Valerie Sjodin

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Word of the year poetry journal

Wonder - my word of the year poetry journal is finished and there is flip-through video. This journal features various types of poetry, personally written and inspired by my word of the year.

Part 2

In the previous post, https://www.valeriesjodin.com/blog/art-in-real-life-12-poetry-word-of-the-year-journal it shows the beginning of this Word of the year poetry journal, starting with Haiku, Tanka, and Cinquain poetry.

This journal plus the vertical poetry journal (shown below) are both made out of 1 sheet of 22”x30” watercolor paper. The process flowed and I will definitely be making other similar ones. The easy making and versatility of the accordion journal (also called Concertina) gets me excited to make similar journals.

A few months ago I made an accordion journal, with the help of my new Vintage stencils, listing some basic poetry structures.

It inspired and challenged me to write my own poetry. Normally, with my new word for the year, I collect a list of Scripture verses and quotes to include in my journals and artwork throughout the year. I’m still planning to do that, but this year I started with writing my own poetry following poem structures. I included the structure patterns and definitions in this journal since it is the first one like this I’ve done. I found that following the poem structures provide containers for my feelings and thoughts. It inspires me to write more, and I’m surprised how the process, brings hope and comfort.

Poetry forms

Wonder poetry journal ACROSTIC & Couplet poems

An acrostic poem is when the first letters of the lines spell a word, often the text being the subject of the poem. A couplet is two lines of poetry, usually rhyming and having the same meter, forming a complete thought.

“ I seek to discover
the beauty of wonder.”

*

“I wander in nature wild
and recover my inner child.”

*

Matching paint colors to Washi tape and using shapes that are in the tape, ties the doodling, paint, and tape together on the page in a cohesive design. The leaf and circle shapes are repeated to tie it all together.

Quatrain poetry

Quatrain poetry is a 4-lined peom that can have various rhyme schemes, such as: A-A-A-A, A-B-A-B, A-A-B-A, A-B-B-A, A-A-B-A, A-B-A-C, A-B-C-B.

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“Wonder is a spark -
a living question mark;
a point of exclamation
an awestruck revelation.”

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For the circle and diamond shapes, I printed out my text on paper and drew around the poems using the interior shapes of the stencil. It was quick and easy to draw in permanent black pen and then paint with watercolor. Then I cut the shapes out and glued them onto the paper with a glue stick. More stenciling and doodling followed.

Limerick poetry

A Limerick is a 5-lined poem in a single stanza with a rhyme scheme of A-A-B-B-A. Each line has a specific syllable range:

Line 1 ~ 7-10 syllables; rhymes with lines 2 & 5
Line 2 ~ 7-10 syllables; rhymes with lines 1 & 5
Line 3 ~ 5-7 syllables; rhymes with line 4
Line 4 ~ 5-7 syllables; rhymes with line 3
Line 5 ~ 7and -10 syllables; rhymes with lines 1 & 2

Wonder poetry journal unfolded - side 1

Wonder poetry journal unfolded - side 2


In this journal I am really enjoying adding pen and paint doodles to stencil shapes and patterns. A stencil can give a great base to build on. There are a variety of ways to express personal style through doodling, painting, coloring and changing the doodles on the same stencil pattern.

Below is a short flip-through video of the journal and the 2nd video is from the last post showing how I added pen to painted stencil patterns.

Vintage tutorials & stenciling info

More Vintage stencil tutorials in this blog post: https://www.valeriesjodin.com/blog/vintage-book-stencil-collection-tutorials

Here is a post of photos with steps on stenciling a Vintage book cover using the tree and leaves/swallows stencils at the below right: https://www.valeriesjodin.com/blog/2018/05/paint-book-cover-stencils?rq=Vintage

You can find out more about the stencils at: https://www.stencilgirlproducts.com/stencils-valerie-sjodin-s/2044.htm


Stencils used in Wonder poetry journal

Supplies

Amazon affiliate links

Black Micron pen 02 size

Posca pen White 0.7 PC-1M

Gold Gelly Roll pen (set of gold, silver, and copper)

Coliro brand gold metallics watercolors

AEBORN Teal Floral Washi tape set

Glue stick

Qor watercolors: Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide, Teal, Sap Green, Green Gold, Phthalo Turquoise, Pyrrole Red Light, Indigo, Diarylide Yellow

Cosmetic sponges

If you click and order the supplies from the Amazon links I receive a small commission. I only recommend products I have used and would purchase again. It costs you nothing, so it’s a win/win.

Other links

I do not receive any proceeds for linking to the 100 day project or Archer & Olive. I included those links for your reference. Since I am a designer for StencilGirl Products, I receive royalties for the sale of my stencils.