Visual Journaling with Old Hymnbooks

My week-end was book-ended by fun with markers.  On Friday, I wanted to see what my new markers (bought on Ash Wednesday) could do, and eventually, I created this:

Some might see it as too busy, but that's on purpose, as I suspect that I'd find a true Mardi Gras celebration an overwhelming cacophony.  And I was trying to create a feathery technique, like you might find on actual Mardi Gras masks.

On Sunday, I noticed a box of old red hymnals, last widely used by the Lutheran church in the 70's, with a free books sign.  So, I took some, with a vision using hymnal pages in my visual journaling.  I chose a chunk of "Onward Christian Soldiers," my favorite hymn from childhood, and part of "A Mighty Fortress" with its old language of bulwarks.

I glued them onto the page, and then I had to wait for the page to dry.  So, I drew a variety of purples on the back of my Ash Wednesday piece:

The effect on the other side is subtle, but I like it:

Here's the original, with no back coloring:

Then I was ready to work on my hymnal fragment piece.  I've worked with hymnal fragments before and had a similar experience.  I'm not thrilled with how the hymn fragments mostly disappear:

I decided to play with the bleed-through that can happen with these thin pages:

I like how it gives color to the other side, but I can still read the words and see the notes:

What will I do with this piece?  Stay tuned!