Welcome to International Fake Journal Month 2013!

What is IFJM?
Please read the page "What Is IFJM" for details.
Learn the difference between Faux, Fake, and Fake Historical Journals.

2019 IFJM Celebration
IFJM has been suspended indefinitely. Please read the pinned post about this below.

Participants who Post Their Journals
A list of 2018 participants who are posting their fake journals this year will appear near the top of the right side bar of this blog around April 6. Lists of participants who posted their pages in 2010 through 2017 appear lower in the same column. Please pay them a visit and check out their fake journals.

View a Couple of Roz's Past Fake Journals
Roz's 2009 fake journal takes place in an alternate Twin Cites, where disease has killed the human and bird populations. (It ends up being an upbeat tale of friendship.) Watch a video flip through of Roz's 2009 fake journal here.

Read an explanation of Roz's insanely complex 2011 fake journal.

Tips on Keeping a Fake Journal
Click on "tips" in the category cloud.

Remember, "Life's so short, why live only one?"


Thursday, May 22, 2014

2014 International Fake Journal Month Wrap Up: Dana Burrell

Above: Page spread ©2014 Dana Burrell from her 2014 fake journal. This was a test page her character created. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

What can you get done in 15 minutes a day—journaling, and even fake journaling. That's the daily time limit artist Dana Burrell allowed herself each day in April to work on her 2014 fake journal.

Dana has posted her write up here with more images. Her wrap up also details how she approached her fake journal this year; how she thought of her character; what role planning played in this year's project, and the journal that she created for the project. Dana has participated in IFJM before and I think it will help you to see that in any given year setting a new project boundary can generate new issues.

I encourage you to go to her site and see the full write up. I think my favorite part is how Dana worked in watercolor pencils and neither she nor her character had ever used them before so her character created a color chart and test sketch at the opening of her journal. (See opening image.) A sensible character indeed. And in a year without explanations it makes total sense to all those reading why she would do that. It's also a nifty way to handle a bit of life-overlap!

Dana also explains the value of seeing the project as a whole at the end of the month. Her character dealt with issues of anxiety regarding her mother's illness and Dana found this situation paralleled her own thoughts but brought a new perspective.

You will also enjoy seeing Dana's post on "Gearing up for IFJM" here. There you'll see the lovely small book she made with it's vibrantly colored cover.

Next year think about exploring a new medium, or looking at issues you face from a different perspective. The experience can leave you with new skills on many levels.

4 comments:

ellen said...

Watercolor pencils? The imagery is so developed and rich! Dana has made me reconsider how I can use my pencils this summer.

Beautiful work. A very rich exploration.

Susan Ernst said...

I enjoyed seeing Dana's fruits and vegetables. I too was surprised to read she used watercolor pencils. I thought the journal pages were done with traditional watercolor paints. And good to know the story behind the journal entries.

Dana said...

Even after a month I still feel rather clumsy using the pencils. I loved diving right in to the subject with color instead of sketching my usual ink lines.

Will the watercolor pencils replace my pan palettes? No, but I'm starting to use my regular travel brushes and water more when I'm out and about sketching instead of always relying on my Niji waterbrush.

Thanks all!

Dana said...

I should mention that I'm not going to abandon the watercolor pencils entirely... my plan is to keep working with them... not every day but often enough to keep exploring.