Purchase the 15 for 30 Challenge Now!

The 15 for 30 Visual Journal Challenge was a huge success, and I am grateful for everyone who participated. I had several art educators contact me about the possibility of using the challenge in their classrooms, so I have created a suite of items for purchase.

But it's not just for educators. Its for anyone wishing to push their journaling further, and it includes several extras and add-ons that the original challenge didn't have.

For just 5 bucks you get the following:

• a 40-page PDF of the Challenge. Print it out for handy task cards.
• a 32-slide PowerPoint ready to go in any classroom.
• a 3-page PDF of progress charts to keep track of the challenge and to create your own.
• a PDF of 22 inspiration cards. Print them out and cut them apart for simple creative nudges.

All delivered via email to your inbox.

So head on over to the JFJ Shop to purchase yours today!

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 30: Reflection

We use the journal to reflect on our art, to reflect on our lives, and to reflect on our relationships. The journal helps us figure out what’s important, and it helps us figure out what we want and where we need to be. It is a valuable tool for living and learning.

Spend time today reflecting our your journey. You might want to reflect on specifically what you have done over the last 30 days or you might want to reflect on your life or your art in general. What is going well? What needs work? What is an area of strength? What is an area for growth? If these questions don’t work for you, come up with your own. Write, collage, paint, and/or draw.

Don’t forget to share! #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 28: Drawn Text

As we’ve mentioned before, words are an important part of our journaling practice, and we use words in a variety of ways. Sometimes we want the text to become more graphic in nature, and we could use collaged or stenciled words. But drawn text is a great way to bring a graphic and a personal flair to our words.

For at least 15 minutes today, draw words and text. Perhaps you highlight some of those operative words with drawn text, or perhaps you illustrate your favorite quote. Perhaps you create a specific theme word for your page. Use any stye of lettering you want such as block, bubble, or graffiti letters. Feel free to draw or sketch your letters with pencil before using materials like pen and marker.

Keep sharing those responses. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 27: Tearing

Who needs scissors? Tearing and ripping can create interesting lines and textures, and we, at times, tear pages and fodder as we work in our journals. Tearing a series of pages creates a lot of interaction and surprise. Ripping fodder brings in a lot of contrast to the straight and uniform lines and shapes we normally use. We try to be purposeful and careful as tear and deconstruct images, pages, and text. We then are free to reconstruct the images, pages, and text in any number of ways.

For today focus on tearing as a means for working in your journal. Try tearing off parts of pages. You can even tear a series of pages. Try ripping up colored paper, pictures, or old artwork and gluing in the parts and pieces. Think about tearing up some of your writing and randomly gluing in pieces so the meaning becomes obscured. Begin tearing and see where it goes.

Don’t forget to share! #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 26: Translucent Surfaces

Layering is an important part of our journaling practice and using translucent surfaces such as vellum and tracing paper is an easy way to add layers to our pages while allowing lines, words, images, and textures to show through the collaged material. We often write and draw on these translucent surfaces and glue them into our pages to create additional visual interest.

If you have them, experiment with translucent surfaces. You can draw, write, or print on the paper first, and then collage it onto your pages. You can cut and glue to create see-through shapes of colors, or you can use vellum and tracing paper to cover windows and cut-outs in your pages. See what type of layering effects you can create with these semi-see-through surfaces.

Keep sharing your responses. #jfj15for30.

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 25: Self-Portraits

Self-portraits can intimidate some people, but if we rethink the what and the how, we can use ourselves as the imagery in our journals whether drawn, traced, or collaged. We don’t have to stick to realistically rendered drawings, we can use photographs, templates, and image transfers as ways to include ourselves.

Today, focus on using yourself as the subject matter for your journaling. Feel free to draw yourself as you look in a mirror, but if you lack the confidence or initiative to draw yourself, rethink what the self-portrait can be. Print out selfies, trace photographs, and scrounge around for old drawings. Use photocopies to create image transfers or cut yourself out of a photograph and use it as a template to trace. Experiment with different ways to include yourself in your work.

Don’t forget to share some of your results on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media. Use the hashtag #jfj15for30.

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 24: Tracings

Tracing is often seen as “cheating”, and you may have been scolded by someone not to it. But tracing is a viable and valuable technique for including images in the journal. Besides stencils and templates, we often trace ordinary objects such as tools, rolls of tape, and scissors as a way to document our surroundings. We also trace our hands and the hands of friends and family as a way to record our connections with ourselves and with others. It’s a direct way to include people in our journaling process. We can even trace pictures and photographs as a way to include images that we may not want to take time and effort to draw in more conventional ways.

Focus on tracing things for at least 15 minutes today. Since we’ve focused already on stencils and templates, use ordinary objects like pliers, scissors, keys, or kitchen gadgets. Look for something that will give you an interesting and complex shape. You might also want to trace hands - yours and the people around you. If you have tracing paper, you can trace images and photographs. We like to use photos we have taken to keep the imagery as authentic as possible. Then you can glue the tracing into your journal. Look around to see what you have available for tracing, and experiment with using these items in your journal.

