Color Lovers Challenge – Days 10 – 13

I joined Jodi Ohl’s Color Lovers Challenge which runs 30 days so I’m posting several days at a time. If you missed my earlier creations, I’ll have links at the bottom of this post. These are my latest creations:

Day 10 – Happiness

I did a watercolor wash with a watercolor butterfly painted separately and then cut out. I added a quote from the Dalai Lama” Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

After putting everything together in the journal I made a last minute change and decided to write the quote directly on the page. This is why you shouldn’t create art when you’re tired because I finished this late at night and well, I left out the word “made” from the quote 😂😂😂 Oh well…

Day 11 – Neutral

This was a little challenging because I love my bright, fun colors. I painted an abstract and added a quote by Teilhard de Chardin “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience… We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

Day 12 – Vibrant

I debated on using this but it just went perfectly for the prompt because it is most definitely vibrant. This is actually a work in progress. I’m painting a 24″ x 36″ canvas with bright fun happy colors. So stay tuned for the finished piece.

Day 13 – Spring

Since I used a canvas for Day 12, I thought I’d continue with this 9″ x 12″ one. It’s one of my favorites for spring. When I think of spring, I think about cute little bunnies. There’s lots of color and texture on this piece. My favorite part is the crocheted flowers. What do you think?

In case you missed my previous pages, just click the links: 

Day 1

Days 2 thru 5

Days 6 thru 9

I hope you’re enjoying my entries for the ColorLoversChallenge. Have a wonderful week!

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Thoughtful Thursday Arteza Watercolor and Mixed Media Journal

I recently bought a pack of 2, 8.25″ x 8.25″ Arteza Watercolor & Mixed Media Journals online. They’re beautiful journals with a hard cover. Each journal has 68 pages of 110 lb, cold pressed, double sided paper. They also contain a ribbon book mark and an expandable pocket on the inside back cover.

As most of you know, watercolor is my favorite medium and normally I paint on 140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper. I thought it would work well enough since it is marketed as being “Ideal for Watercolor Techniques & Mixed Media.”

I’ve been using this journal for the ColorLoversChallenge and was really bummed when I saw how badly it handled water for my first full watercolor painting. Notice the clear clips on each side in the photo below. The paper was curling so bad that I had to let it sit overnight with heavy books on top to flatten it out and then use clips the next day to hold the pages down for the photo.

The painting below was made by coating the pages with gesso and then painting with acrylic paints. The paper still buckled and curled but no where near as bad as with the watercolor. That’s partly because the gesso and acrylic paints add weight to the paper to keep it flatter and there is less water/moisture involved.

But watercolors are my favorite medium so I had to improvise if I wanted to continue using the journal for the challenge. I came up with the idea to paint on 140lb watercolor paper, cut it to size and then glue it into the journal as in the photo below. The perk with doing this extra step is that if you don’t like your painting, you can toss it and do another one before gluing it in. This way you’re always happy with the end result 😊

Bottom line is these are well made journals with quality paper that has a slight texture to it. However, I would not recommend these for use with wet mediums because they just don’t handle the water and moisture well.

Out of a 5 star rating I give these a 3 ⭐⭐⭐

I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with colors in the challenge and it’s been a bit of a challenge working with this new journal. But I love an adventure!

I hope this review helps you before making a purchase and if you have any other questions about these journals, please let me know.

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Laduree Watercolor Journaling

Laduree is French for bakery and who doesn’t like a sweet treat now then? Anything with chocolate is good with me.

This is a cute painting I made from “The Artful Sketch” by Mary Phan. It’s a beautiful book with detailed step by step instructions and lots of photos. Mary used Copic Alcohol Ink Markers to color her sketches in this book. However, you can easily change it to any medium you like as I did to watercolor paints.

Mary Phan is a very talented artist and if you want to learn more about her, visit her site VeryMaryInspired.com. I highly recommend her book!

The Artful Sketch by Mary Phan

This was made in my 5.5″ x 8″ Strathmore watercolor journal. After following the instructions, I felt it needed some Parisian flowers to complete the look. So I filled in the top space a bit with colorful roses.

What’s your favorite sweet treat?

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Color Lovers Challenge Day 1

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

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

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

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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Believe in Magic – She Blooms in Ink

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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Watercolor Painting – Angel of Tranquility

My newest Angel of Tranquility painted on 8″ x 10″ 140lb Watercolor Paper. She’s painted with beautiful hues of blue, pinks and purples. She emits visions of calmness and tranquility and is made with lots of love 💖

Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop: FlowingWatersArtShop

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Watercolor Painting – Angel Gweneth

My newest Angel, Gweneth painted on 5″ x 7″ 140lb Watercolor Paper. She’s painted with bright, fun, happy colors and made with lots of love 💖

Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop: FlowingWatersArtShop

Thanks for stopping by!

Share the Happy!!