Make Old Art Journal or Sketchbook New Again

This week, I have a 1-minute video about revamping my old art journal!

This sketchbook is from 2018, back when I was practicing different portraits and creating a course called Innovative Portraits. There’s still plenty of empty space left in the book.

My Old Journal and How the Cover Was Decorated

My old art journal is from The Pink Big. I decorated the cover around 2020.

I cut hand-painted papers, added shadows, and protected the collage with gel medium. See an old blog post about how to create the collage!

Now I brought the book back out to start filling it up again.

Oil Pastels in A Journal

The first page was done with smudgy oil pastels, so I left the opposite page empty.

Oil pastels are fun, but maybe not the most practical for journals. See an old blog post about ideas for using oil pastels!

Abstract with Colored Pencils

On the next page, I made an abstract drawing using colors that go well with the original 2018 page.

Fun with Sakura Gel Pens

These brown pages are great for trying out gel pens. I made a new drawing on the opposite side.

My newest course Drawing Soulfully is about drawing all kinds of lines, and it was fun to use those techniques here.

Flowers and Fabric with Colored Pencils

I placed a paper sheet to protect the previous page, and then colored flowers with colored pencils. The opposite page only had three faces, so I added flowers there, too. I love historical styles, so the main figure got a big, decorative sleeve with dramatic folds.

The next spread is already waiting! I hope this inspired you to make an old art journal or sketchbook new again and use your past pages as inspiration.

P.S. You can still sign up for Drawing Soulfully! >>Sign Up Now!