Be Strong and Brave

Today's journal entry, based on Joshua 1:9.

Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Again I am using Bob Burridge as a mentor to paint loosely, using complementary colors and what he calls "spice colors." Check out the Bob Blast archives on his web page with a short weekly lesson on video.  I used Holbein watercolor paints in a 9" x 12" Strathmore Visual Watercolor Journal, with a black ink pen for the text.

I recently discovered a Facebook group led by Rebekah Jones called the Bible Art Journaling Challenge, and have applied to participate.  Last year there was a 52-week challenge with prompts each week from scripture, as well as a video with an art technique.  Most of the participants journal directly into a Bible, usually preparing the pages with clear gesso first.

Although all the prompts for that challenge are complete, it is still open for new participants or others who never finished them all last year.

This year's challenge is just twelve prompts based on Bible verses.  It is called Heaven Is Calling.

Journal Pages

I got caught up on my Fun and Fabulous Journal Challenge pages.

The first prompt was something like "Play Date."  I got out my Tom Lynch book of 150 Charts:  Watercolor Workshop Lessons, and did this one on making juicy, loose color combinations.  I used my new Holbein watercolor paints, which Tom recommends.  They definitely have rich, bright color!

Today's prompt had something to do with Time.  I already had the background, chair, and lamp on this journal page.  I used a watercolor background, then sprayed with diluted watercolor paint in a spray bottle through a stencil.  A quick look through a catalog in today's mail produced a clock to match the patchwork decor.  A little lettering with a Sharpie completed the page.

Today was the first day of preschool for my little two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, Charlie.  I have kept her two days a week since she was three months old.  What a joy she has been to teach, play with, and love.

My husband is phasing out of his work as a financial advisor, and we hope to spend much more time in the mountains.  Now if we are up there on a weekend and don't feel like coming home on Sunday, we'll just stay!

But I sure will miss my little girl.

Barn Quilt Square

Finally...the finishing touch for our mountain cabin!  Our wooden quilt square, Dutch Dreams, is now installed!  We decided to hang it "on point" under the peak of the cathedral ceiling roof.

It was a very fun Mothers Day weekend in the mountains.  One thing we did was "walk the cows" from the pasture on the big hill behind my sister's house, down the mountain and across the street to Uncle Gary's new grassy pasture.  This involved a person walking each calf on a halter, and a Gator riding behind to help encourage them to proceed.  Here is my niece Melinda trying to get her boy started on the short journey.

I walked one, too.  He enjoyed the walk, and treated the entire trip like he was going to the salad bar, munching all the way.

 It was also my sister's 60th birthday.  I gave her a little painting of the dam over the creek on her property.  I have painted it several times now.

I also did a quick little painting of a tranquil mountain lake for my daughter-in-law for Mothers Day.

This week I have been keeping little Charlotte, my two-year old granddaughter.  What a delight!  Needless to say I have not gotten much done while she has been here, but I managed to finish another journal page.  The prompt for this one was "Feet."

I used the lyrics from a favorite Zac Brown song called Toes, and a photo from last year's family beach trip.  I painted over the black and white copy with watercolor to blend it in with the background.  This year's beach trip is now only 24 days away.  Bring it on!

Strathmore Free Artist Workshop 2: Visual Journal Fodder

Visual Journal Fodder,  the second of the 2014 free Strathmore Online Workshops began May 5, and this time the instructors are David R. Modler and Eric Stott, the authors of The Journal Junkies Workshop.  I purchased that book a couple years ago.  I used it as a guide to make my Grow Old With Me collage.


These online workshops are a great bargain.  (Can't beat free, right?)  Each workshop has four weeks of lessons, which include videos and written instructions.  You don't have to use the exact materials that are listed, just whatever you already have.

Week One is titled Engaging the Page with Watercolor Paint.  Several fun techniques for backgrounds are included.

Here is what I did for the first week's lesson.

Splattered some paint, stenciled, added salt

Stencil, several shades of watercolor paint

Pulling string through paint on page, stencil (isn't the Pomegranate stencil cool?)

Rubbing alcohol drops on wet watercolor, a little stenciling, some salt

This one is just blocks of Caran d'ache water-soluble crayons activated with water.

This one has watercolor through a very interesting new stencil of two trees.  I think I used some saran wrap on the blue section of watercolor and got that crackled effect.

Week Two: Building Layers with Watercolor had us dividing the pages into geometric shapes with watercolor pencils, then activating the pencil with water, watercolor paint, or water-based markers.  There is some additional layering with watercolor pencils (the short and long lines.)

I went a little crazy on the next one.  I used the Caran d'Arch Neocolor II water-soluble crayons to make the outlines of the shapes.  I used some additional watercolor paint on the backgrounds.

All of these are just backgrounds.  I'm not sure if we will be adding to them during the subsequent lessons, or just adding on to these as we feel inspired.  All of my pages from the workshop are in my Strathmore Visual Journal Watercolor book.  It has a spiral binding so it lies nice and flat, and the pages are heavy enough that they do not buckle.

If you have not tried art journaling, why not sign up for this free online workshop and try some fun art techniques?