Share your responses to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media. Don’t forget the hashtag so we can see what you’re up to. #jfj15for30.

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 23: Painting with String

Watercolor is a great medium for the journal, but the basic techniques can get a bit boring after a while, so we like to spice things up and add a bit of unpredictability and chance into our pages. Using string to apply the paint is a fun and exciting way to bring some surprise and unusual textures into our journal pages. This technique can be very messy so we are careful of our work surfaces and our clothing.

For today use string to apply your paint. Any thick string or yarn will do as long as it is absorbent. Dampen the string first, and then drop it into a heap on a palette or plastic plate. Then apply the paint to the string with a paint brush. Try dropping the paint saturated string on the page, dragging the string, and even stamping with the string. You can even close your journal on the string, leave the ends of the string extending off the edge, and pull the string out of the closed book. Experiment with the string in anyway you want. Can’t think of anything, do a quick Internet search.

Don’t forget to share. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 22: Operative Words

There are times that we want to bring emphasis to the words that we write. It is then that we turn to operative words. These are words we want to draw attention to, and they succinctly sum up the phrase or sentence. When searching for operative words, we look for a handful of key words in our writing, and we rely on our gut instinct because these are powerful words - meaty words. When we find these words, we embellish them in all manner to draw focus and attention to them. We might even make a list of them so that we can explore them further in the future.

Spend your time today revisiting the writing that you have done in your journal. You might want to go back to that stream of consciousness writing, and look for these key words. Use metallic markers, colored ink, or anything else you have to highlight, embolden, and embellish these words so they stand out from the rest of the writing. Try circling, boxing, and tracing the words as a way to draw the eye to these operative words.

Share on those social media sites if you'd like. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 21: Masking

A fun alternative use for stencils and templates is to use them to mask off areas as we use watercolor paint. With this technique we block off certain areas to keep them clean as we paint., and we often use pieces of paper, tape, and stencils along with watercolor paint to create interesting negative spaces on our pages. By laying these objects down on our paper and painting over them, we easily create designs and patterns with the masked areas. Be careful when using tape, some masking tape will tear the paper as you try to peel off of the paper. We like to use painters tape.

For today, find some interesting flat objects, slap down some tape, or cut paper shapes to block of areas as you paint, splatter, and sponge. You can use this technique to add interesting layers to pages you've already started and to begin new pages. Experiment with different cut and torn shapes, and play around with how you apply the paint.

As always, don’t forget to share. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 20: Colored Paper

The collage elements we incorporate into the journal don’t have to be precious, personal fodder or random things we find. Colored paper is an effective way to add lines, shapes, and large areas of color to our pages. Many of us have stacks of handmade, textured, and exotic papers in our studios, or bits of construction or scrapbook papers, or delicate, thin, translucent papers.

Use some of these papers in your journal today. Cut out specific shapes and glue them to pages you’ve already started, or cut and glue down larger shapes onto a blank page as a way to get something started. Cut a variety of lines from the paper, and use them to create structure, movement and flow in your work.

As always, share your responses if you’d like. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 19: Page Cuts

As we have seen with windows and doors, the journal page doesn’t have to stay intact. We can manipulate the pages in a variety of ways. One of those ways is to cut part of the page completely off from the rest. There are endless possibilities for how we can do this - from simple straight lines to complex silhouettes. These cuts add another level of interaction in our journals and add more intrigue and interest.

Grab a hobby knife and a cutting mat, or even a pair of scissors, and get cutting. Cut a page down the middle vertically, or cut out a complex shape down the edge. Create a series of cut pages or cut a single page. What are you going to do with the part you cut off? What if you made a tab, and glued it in some how? Maybe onto another page.

Keep sharing your responses. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 18: Shading and Depth

Instead of simply filling or “coloring” in a space, we often use shading and value change to give a space some dimension and depth. Shading around words and shapes allows them to “pop” out from the page, and they can seem to float above the surface. We can also make areas seem like they go into a page, and of course, shading can make our drawings and paintings seem more three-dimensional.

Focus at least fifteen minutes on shading and creating value changes on your pages. Use graphite, colored pencil, or ink. Remember with ink, it’s not about how hard you press, but how much empty space you leave between your marks. Drawing materials can keep you plenty busy, but you may want to try creating value changes with paint as well. Experiment with making things pop out and sink into the page.

Share on those social media sites, and don’t forget that hashtag. #jfj15for30.

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 17: Painting with Markers

We sometimes shy away from certain materials, especially ones that we think as children’s art materials, but there is a lot to explore even with these “kids art” supplies. Water-based markers such as Crayola and Prang, are great for experimenting. We often use these markers with a brush and water to get painterly effects. Since the ink is water-based, it blends and bleeds when we brush water over it. Some of these markers are even labelled as watercolor markers.

