Art Journaling | Technique

[scrapsandsass]

So in September, we briefly visited the technique/idea of using hidden journaling on a page. I wanted to dig a little deeper into that topic since it can be a crucial element if you really want to get your feelings out on a page, but don't necessarily want the whole world to know every gritty little detail.

For you lovely ladies who create physical pages, there are really no limits to what you can do to hide journaling. Here are some ideas...

• Use watercolor pencil to journal and then smudge with water
• Tuck your journaling into an envelope
• Obscure parts of your text with fun washi tape
• Use a tag for journaling and then slide it behind something
• Write text on top of text until you can't tell what is what
• Use white on white/black on black, etc.
• Write in pencil and erase the majority of the words
• Write on the back of a photo
• Write and then cover with gesso/paint/glitter

For the digi girls, it isn't quite as straight forward. You could certainly use some of those techniques, but obviously you wouldn't be able to slide things out of envelopes or write on the back of a photo, write in pencil or watercolor pencil.

Andrea gave some tips, but some other ideas for hiding journaling digitally...

• Use the layer modes... play with overlay, dissolve, opacity
• Create text in a small, hard-to-read font
• Put your text on a path and include it over an element that isn't immediately noticeable (inside an iris of an eye as an example)
• Cover most of the text with an element
• Journal on a tag and put inside a virtual envelope (vellum works great to obscure text) (Snips N Snails has some great vellum products and so does Tracy Martin)
• Write in a foreign language
• Write in code
• Cover the text with Gesso
• Type text onto patterned paper or image
• Take the text apart. Layer via cut and select sections to move or delete so it is difficult to read
• Create text over text. Type into several small boxes and layer them over one another.
• Washi tape (like these from Peeps & Milo)
• Erase parts of words with a textured brush (lots of goodies from The Edits, Paula Kesselring, Sarah Barber, River Rose, Sissy Sparrows)
• Use text the color of your background.

If you really put your mind to it, I'm sure you can come up with other creative ideas that aren't listed.

What do you do to hide text??

[strawberryredhead]

If I have sensitive journaling I just hide that layer when I save for web. It's still there on the PSD document, but I'm not spilling my guts to the entire digi community.

[rmcabana]

Kimberlee and Andrea, you inspired me to include some journaling on this page. I even hid the date! Thanks for the tips!

[kelley]

Sometimes when I am creating a page because of some feeling or emotion I am going through, I will try to create a mood with my overall page, then type out my journaling on the background paper and just reduce the opacity really low. I do this when I want to get my feelings out, but don't want others to read it. Then, when I look at the page, I know what it was about and I can remember.

[staciahall]

I did a layout using hidden journaling just recently. I'll be able to share here as soon as the prompt goes live. It's about my fears. It's all black with a couple of touches of red and the journaling is light, blended in and hidden.

[scrapsandsass]

So cool ladies, thanks for sharing!!! Robin, I love the happy page!