What is International Fake Journal Month?  IFJM was started by Roz Stendahl and it is a inspirational month for creatives to take a time out to create and be an alter ego.  However, you must do it in a journal of your own choosing.  I am not a writer, but occasionally I have a story that wants to be told, so this is a good way for me to do this.
You can read more about IFJM By going to the following link:

http://officialinternationalfakejournalblog.blogspot.com/?m=1

I have participated a few times, last year I did complete the month.  I was going to pick up the story from last year where I left off, but another story has been screaming to be let out, so I had to run with it.

I started writing mine in a homemade sketchbook.   Last year I wasn’t too visual, it was more about the story.  This year is pretty much starting off the same way.

Here is the sketchbook I made quickly so I could travel with it.  The cover has no relation to the story, or it might.  Time will tell.

  
 This year I wrote an introduction page.  I didn’t intend to but sometimes the Muse has different ideas.

I don’t know if you will be able to read my handwriting so I will transcribe it here.

1. Introduction

My name is Sarah. I am an orphan.  My mother died not long after marrying my stepfather, Paul.   They had a wonderful relationship, even if my two evil step-sisters, Paul’s daughters, tried to ruin everything.  Their mother had left them for a low life golf pro.  She wasn’t a nice person to be around and my step-sisters don’t see her very often.  Paul is a wonderful person, devoted father and an all around great guy.  He still misses my mom.  Who am I? I am the great great great great great great great great (I lost count) granddaughter of the real Cinderella.  Yes, she was a real person and she is my ancestor.  My dad, who passed away in the war, was her descendant.  This is my April Journal that I am writing to remember that this is my Prom Month.

  

So here is my first day….

April 1,      Wow!  It’s finally here! My Prom Month!  It’s April 29th and I hope the weather is great!  Well, the weather is always great, here in Florida.  Unless a storm comes through, then we’re packing and heading for higher ground, like Kentucky.  I have to go today with my Dad (who’s really a step-dad but the only Dad I have) and my bitchy step sisters, to pick out my Prom gown. My step-sisters, Melissa and Stephanie.  What bitches.  They, of course, went all out and now that it is my turn, they told my Dad to take me to Wal-Mart for my dress.  My Dad assured me that he would take me to the same Prom dress shop he took them for their gowns.  I wish they both had gone away to school but of course they both had to stay home and go to the local university.  So they are still here.  Melissa is a dietary major and will graduate in May.  She needs to study harder because it isn’t working for her at all.  (See tiny sketch)

  

Ok folks, a Zine Freebie. A friend posted his diet woes a few weeks back and he was delighted when I asked if I could “retell his story.” Here is my version of his dieting story….this is a printable, make it slightly smaller than your 8 1/2 x 11 page and fold per the attached instruction sheet. You can see a sample of the folded version on how it is supposed to look. You can share it, but since I did take a lot of time to create this, please remember to give me the credit (remember, as my husband says, my name ends in a vowel😂)

   
   

#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling #urbansketching #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch #ginalento

Sketch done at Panera

  

#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling #urbansketching #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch #ginalento

You know you’ve made it in our town when those of us in the local Sketch Club sketch your establishment.

 
#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling #urbansketching #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch #ginalento 

 Today I thought I would get out of the house.  I had been working on a few projects and had recentlycompleted them…so today I wanted get out to sketch.  I was headed to the local green house when I saw something I just HAD to sketch….pretty much just came short of slamming on the brakes…..sometimes, inspiration just kicks you in the head as you are driving down the road.

Of course it was not in an easy spot for me to sketch.  I had to sit across a 4 lane intersection and my view would get blocked by vehicles (and my luck, they were all SUVS and large pickup trucks, Murphy’s Law at it’s finest) sitting at the light.

To make things more interesting, it was cold and windy so I can ensure you that this was done as quickly as I could manage it.  I thought about painting it.  Screw that, it was cold!  I took my sketch home to thaw out and get a cup of tea….PG Tips.

So here is the sketch and in the nice warm comfort of my studio, I created the digital version on my iPad.

   
 

#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling #urbansketching #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch #ginalento

 Here’s some sketches I did at yesterday’s Pet Expo.  

Also, below is my bookshelf with sketchbooks on it….it’s double stacked. Someone asked me what I do with ” all that art” I am creating….they thought it was piling up all over my house, lmao….much of it is in these books and the books I am carrying around with me that are not on this shelf.  

   
    
 

#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling #urbansketching #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch #ginalento

As many of you know, I am a sketch artist as well as a painter.  I do lots of sketches and many people have asked what can I do with my sketches.  I have sketched people’s houses, I have sketched people doing activities, etc…

Sometime, I sketch things off the top of my head, and here is one sketch that I did with a baby shower in mind for someone who likes horses.  It started with a pencil sketch from my sketchbook, I took a picture of it and created the digital image that you see below.  

I have just started to do some digital work.  I like it for creating things from my sketches, so far, I have found it to be a versatile tool for taking things to another level.

As you can see, I also learned how to copyright my work for posting on the Internet.

   
 

I am finishing up the last week of an on line workshop, and it had some fun ways to express your art.  This very last week, the course was run by artist Michael Hobbs of the UK.  Michael gave us some pointers of how to budget time, but also be good to ourselves and reward ourselves as part of the creative process.  One of the lessons I liked, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it, was the lesson on how to “blow up” your work.

I watched the video and though to myself, “Oh, I am not going to want to do this.”  Then I forced myself to do it using a sketch I did last week of Mack, my Chihuahua.

Well, much to my surprise and delight, I loved the whole thing.  I blew it up and I pieced it together and wow, it’s awesome!

I love seeing it hanging there on the wall, so here is the original sketch with a ruler so you can see the size and here is the final product hanging on my studio wall.

#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling  #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch #ginalento

   
   

These are a few ATC’s that I did for a card swap.  I was not feeling inspired until I looked at our wine rack, so I did mini portraits of wine bottles.

  

I am trying to follow the morning pages ritual as spelled out in “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. I am not a writer and I want to fit “art before breakfast” in with the writing ritual so I found a way to do both combining the morning pages with sketching or doodling and I am finding that I am really getting some cool ideas. Anyway, here’s a sketch that I did of my Chihuahua, Mack. He’s a long haired Chi.

#sketchbookskool #artforall #illustatedjournaling #visualjournal #sketchbook #sketch #ginalento