Cartoon Journaling Tip: Writing The Date in a Fun Way
Starting a Cartoon Journal entry should be enjoyable...
Start Your “Cartoon Journal” Entry Creatively
How do you make yourself excited about drawing and writing in your journal?
Making it fun right at the start.
Since you were most likely thinking of adding the date at the top of the page anyway, why not make it look visually interesting?
Here are some quirky hand-drawn on paper ways to make writing the date fun.
Use Bubble or Block Letters Inside a Black Box
Write the letters in a bubble or block style, draw a box around the word, and color the box in black.
Always think about how to make it more interesting.
I made the “J” in January larger for the one above so it pops outside the box. Overlapping objects and shapes is always visually attractive.
Maybe you can have a massive letter in the middle or draw the first and the last letters big for variety and balance.
It can be a fun challenge to see how many ways you can change the lettering each time you add a date.
Draw A Box Around The Date
If you’re not in the mood for that much detail, write out the date and draw a box around it. Easy!
You could make the lines on one side thicker to give the box more shape (if you feel like putting more effort into it). A simple box will add dimension and cartoony character to your entry.
Make One Letter a Bubble and Add Curves to The Others
Lean into Variety. For example, mix bubble letters, round and sharp letters, one large letter, and curves with long lines to give your writing personality. It’s not quite calligraphy, but it's close.
Write The Date Around A Cartoon Face
Use a facial expression representing how you’re feeling as you start a new entry.
Are you stressed? Feeling upset, angry, or sad? Draw a simple version of yourself or even a basic emoji image to get your juices flowing toward what to write/draw about this time.
Placing the month and day inside a thought balloon can connect it to a more detailed head with an expression that matches how you’re feeling about that date.
If you’re in a rush, you can just draw a face and the date as your journal entry. When you look back on it in the future, I bet you’ll remember some of what was going on back then.
Add Color if You Have Time
Putting a page in your cartoon journal together can look many ways (we’ll go more into this in future posts) but how I draw the date helps me know how to start a design.
My “To Do” journal entry below shows you how I thought through this post and the date is slanted on the top left corner. I made sure to overlap shapes and letters when I could and make space for writing short sentences. It’s clear but fun to look at.
Pick one of the ideas above, add your date, and start writing and drawing about what’s going on right now.
Sharing drawings made on paper in a sketchbook journal feels good, and I hope it will inspire you to write about your lives and use real materials instead of just computers, software, and technology.
Have fun and enjoy the process!
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I've been trying to find more ways to bring small acts of creativity into my life so this idea of just making the dates in more interesting ways is a great one!
Hey Khalid!