Instructions

Step 1: Today I’m working in the Large Dylusions Creative Journal. To break the blank page syndrome, I start with adding some Tim Holtz Tissue Wrap using Multi Medium Matte. This helps give me a base so I can start adding color and texture with paint.

Step 2: To prepare my page for all the layers that are coming, I added a thin watered down layer of Dina Wakely Media White Gesso all over to my page. I wiped up the excess to reveal the collage paper below with a baby wipe and dried this before moving on.

Step 3: Spring reminds me of bright blue skies, so I added shades of blue to my page with Dina Wakley Heavy Body Paint in Sky, Lapis, and Elephant. I spritzed my page with water and then started to spread the paints around blending them together. I wiped parts up with a baby wipe to reveal the print below and worked it until I was happy with the background.

Step 4: Next, I wanted to add some texture, so I pulled out the Textures stamp and used Dina Wakley Archival Ink palette in the colors Night and Ocean to add some dots on my background keeping it to the upper left and bottom right corners. I would love a full-size ink pad of archival ink in Hickory Smoke (my favorite Distress Ink color), so I got a DIY Archival Ink pad with a Hickory Smoke reinker and created my own. Using this I added the screen background stamp from the Textures stamp to add a little more interest in my background. I love the subtle, shadow-like color of Hickory Smoke.

Step 5: Now it was time to paint my flowers. I love tulips. To me, they are the epitome of springtime. I used the 1/2″ flat brush to very roughly paint the shape of a tulip. I blended colors right on my Craft Sheet using Ruby, Lemon, and Magenta. I didn’t worry about cleaning my paintbrush in between colors as I just wanted them to blend, creating the illusion of shadows and highlights. I also added some green stems using just my fingers with the colors Lime and Evergreen. Then to outline my shapes I used a Dina Wakley Media Scribble Sticks and a Stabilo All Purpose Pencil blended with water. I also added a bit of texture using a stamp from Scribble Text Elements in the color Night to the outside of my tulips.

Step 6: I wanted to add my quote now, but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to do that. Originally, I wanted to journal it right on my page, but I didn’t think I had a large enough space. I had a moment of wishing I had a printer set up or a typewriter when I glanced at my supplies and saw my Dina Wakley Blank Media Tapes. Inspiration hit as I decided to write directly on the tape with a permanent pen and then add it to my page. It was an epiphany!

Step 7: Once I was happy with that, I made sure they were dry and added a bit of white paint to my page so it would better stand out when I added the tape. I also added some white paint splatters here to add a bit of texture over my tulips. I laid down the tape and added a layer of Multi Medium Matte to make sure they wouldn’t lift up. I dried that and then doodled on top with the Fude Ball pen to make the words stand out more.

Here are some close ups of my completed spring-inspired art journal page. I really enjoyed creating this page. One of the reasons I love this quote so much is because spring time is a thing of beauty and awe as everything comes back to life. However, it’s also a time of invisible struggle as it’s not easy to bloom, and like the flowers, we all have some dirt to push past, but when we do, it is a beautiful sight to behold!