Weekly Spread Bullet Journal: Design Your Own Template on Procreate

1. Introduction: Hi, I'm Elaine Vitikainen. I'm an illustrator and an entrepreneur from Helsinki. I've been journaling for many years now. But last year, I started digital journaling on my iPad using the Procreate app. I created my own templates and I've really enjoyed the process where I can move things around and easily correct my writing mistakes. And also, I can use the digital stickers and washi tapes that I've created. In this class, we will be designing a weekly spread. A weekly spread gives us a more detailed plan and it's really helpful to see the entire week in one spread. We will be needing an iPad and Apple pencil or any stylus that you have and the Procreate app. I will share with you the fonts that I've created for you to use and some digital stickers. And also, if you have joined my previous classes, you have already downloaded some of the stamp brushes that I've created for you to use in your projects. By the end of this class, you will have a weekly spread template that you're proud of and really fits your needs. I really hope to see you in class. 2. Class Project: For the class project, first, we will take the time to think about the elements we want to see in our weekly spread. We will create these elements and then combine these elements together into a weekly spreads template. To help you get started, I'm sharing with you some of my digital stickers, which includes the days of the week and the months of the year. And the link to the fonts that I've created. You can find these in the class resources section. If you've taken my previous class, you have already downloaded my stamp brushes that you can also use for your project. I've also made a bonus video on how to add a border on stickers if ever you decide to make stickers for your project. By the end of this class, you have designed a unique Weekly spread that fits your needs and you're proud of. Please don't forget to upload your progress and weekly spread template in the project gallery section. For the next lesson, we will think about the elements we want to see in a weekly spread. 3. Weekly Spread Elements: When designing your weekly spread, the first thing we ask ourselves is, what do you want to see in your weekly spread? What are the things that you track on a weekly basis? Then lists those things. Some of the most common things that people track our moods, habits, self-care, meal plan, water intake, highlights, affirmations, brain dump, weekly goals, weekly spending, sleep, reading, exercise and playlists. For my spread. I will have the date for that week, the days of the week where I put the tasks for each day. My main focus for the week, the highlights or I call thankful thoughts. Idea space for when ideas come up. A saying or a quote for the week and a rating for the week. Also, I consider the theme or the style that I'm aiming for, the colour palette and the size of my weekly spread. Here are some of the designs that I've used in the past. Now let's take the time to think about what do you want to see in your weekly spread? What are the things that you track on a weekly basis? List those things. Also think about the style that you're aiming for, the colour palette and the size of your journal. For the next lesson, we will create these elements together. 4. Creating Weekly Elements: Now it's time to gather the elements for our templates. But first, let's create our canvas. For my canvas, I'll be using an A5 size journal, which is the most common journal sites. So let's open Procreate. Hit the plus sign and let's create our canvas. I will set it at 2480 pixels by 1748 pixels at 300 DPI for good quality printing if you later decide to print it out. Hit Create. First, let me show you how to use the digital stickers. Let's start with the names of the month. Click action, then add. This will depend on where you saved the file. For me, I've saved it in my photo gallery, so I will insert a photo. Once I have the file, I will choose the selection tool, freehand, and I'll start cutting the month that I will use. In my case I will be working on the month of October. Swipe three fingers and a copy and paste panel will appear. Then choose cut and paste. So now you have the month of October in another layer ready to use. Then separate the days of the week by using the same process, placing each day in a different layer. And now for the digital stickers, I'll be using a different sticker set from the ones I've provided, but the process is still the same. I've also prepared the autumn colour palette for this spread. I will now start writing the text for my sections. So let's go to action and add texts. You can choose the font you like. Remember to always go to the action panel and add text so that each of your text will be in a different layer. I have the date for the week, the main focus, thankful thoughts, ideas, quote and rating. For the background shapes, I will be using a lighter color. I'll be creating a square, a rectangle, a circle, and an oval. Let's also put the grid by clicking action Canvas and activate the drawing guide. This will help us in creating the shapes. I will start with a square. Remember that when you hold the pen in place, it will create a straight line. Check for gaps before dropping the colour from the color palette. Add another layer to create another shape. Now we have all the elements in the different layers. 5. Weekly Trackers: Now let's talk about trackers. To create a weekly tracker is not really complicated. Since this is a weekly spread, tracking would mean seven times. So you can easily add a tracker with an object with seven elements for each day. For example, you can add a group of seven flowers that represent each day of the week. You can add colors to each flower per day. Or it could be a set of seven ornaments in your weekly spread. The most important thing in tracking is to understand the use of these elements. So for example, if you're using colors, you have to specify what each color represents. If you're using this as a mood tracker, it could represent the colour yellow for happy, blue for sad, green for hopeful, and red for anger. You can also create these simple emojis to track your moods by simply placing them in each day. The simplest tracker is just to write it down. For example, the hours of sleep, the amount of water you took. You can also add a section in your weekly spread about your weekly spending, what you did to take care of yourself, what did you listen to. So now we have all our elements. For the next lesson, we will be combining these elements together to design our weekly spreads template. 6. Placing Weekly Elements Together: Now it's time to put together the elements we've created. Let's open our Canvas. Remember to mark the gutter so that if you will print this template, you will have the space for binding. Let me download my guide. So now we're ready to put these elements together. As we put them together, remember that it's all about experimenting different placements and see how everything will go together. It's important to create the template that best serves your needs. Don't forget to have fun and enjoy the process. 7. Adding a Border Around a Sticker: To add a border around a sticker, first, duplicate the thicker layer. Go to the adjustments panel and choose Gaussian blur slide to adjust. I've put mine to 20 percent. Then go to the selection tool. Be sure to choose automatic. Then tap one finger. Slide to adjust the selection threshold to the desired size of the sticker border. Invert. Add another layer, then fill the layer with white or any color of your choosing. Move this layer under the sticker. Delete the blurred layer. And there we have the sticker with a border. I hope you enjoyed this quick guide. 8. Thank you: Thank you for joining me in this class. I hope you enjoy designing your weekly spread by thinking about the elements that you would like to see on your weekly spread, creating them and putting them together into a unique template. Now you can create more templates. Bye for now, and I hope to see you again soon.