Travel Journals
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“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”
-Moslih Eddin Saadi |
When I travel, I take watercolor pencils and/or a small travel watercolor kit and a fine-tip black pen for writing. Most of the time, my journals are not completed by the time I have to come home, but I make notes and sketches on each page to remind myself what happened and where I was. I also tuck in postcards and brochures for information or for added interest as posted in bits.
Later at home I will finish the sketches and paintings and add in quotes and more information. My favorite journal to take with me is a 5-1/8″ x 8″ watercolor journal. The paper is thick enough to stand up to watercolor pencils and regular watercolor. It has a nice texture to it as well.
I treasure all of my journals, but this one captures my dream of living in a small Cotswolds village. Here are a few images of Winchcombe.
I had so much fun making this next journal. I used notes that I made in a small notebook during this England/Wales trip, then transferred those to an old British travel atlas that I found in an antiques store. At the beginning of the book, I wanted to put in some of my favorite travel quotes, so I made “windows” by gluing two pages together and cutting out a place for the printed quote. For space to write (or paint), I brushed white gesso on some of the pages. To add some fun, I used rubber stamps and rub-ons with travel images. To include brochures, and beer mats (coasters) I created pockets from a few pages. Books can have more than one life!