For today, break out the “kids” markers, and don’t just color with them. Use them to paint. Color a little bit down and paint water over the ink. Let the ink blend, spread, and bleed. You can easily blend colors together to get effective color transitions, and you can create interesting textures by dripping water onto an area you have colored with marker. Experiment and play and see what happens.

Remember to share some of your results. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 16: Observational Drawing

Observational drawing is just as at home in the visual journal as it is in the traditional sketchbook and can be a great way to capture our surroundings. By closely looking at objects and our environments, we can gain inspiration and we can begin to document where we are. We often find interesting patterns as well as ordinary objects to draw as we take in what surrounds us. We may simplify what we see or we may draw it in all of its complexity.

For today, focus at least 15 minutes on looking closely at actual objects around you and drawing what you see. Try to avoid drawing from photographs, and look around your immediate surroundings. Draw a house plant sitting in the corner, the tv remote control, or your keys. Draw the remains of breakfast or lunch, or draw a chair in the room. You may want to draw with a pen so you’re not tempted to erase and start over multiple times. You may also want to think about drawing blind contour drawings as a way to loosen up. Whatever you draw, closely observe the object or scene and draw what you see. Don’t judge or criticize yourself. Just draw.

Don’t forget to share. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 15: Spirals, Swirls, and Squiggles

If we want to create a lot of stability and predictability in our work we can use straight lines - primarily vertical and horizontal, but if we want to show a lot of movement and flow in our work, we can use curved lines. We can echo themes of growth and change by using spirals, swirls, and squiggles, and we can create exciting page layouts by dividing the space using these curvy lines.

For today, focus on including curvy lines - spirals, swirls, and squiggles. Bring contrast to pages that have a lot of straight lines and sharp corners. Draw repeated spirals as a way to create a pattern and fill a certain space. Cut squiggly lines from paper to glue them into your work or experiment with how these lines affect the layout of your pages. Explore a variety of ways to bring these curvy lines to you pages to create a sense of motion and excitement.

Remember to share. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 14: Personal Fodder

Random fodder from our everyday lives is a great way to document our days, but at times we want to add things that are a bit more meaningful - a bit more personal than the mundane things we pick up along the way. When we add birthday cards, photographs of our loved ones, notes from someone close to us, or postcards from a friend on a trip, we add something of significance, and the journal becomes richer document of our lives.

Find some meaningful and personal ephemera to include in your journal today. Print out a favorite recent photo or two, and glue them onto a page. Find mementos from a trip or something tucked away that you’ve almost forgotten about to add to pages you’ve already begun. Use pictures your kids drew for you or thank you cards. Whatever you choose, make certain that it is personally relevant and significant.

Keep posting those responses to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and personal blogs. It’s inspiring and motivating to see how people have used the day’s challenge. #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 13: Lists

We are always making lists of one kind or another - to-do lists, grocery lists, bucket lists. What if we included these lists in our journals? We can glue our grocery lists and to-do lists into our pages as a way to record our day. Besides gluing, we can write our lists directly into our journal. We can list things we are grateful for, things we want to accomplish, the people who are close to us. We can create lists of all kinds.

For today, focus on incorporating lists of one kind or another. Glue in those mundane lists, or create other lists directly into the journal. Try brainstorming a list in response to a word or a theme. Try creating a list of possible journal prompts. Keep a list of quotes from something you’re reading. Collage, write, stencil, or paint your lists.

Don’t forget to share! #jfj15for30

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 12: Watercolor Textures

Texture brings a lot of visual interest to our pages, and with watercolor paint we can create quick and simple textures by using some experimental techniques. We can use sponges, salt, rubbing alcohol, plastic wrap, bubble wrap, and string. We can use our fingers or a scraper, or we can use an old toothbrush, a cotton swab, or a crumpled paper towel.

For at least 15 minutes experiment with stamping, splattering, scraping, lifting, and dabbing the paint. Try for uneven, jagged, and rough looking textures and feel free to use multiple colors and to layer textures one on top of the other.

Share your responses to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media. Don’t forget the hashtag so we can see what you’re up to. #jfj15for30.

JFJ 15 for 30 Challenge - Day 11: Windows and Doors

Although the journal is a book, we don’t have to follow the regular conventions of a book as we work. We don’t need to start on page one, and we don’t need to finish one page before we move to the next. We can work on any page, at anytime, and in any order, and we don’t have to keep the pages intact. We can transform and manipulate the page in a variety of ways. One of the easiest ways to transform the page and bring some interaction between pages is by cutting windows and doors in the page allowing small sections of the next page to show through.

For today, focus on completely cutting out shapes from pages to create windows or cutting the shape in a way that creates a door or flap that can open and close. Cut the windows and doors at random, or be purposeful about where you cut. Cut rectangles or cut other shapes. Just be careful with what’s on the other side of the pages you're cutting, and use a hobby or craft knife and a self-healing cutting mat to protect the pages underneath. And what will you do with the pieces that you cut out? Perhaps they can be glued in elsewhere.