Color Lovers Challenge Day 1

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

In case you didn’t read my earlier post, Jodi Ohl, a very talented mixed media artist is hosting a Color Lovers Challenge. It runs for the next 30 days until October 15th. Yesterday was Day 1, Summer Vibes.

When I think of summer, I think of the lounging on sandy beaches and enjoying the ocean with it’s beautiful colors of blue and green. So this was my creation in my Arteza 8.25” x 8.25” Watercolor/Mixed Media Journal. I added a quote by Wyland: “The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination and brings eternal joy to the soul.”

You can still join if you’re interested. The rules are, there basically are none. You can create a piece of art of any kind, big or small, using colors of your choice. All you do is follow the daily prompts. The link to the list of prompts can be found on her Color Lovers Challenge page.

So join in on the fun!!

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Watercolor Journal Angel Ana

Posted on September 14, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

Having lots of fun painting angels in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. I named her Ana and thought I’d try keeping her more simple. Love how the colors blended on her wings.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Have a wonderful week!

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Angel Daniela – Watercolor

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

Meet Angel Daniela, my newest angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. I really like the bright green and doodles at the bottom in this one. Hope you do too 💖

Have a wonderful week!

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Angel of Promises

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

My latest angel from my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal, Angel of Promises. I tried a playing with the wings a bit more. I kind of like how they turned out. What do you think?

Would love to hear your feedback.

Have a wonderful week!

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Save Our Oceans and Turtles Journal Pages (Part 2)

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

The other week I posted Page 1 of this journal spread. For my focal point on the second page I used a tag that I made a while ago and stashed away for later use. I love this tag because it was embossed with a stamp that reads “My heart is at home by the Sea” which really resonates with me.

I made the little turtles using the same stamp as in the tag, colored them, cut them out and glued them into the journal. I wanted a little texture for the turtle shells so I used Inkssentials Glossy Accents.

I had a lot of fun creating this journal layout and hope you will too!

Supplies

9″ x 12″ Journal
Torn pieces of tissue paper or pages from a book
Gesso
Mod Podge or Gel Matte Medium
Acrylic Paint: Aqua and Royal Blue
Fiber Paste
Wave Stencil
Palette Knife
Assorted ocean themed stamps
Staz On Black Ink
Inkssentials Glossy Accents
Assorted ephemera and embellishments
Ranger Distress Ink – Black Soot
Glue
Scissors

Instructions

Paint your pages with gesso. Let dry.
Tear small pieces of paper and glue them to the journal pages with Mod Podge or Gel Matte Medium. Let dry.
Paint your background in your favorite acrylic paint. Allow the torn pieces of paper to show through the paint a little. Let dry.
Mix fiber paste with a darker contrasting acrylic paint and apply using a palette knife and wave stencil. Let dry.
Stamp sea life images to the pages with the Staz On Ink and add ephemera you have that will go with the ocean theme. You can also stamp or draw images, color them with paint, cut them out and glue them to the pages like I did with the little turtles. I also added a little Glossy Accents for more texture.
Distress the edges with Ranger Black Soot.
Add your quote.
Add any shading and highlights where needed. Add a little sparkly glitter and that’s it!

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Believe in Magic – She Blooms in Ink

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

I finished another segment in the online course from “She Blooms in Ink” taught by the very talented artist, Tamara Laporte at Willowing.org.

She’s painted in my Strathmore 11″ x 14″ Watercolor Journal. The quote reads “Magic is all around, you just have to Believe!”

This one was challenging because it was a limited palette, something that I don’t normally do. But I fell in love with her once she was done and hope you do too 💖

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Save Our Oceans and Turtles Journal Pages (Part 1)

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

Sometimes I save pieces of ephemera from things I buy or places I’ve visited. I recently bought a Simply Southern t-shirt which are super comfortable and it had a sticker on it “Save our oceans and turtles.” I kept it not knowing what to do with it but when I was creating another piece of art, I came across yet another piece of ephemera I saved, the canvas seashell tag. So I set the two pieces aside and decided I had to make them work and this is what I came up with.

Stay tuned and I’ll post the second page shortly.

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True Love Art Journal Page (Part 1)

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

I have a tendency to make little pieces of art, then put them away until I’m ready to use them. I read an article where they made art using coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker but I do love the smell of coffee so I decided to give it a whirl.

I used watercolor paper for my 2.75″ x 3.5″ tile so I could be heavy handed with the coffee and get a nice background color. The trick is to make really strong, dark coffee then paint your paper.

Once the coffee is dry, you can create your art. I used watercolor pencils to make my drawing and activated the colors with water. After the paint dried, I went back over my drawing with Sakura Micron Pen 03. As always, I couldn’t resist adding that little bit of sparkly magic with glitter to the tile. (Note: When painting your tile, don’t be afraid to go bold and bright with the watercolor paints because they become muted and toned down when the colors mix with the coffee.)

For this journal page I used my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Mixed Media Journal. I started by putting a good coat of gesso on my page and let it dry. Next, I used assorted acrylic paints that blended with the tile but at the same time made it stand out. After I was happy with the page, I glued my tile in place, added a few doodles and that was it.

I’ll post the second page of this layout next week so stay tuned as the adventure continues!

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Underwater Watercolor Journal Page

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Maria - FlowingWatersArt

I gave myself a challenge to create a journal page in 90 minutes or less and this is what I ended up with. I started with a quick pencil sketch in my Strathmore 9″ x 12″ Visual Journal. Next I used watercolor pencils to paint the page and let it dry. I added detailing and shading with colored pencils, Sakura Micron Pen 005 and a white Posca Pen. For a little texture, I filled in the bubbles with Inkssentials Glossy Accents. And of course, lets not forget the bling with Stickles.

Give yourself a challenge and see what you can come up with. You’ll be surprised!

Have a fantastic week!

Thanks for stopping by!

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