Join me in the studio as I show you how I drew inspiration from a carboard box, a pile of lace, old earrings, traveler’s notebooks, and a fun journal structure that I learnt recently to come up with a delightfully tactile junk journal.

Watch the class trailer

In these Studio Sessions, I invite you into my tiny home art studio, share my sources of inspiration, and show you how I bring it all together into a finished project.

You need very simple supplies to put this journal together — in fact, I’m willing to bet that you already have most of these supplies in your stash! I also offer a variety of different options and ideas to really make this journal your own.

This class is perfect for beginners and intermediate artists. If you’ve been intimidated by book binding, or drool over gorgeously bound messy looking junk journals and cannot figure out how to make your own handmade journals, my no-stress approach to book binding will have you creating along with me in no time!

Are you in? Let’s do this!

Hi! I’m Shinjini. I’m a self-taught art journaler and mixed media artist, and I know how terrifying this whole art thing can be. The fear of messing up your paintings, wasting perfectly good supplies on a project that just doesn’t seem to come together, and being convinced that you simply cannot paint – I’ve been through it all!

I spent decades of my life believing that I didn’t have a creative bone in my body. I’ve beaten myself up for creating wonky flowers in a class that was all about creating…..wait for it…..imperfect florals! I’ve looked at my beginner attempts at book binding, which were frustrating af, and wanted to throw in the towel because all I came away with was pricked fingers and tangled threads.

But somehow, I stuck through it, and here I am – not only am I teaching art journaling workshops both online and offline, I’ve recently shown my work in a group art show!

If I can make it from frustrated wannabe artist to thriving artist, I know you can too. And I aim to help you do just that!

It is my deepest wish to support fellow creatives {and yes, we all are creative – even you, who thinks that drawing a straight line is a pre-requisite to creating art. It isn’t!} discover the joy of art.

Join me in the studio as I guide you through the creation of a super fun, stress-free junk/art journal.

In this class, I will guide you through choosing the right papers for the kind of journal you want to build — not into junk journals? No problem! You can follow along and make a sketchbook/art journal or a written journal instead!

Let’s do this!

What you get with this course

• Step-by-step instructions on building the Unbound Journal cover structure
• Simple book binding instructions
• Lessons on how to paint really cool mixed media starter pages for your journal
• A bit of slow stitching
• Instructions on how to paint a super fun abstract art journal page — the techniques that I show you here can be used over and over again in your art making with different results each time.

Are you in?

I do hope you will say yes to joining me in the studio and binding your own gorgeous hand made journal. Nothing gives me more joy than to spend some time at the painty table as I unwind after a busy day, and I would love to show you the ropes, too!

Supply list

You will find the complete supply list in the classroom, once you enroll, though you will need some of the following materials. You are encouraged to use what you have, and I share many alternatives and suggestions in the classroom.

Carboard, e.g. cereal box

Papers to bind into your journal

Fabrics and laces

Needle and embroidery floss

Awl

Assorted paints

Gesso

Assorted paintbrushes

FAQs

What if I have no experience with book binding? Can I still do this course?

Yes! I will show you exactly how to go about creating a stunning art journal. You get to see the entire book binding process – including my mistakes and struggles and how I fix them – as I walk you through my process step by step. You can follow right along with me as I bind this journal.

What if I have no experience with drawing or painting? Can I still do this course?

Yes! I will show you exactly how to create an abstract painting with fun, simple techniques that you can use over and over again in your own process.

Do I have to attend this course at a certain time and/or place?

No! You can access the materials whenever and wherever you want to. They’re hosted in an online classroom and you will have access to the entire class once you sign up.

For how long do I have access to this course?

How does lifetime access sound?

Can I share the lesson with my friends?

If you think your friends would enjoy this course, please send them a link to this page and ask them to sign up. Please do not share your login credentials with anyone else. A lot of time and effort has gone into the creation of this class – please be mindful and respectful of my time and effort. If I find anyone sharing login credentials, your access to the class will be revoked and no refunds will be offered. Thank you for understanding.

I don’t think I can make this journal! Can I get a refund for the course?

Sorry, no. Given the nature of this ecourse, no refunds will be offered.

I’ve ordered! Now what?

Awesome! You will receive a PDF with access instructions for the course.

Help! I’m stuck with my painting/supplies/composition {related to this course}.

First, take a deep breath! You have ongoing teacher support – just drop me an email {which you will find in your classroom} and I will do my best to help you out!

Ready to dive in?