Art at the Speed of Life – Texture Journal Page

This is another fun page I created from Pam Carriker’s book “Creating Art at the Speed of Life.”

I love how she put this book together with a lesson for each day of the month. It really keeps you going with fun and interesting projects. It always amazes me how much you can learn when you look at supplies and techniques from another artists perspective. It’s the beginning of yet another fun art adventure!

Since this page was created from her book, I can’t go into detail on how it was made. But I encourage you to up a copy and check it out. This is definitely one of my favorite mixed media books!

To find out more information about Pam visit her website PamCarriker.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Art at the Speed of Life – Color Wheel Journal Page

Just a quickie post today. Pam Carriker is a super talented mixed media artist who wrote “Creating Art at the Speed of Life.” This page was a created based on her book so I can’t go into detail on how it was made. I can tell you though, Pam did a fabulous job putting this book together. It’s packed with information and lots of step by step instructions with plenty of photos. It’s full of inspiration and is one of my most favorite books!

I highly recommend you check out Pam Carriker’s website and and her book!

Thanks for stopping by!

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The one who falls – Journal Page

The year seems to be flying by. Stores are displaying fall decorations and before you know, Christmas will be here. So I’m slowly starting to transition myself from summer and into fall. Although I’m a little sad to see summer go, I’m so ready for the cooler fall temps.

I created this spread in my 5.5″ x 8″ Strathmore Mixed Media Journal. I started by coating the pages with white gesso and letting it dry. Next I used Yellow, Fuschia, Orange and Red acrylic paints for the background. Once that was dry, I used black acrylic paint for the tree. Using a white Posca Pen, I added a little detailing to the tree. I went into my paper stash and found pretty shades of green, yellow and orange that I cut into very small leaves and glued them to the pages. I added a little detailing to the leaves with a Sakura Micron Pen 03.

I found this quote which I thought went pretty well with the falling of the leaves: “The one who falls and gets up so so much stronger than the one who never FELL.” I typed it on my old singer typewriter and used pink washi tape to adhere it on the right page.

I stamped a bird with Black Staz On Ink to the right page along with a few circles in pink acrylic paint. I also sprayed a little watered down white acrylic paint to the pages. I distressed the edges and last, I added Stickles to the tree for a little bling.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy creating your journal pages!!

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Inner Beauty Mandala

This was truly a labor or love. I created this mandala with a lot of small areas that took a bit more time to paint than I expected. But I finally finished. It’s painted on 8″ x 8″ 140 lb, Cold Press water color paper. I chose this color scheme because it reminded me of summer and this will most likely be my last piece done like this because I’m slowly switching gears for fall. I’m really looking forward to the cooler weather!

I sketched the design in pencil and then painted it with watercolor paints. Next I used a Sakura .005 pen to outline my design. I added shading with colored pencils and highlights with a white posca pen.

It was very relaxing creating this piece as I had to really focus on what I was doing with all the small areas. I hope you like it!

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Empower Yourself – Mini Book

I took an online class by Joanne Sharpe called Art Sparks 1 through Ruzuku.com. It was such an awesome class. Joanne is a very talented artist and an excellent instructor!! I love her work and have been a big fan for a long time.

I can’t go into detail on how this was made but this little book measures a whopping 2.25″ x 3.” I’ve never made anything this small, so it was quite a challenge. But it really pops with lots of colors. And of course, I couldn’t resist adding a little bling to the pages with Stickles. There are lots of mistakes, lol, but that’s what makes it unique.

I had lots of fun playing and experimenting with new techniques Joanne teaches in this class. I highly recommend taking Art Sparks 1. She also launched Art Sparks 2 & 3 which are available on Ruzuku.com as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Princess Rosalia – Watercolor Journal Page

This is my second whimsical girl that I created in my Jane Davenport’s 6″ x 9″ Mixed Media Journal. I created Princess Rosalia using primarily watercolor paints, watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons.

To make this painting, start with a light pencil sketch. Once you’re happy with your girl, you can start painting her with the watercolors. Always remember that when using watercolors, begin with a light wash and go darker by adding more layers. After the paint has dried, use colored pencils that are slightly darker than your paint colors to outline your girl.

Using a Sakura Micron 005 pen, outline her eyes, nose, earrings and necklace. With a Gel pen, outline the rose crown in her hair. Add a few highlights with a Posca pen and a little more detailing and shading with colored pencils. Last, add stickles to her hair, earrings and sleeves for a little bling.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy creating your journal page!!

