An annual April experiment in creating a Fake Journal~ FAKE: pretend, simulate; counterfeit; to alter.manipulate.
or treat as to impart a false character or appearance.

A fun exercise in pretending to be someone else, maybe in an alternate universe!

Monday, May 13, 2019

Wrap Up 2019



2019 Fake Journal Goals:
1. Draw, paint, collage on most days in April
2. Imagine myself as a gardener or landscape
designer
3. Use random phrases and quotes about gardening
4. Draw what might be found in a garden 
5. use loose pages to draw on, 5"x7", to be bound after the project is completed
6. Complete each page in an hour or less




Discovery:
Quotes and statements about the Arts in general
applied quite well to the Art of Gardening.
(Quotes about visual art, home design,
and music, etc.)




"Everybody's brain works differently."
A quote from a National Public Radio broadcast,
about brain function, creativity and
problem solving. How your brain works and
what you think is beautiful will obviously
affect the garden you create...




also to be considered is your budget, and your
own ability to DIY.  Much of my inspiration
(and quotes) came from the BBC TV show

Left, a Downspout in the shape of a dragon/Gargoyle -
Right, sculpture for your garden a la Easter Island head!


'Big Dreams, Small Spaces' and 
quotes from the presenter,
Monty Don.







I felt it necessary to draw a child's wagon,
because it is one of the things I've used in
my own garden to display pots of 
flowers.  It finally got too rusty to hold
pots, and I mourn its loss! 



I figured that insects and wildlife are goals
that gardeners also seek for their 
gardens...







Of course, a gardener should wear
a sun hat for protection.




Time spent doodling, and "on hold" went into
the journal, along with lovely painted 
papers gifted to me by my friend Diana.





Collage elements:  I find them fun, but then the 
values of the background impact how you draw
your subject and making sure there is 
enough contrast to see what is going on.  I think
perhaps the tulip drawing didn't work out to 'read'
as well as I like.  But you learn by trying new
things and this background was lovely! Maybe 
I could go back in with more paint around the
tulip blooms? hmmm....




Unorthodox is a good word for what my
'gardening character' was...

Left, a quote from Apartment Therapy, a home decorating website

Hardest thing: finding something 'garden-related'
that I could draw within the one-hour time frame
that I wanted to stay within. 

Another challenge:  finding things that were different
enough to keep things interesting. I didn't want 
an entire book of drawings of plants, though there
would be nothing wrong with that.

Surprise: not having an organized group of people 
doing the same project left me feeling
a bit lost.  Which seems odd because 
most years that I've participated,
that was not a part of the process. 




I'm not sure what next year holds,
but I'll still be journaling and drawing, 
whether it's a
"Fake Journal" character, or the 
real me! 

As Roz says:
"Your journal preferences may change
over time...it's part of the 
discovery and adventure."


Thursday, May 2, 2019

Concealment and Revelation




With the end of April comes the time to
reveal my Fake Journal character for 2019.

I think several readers caught on quite
early!  My character was a Gardener/
Landscape Designer.  Many of the phrases
or quotes on my pages came from
Monty Don, the popular presenter of the
 gardening show "Big Dreams, Small Spaces."

'Revealment and concealment' was a phrase that
I heard on one of the episodes that featured
a Japanese style garden.  Winding paths and
plantings concealed what was around the next
  curve.  It provided an aspect of
anticipation and delightful surprise.

Fake Journal month is a little like that for me.
The project evolves and reveals itself slowly.
The text on the pages sometimes takes on
double meanings, which I find fun.

I plan to do a 2019 Wrap-Up post in 
the following days. (or maybe weeks)  
Letting a bit of time pass before final
reflection on the results can be helpful.

Thanks to the faithful few who have been
stopping by to visit!




"Life is short. Why live only one?"


Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Fake Journal 2019



April is fast approaching...
the month where I try to 'fake you out'
about who I am and what my 
occupation is.  Pretending to be
someone else, living in that other 
person's head and viewing things
from a different perspective.




I haven't even decided for sure what
I'm doing this year, but I'm gonna give it
another try.  I'm sorry to say that Roz 
Stendahl will not be coordinating the 
project this year, but anyone who wants to
give it a go is certainly welcome to do so.
Roz's blog posts are still available, so
click on the links in my sidebar for more
information. Also here:

You're on your own, and that's 
not necessarily a bad thing. Roz always
encouraged us to make it our own. 
It's a fascinating concept, to try to think,
react and draw like someone else!




As usual, I will not tell you who my 
character is or what they do for a living, so
you get the chance to guess who "I" am.
I plan to use random phrases and captions
as I have in past years...which may throw
you off the trail! ...and hopefully add
a bit of humor.  Check back in April
to see what the Fake Me 
gets up to!



The public celebration of International Fake Journal
 Month has been suspended indefinitely, but 
certainly it's a project worth trying as 
individual artitsts. 




Here's to year number eight (!) of 
the Fake
Journal project!