Journaling Bible Challenge

Like many of you, I am new to journaling in my Bible.  I have loved to write in journals since I could lock my own diary.  Then a few years ago I began to make mixed media journals.  Then I saw all these pictures on Pinterest of Bible with writing, stickers, and coloring in them!
After reading a couple blog posts and searching for more and more I was hooked!  I had recently been challenged by a Bible study, that I was doing through church, to be into the Word every day.  I have always tried to make this a priority, but have fallen short many times.  Let me tell you, now I can't wait to get into my Bible and find something that moves me to create.
As mentioned in a previous post, I like to do the M'Cheyne daily Bible readings.  While I read through the daily scriptures, I note anything that stands out to me or highlight it on my e-Bible.  Then I go back, when time allows, to do a more in-depth study of what stood out and create what speaks to me.
Sometimes I can go a few days or even weeks without seeing anything new or art worthy.  That's when I am grateful for the weekly challenges that abound on the internet.  I had joined a group that creates art in various forms for a 52-week scripture study just before the new year.  At His Kingdom Come's website they create a weekly in depth study of a scripture through the Take Me Deeper group.  This group of amazingly creative people have made journal spreads, digital art, photographs, and dolls to reflect their interpretation of the scriptures. 


My week 2 interpretation of Rebekah Jones's challenge

Rebekah Jones hosts her own challenge and usually includes a video of her process in her Bible.  Patter Cross of Triple The Scraps has a challenge of her own.  She has been doing a 26-week study that is bi-weekly through the year.  Patter challenges her followers to make whatever kind of paper crafting you love and display it on the facebook group.  Or you can be like Valerie Weiner and try to do a page a day!
There are several Google+ and facebook groups out there to join and share or to get inspired.  How will you challenge yourself this week.  Get into the Word and get into your crayon box!

Treating your Bible pages to prevent bleeding.

There are so many wonderful types of medium to use in your art, but they don't all work on Bible pages.  I have ripped pages that were too wet and bled through stacks of pages with ink.  So I wondered what would happen if I treated the pages with gesso or matte gel medium.
I took our Family Scripture Keeper Bible (not a technical term, just our name) and treated two of the not-so-essential pages.  One with gesso and one with the gel medium.

 I decided on a few types of inks and paint that I frequently use and would like to use (below).  Then I also decided to add a drop of  acrylic ink and a drop of alcohol ink (not pictured).

I applied them to the gessoed page (left) and the matte medium page (right). 

 After a couple hours of drying time this is how the pages looked from the backside.  Below is the opposite side of the page that was coated with gesso.  The only thing that seemed to seep through was the alcohol ink.  The only reason I think it came through was because I only put a thin layer of gesso on the page.  I did this so that the page could still be, somewhat, legible.  I figured that if you are going to use this in a journaling Bible, then you would probably still want to read the page.  (Please avert your eyes from the washi tape.  The pages where ripped to begin with.)

 The page with the matte gel medium has more leakage than the gesso page.  However, the only things that ran through where those that were of intense color, like the alcohol ink and acrylic ink.  You could see ghosts of the Pitt pen and watercolor, but not to the point of being a distraction on the backside of the page.

Destruction of my Bible is not something I look forward to and you probably don't either!  Hopefully this will help you to know when you need to treat your pages before journaling and with which medium.  Please let me know if you have tried any other mediums to coat your pages and how it worked out.  Now go try something new today!