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Amelia Movie Star – Watercolor Journal Page

I bought one of Jane Davenport’s 6″ x 9″ Mixed Media Journals a little while ago and thought it would be fun to fill it with whimsical girls. I created Amelia, my little movie star using watercolor crayons and watercolor pencils. Since DickBlick.com is still accepting submissions for their Watercolor Art Challenge until 7/31 I thought I would enter her. There are a lot of beautiful paintings that have been submitted, but you never know.

To create this whimsical girl, start with a light pencil sketch. Once you’re happy and she resonates with you, start painting her. With watercolor paints, you always want to start with a light color wash and build up layers as you go. The more layers you build, the darker your color will be. When she is completely painted and dry, you can outline her with a Sakura Micron 005 pen.

I created highlights with a white Posca pen and added a little more detailing with colored pencils. I finished her off with a little bling on her collar with Stickles.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy creating your journal page!!

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Attitude Journal Pages

I am a collector of quotes and really love this one. As with a lot of things these days, your attitude is everything. How you choose to deal with and handle a situation is entirely up to you.

I created these pages in my Strathmore Mixed Media 5.5″ x 8.0″ Visual Journal. I like the pages because they are fairly thick and can handle the paints and pastes well. I started by coating each page with white gesso. Once dry, I lightly painted the background with the Jane Davenport Mermaid Ink Pens and distressed the edges.

Next, I used a wave stencil and applied Golden Fiber Paste. While the paste was drying, I traced and cut a sand dollar using a wooden stencil I found in the craft store. The paper for the sand dollar was made from a piece of background paper I created a few weeks ago and kept in my stash. I glued a piece of vellum to the back of the sand dollar to cover all of the openings in the center. I added detailing to the sand dollar using a white Posca Pen (these are by far, the best white pens I found).

After the paste dried, I used more of the Mermaid Ink Pens to paint the waves but I made the colors bolder on this layer. I couldn’t resist adding Star Dust Stickles to a few of the waves for a little bling.

Last I printed my quote on the computer and glued it to the page. I drew a few birds on the other page, glued my sand dollar in the journal and that was it. These pages are bright and fun and full of texture!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy creating your journal pages!!

I am what I choose to be

I’ve been collecting inspiring quotes for some time now. I needed to find a use for them so I thought it would be fun to create journal pages with them. I made these two pages in my 8.5″ x 11″ Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal

To start, prep your pages with a coat of white gesso and let it dry.  Pick 3-4 colors of acrylic paint and paint your pages. I painted the background first. Once it was dry I distressed the edges. Next I used a few of the lighter colors of paint to add some fun shapes to background using a bottle cap and a pencil with an eraser. 

When this layer was dry, I used a white Posca pen to draw a few organic doodles. I’ve gone through a lot of white pens trying to find one that worked on various surfaces. Needless to say, the vast majority didn’t work well or just stopped working altogether. The white Posca pen has become my favorite. I’ve had this one for a little over a year and it’s still working great!

The next step in creating these pages was to choose a quote. I chose this quote by Carl Jung, “I am not what has happened to me. I am what I choose to be.” It resonated with me so I printed it on the computer and glued it into the journal. I then outlined each part of the quote with a dark marker. The last step was to add dark green Stickles for a little bling and that was it!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have lots of fun creating your journal pages!!

Art Calms the Mind – Coloring Page

Welcome! I hope this post finds you well in these changing times. With so much going on I thought it would be fun to create a Free Printable Coloring Page.  You can easily create your own with a few simple steps.

Everyone is an artist! If you can draw a line, squiggly or straight, circles, squares, etc then you’re an artist! Your sketch doesn’t need to be a detailed drawing, just draw whatever makes you happy.  Anything goes.

This page was created on 9″ x 12″ Canson Illustration paper. I started with a light pencil sketch then went over it with a Sakura Micron Pen 03. You can use any type and size of paper. You can even draw your design with a regular ball point pen. The choice is yours. Once you’re done, all you have to do is color it and you’ll have a unique design that’s uniquely you!

Have fun and enjoy!!!

Note: The image was downsized to fit on standard 8.5″ x 11″ paper.

download your free printable here

I used alcohol ink markers to color mine and added a little Stickles for bling. I would love to see your work and post it here. Just email a jpeg of your art to FlowingWatersArt@gmail.com