Journal Craft Inspirations

There are many wonderful books that can help take your journaling to another level, we have recommended some that will show you different techniques and give you a glimpse into many inspiring journals. Click on the links below to go direct to the listing, or read about our featured book of the month.

Featured book of the month

Art Escapes by Dory Kanter

Dory Kanter’s inspirational instruction is perfect for both beginning and experienced artists alike. Unlike other books that simply try to motivate readers to be creative, Art Escapes gives readers fun, easy-to-execute ideas for building an “art habit.” Inside, they’ll find daily projects for drawing, watercolor, mixed media, collage and more. All of these projects are presented simply, yet none are simplistic. The concealed spiral binding makes using the book easy and accessible. Readers will increase their skill and creativity, as well as find the time to make a little bit of art everyday.

About the Author
Dory Kanter has taught for over 25 years at colleges, universities and art institutes around the world. She currently teaches painting at Portland State University. In 1995 she founded Art World Tours, leading artists on painting tours in Europe and Asia. She has written and illustrated several books and her work is included in many private and corporate collections. She lives in Portland, OR.

 Great Leaping Off Point for a Daily Creative Practice, Sept 20, 2007
By Julie Jordan Scott “Writer, Life Coach - Owne… (Bakersfield, CA United States)

I am a writer who uses a daily writing practice to keep my life working better and occasionally I happen upon something that could work in my “regular” writing, but more than that - I also create surprisingly cool word combinations or notice a thread to pick up and examin later.

I am beginning to dabble in the visual arts as well, so when I saw this book I simply had to pick it up. At first, I was looking at it from the Writer’s standpoint… and even there it had merits.

This is almost like a guide, a mentor, to having a daily artistic practice - a way to use your daily life and experiences to create an artful life… from which more art will flow.

I love an early-on statement author Dory Kanter makes when she asserts:

“You’ll never have time for art unless you claim the time.”

This book shows one how to claim the time and then use it for the best use.

Excellent. Many of the reviews touch on the physical form of the book (lively, engaging writing style with adorable illustrations and lay-flat spiral binding) so beyond that, I won’t say more. Let me add one thing, though - that this book is much more visually appealing, sensorially appealing - than I would have expected it to be.

Sort of like getting dessert for free that you didn’t even order and because of this, magically has no calories. Yes, that about says it!

 A book that delivers , 14 Dec 2006
By Alma Lavandeery “Alma” (Spain)

A wealth of ideas beautifully and lovingly presented. It is full of easy-to-create, yet original and fun tips for quick art projects. Everything is explained in simple clear words, her language is upbeat and sparkling with enthusiasm. The idea of creating “thumbnail sketches” and small format paintings is an excellent way of bypassing any blocks which result from intimidation before a “big project”, whether that is caused by dreading the time such a project would take, or the fear of wasting color and paper when one doesn’t know if there’d be any results. The projects can be regarded as “small studies”, “experiments”, as “a moment of playing around with something artistic”.

The projects cover a variety of styles and themes, from realistic sketches with some very helpful and easy-to-follow tips on perspective, to semi-abstracts, to abstracts, to collages, to playing around with photocopies to create original works of art. I found her division of “color triads” to four types and the range of colors they can produce when mixed to be very helpful in understanding the moods of certain paintings and how to create them. They also inspire you to experiment with creating your own color triads (hence, a certain range in your palette) to bestow a certain character/light/mood on your own paintings.

Not only are these ideas a way to make “takeaway art” in your busy life and keep you well nourished while you’re on the run, but some of the results of these projects could easily inspire you to a larger piece of work which you will want to find time for. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to get art back into their lives despite the lack of time!

 Simplicity in Creativity, Aug 3, 2005
By Elizabeth Ross (Portland, OR)

I read this book, bought my own sketchbook, and began to go through the exercises. With each exercise my own creativity was opened. I began to rely on my sketchbook for capturing my personal reflections as I went through my daily life. Eventually, I began to travel with my limited number of art supplies, as described in the book. Now wherever I go my impressions are captured. This art is private and therefore freeing. Great book! Liz Ross

 We loved this book, Oct 12, 2004
By Jenny (Lower Merion, PA)

A couple of months ago my husband and I took a long-planned and fondly-anticipated trip to France. Neither of us is a serious watercolorist, but we enjoy dabbling. We’d never thought about keeping a travel journal until we read the Art Escapes book. It was a real inspiration for us and enriched our trip more than I can tell you.

Each of us kept our own journal, and it’s amazing how different our perceptions of the same scenes turned out to be. Reading through the journals takes us back to France in a way that just a batch of photos never could. They’re also going to be raw material that we mine for months to come. I’ve already got a wall picked out for the watercolors we plan to make of our travels.

I shouldn’t leave the impression that all we got out of Art Escapes was the inspiration to keep our travel journals. It has a terrific collection of suggestions and exercises that got us thinking and creating in new ways. And it’s written in a really engaging and approachable way. There are also lessons that really helped our technique. I’m thinking especially of the color wheel and different color palettes the author recommends and the description of perspective that suddenly made it all seem so simple.

The best thing about the book, I think, is that it enabled us to see and experience France in a deeper and more thorough way than we ever could have otherwise. The sights, sounds and smells didn’t just wash over us, as they have on other trips. We learned to truly savor our experiences. Isn’t that what art is, really?

One last thought: There’s no law that says you can keep a journal only on your trips. There’s plenty right here around us that we should start to appreciate on a conscious level. I’ve just started keeping a journal and using the Art Escapes ideas as part of my regular life, and it’s been wonderful.