The artists journal is a great place to start a library of personal marks doodles & ideas. The reader is introduced to basics such as choosing a journal & then immediately guided into techniques such as colour mixing drawing & a variety of surface designs. The reader is encouraged to experiment & play in the journal to try out new directions for creating works of art. The art journal becomes the starting point for bigger projects. In addition to step-by-step techniques for working in a variety of media each chapter features one or more jumping-off points to show the reader how to move out of the journal & onto an actual project. In the final chapter Melanie steps out three journal spreads to show how many techniques learned previously are layered & worked together. By using the art journal in this way the reader learns confidence in developing their ideas into tangible works of art.