Cover a journal page with black gesso; allow to dry (or force dry) and write on the gesso using the edge of a white bar of soap (left) and then color over the entire page using colored pencils (Prismacolor work the best). I had taken a workshop on preaching where the professor asked participants to name what we liked about the actual action of preaching. In other words: why preach? I created this reflection piece which names my experience of preaching (below).
Cover the entire piece with colored pencils-coloring over/across the soap lines. Generally this technique is done on black art paper and NOT in a journal because the final step is to put the paper under running water and rinse off the soap, which, of course, can damage other pages in a bound journal. Because I have damaged pages in journals rinsing the book directly under the tap, I thought it might work to take damp paper towel and gently remove the soap. It became evident that it was NOT the same! It rubbed off the pencil (below). I stopped wiping as soon I realized the damage I had been doing.
I remarked the soap on the same lines I had previously drawn, reworked with the same color pencils, and put the reworked pages under the kitchen sink so the tap water rinsed off the soap. It takes a lot of paper towels to mop up the pages in front and behind, but it is one of my favorite art techniques and worth the mess/risk.
