Starting a New Art Journal

Today I am going to try to transform an old daily planner into and art journal. I don't use it for anything else at the moment and I've never actually used it properly or for its intended purpose anyway, so it's just sitting around and taking up space. I am currently trying to make more use of what I already have, so I've decided to repurpose it and see how it goes. So... let's get into it, shall we? :)

This is the planner, as it is right now, before I do anything to it:

It's one of those that you get for free as a promotional item, I think, and, based on the calendar inset (the daily pages are undated), seems to be more than ten years old. :) There are some pages missing at the beginning, I must have ripped them out of it at some point.

And I decided to start right on, and make something on the very first page.

First, I put some gesso on that first page, to cover the text and to make it more resistant to the mixed media assault that is to come. One single layer of gesso was not enough (actually, I was expecting to lay down of couple of them, but, as it turned out, two was not enough either, so I went for three):

There is some text still visible there, even after three coats of gesso, but I don't mind. Adds to the layering process. (And, yeah, I caved in and bought myself some proper gesso, lol. :D) 

(And, yes, I am using an IKEA furniture assembly instructions booklet as protection between the pages. :) You have good eye, lol. ;) Go, BILLY! :))

Next, I decided to add some collage elements, mostly bits ripped out of some packing paper I had lying around (remember this?), some old notebook paper (lined, grid) and some patterned paper I made myself with plain photocopy paper, stamps and black ink.

And... I think I'm going to take a break now. Maybe work on some other project. But I think I'll just watch some True Detective first (I've just started the series), or at least finish the episode I was watching (the very first one), before anything else.

I'll be back. :D

P.S. I was wondering how many times did I use the word first in this blog post (I feel like a lot). Shall I count?... Nah, I'm too lazy right now. See you soon!