictures and stickers of different sizes to go for an overall "vibe" - take the spread for Dani Brown, below:

• I used a purple piece of construction paper as a contrast to the yellow cover
• I picked a large medallion-like sticker to be part of the background because it is colorful and reminded me of Dani, or her apartment - same as the pictures and stickers of plants
• The large witch hazel jar is just sort of silly... both because Dani is Wiccan/a witch and she probably has an old glass bottle like that lying around 
• None of the collage pictures or stickers are a focal point - they're all kind of overlapping each other, and that's okay, because they don't need to be front and center to portray the ambiance I'm going for. What I wanted to make sure to highlight (and what I added to the page last) was the custom art by Bryce Brewer

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