Inspired by trees

My art journaling is constantly inspired by trees - whatever the season! I started this spread with a painterly and stenciled background of snowflakes. Using a fun punch to punch out negative space on paper scraps made fun tiny white snowflakes shine through. Using a Posca pen, I added the tree shapes with a bit of white highlighting the snow. I started with an inspirational quote, but decided the peacefulness of the page didn't need any text. I hope you let some winter trees inspire your art journaling pages this season!

Inspired by color

All my life I have been inspired by color. In my home, my clothes, in nature. As October arrives I think of orange, the color of harvest and the color of joy. Think of all the beautiful colors of the fall leaves celebrating the season! As I thought about orange, I immediately thought of the bright, joyful Chinese lanterns. I love their color and shape. I used this as inspiration for the cover of my fourth quarter traveler's notebook planner. After using gesso to prepare the kraft cover, I painted layers of acrylic paint until the yellows and oranges blended to my delight. I added white to accent areas of light and make my lanterns come to life!

Inspired by the seasons

Planners can be as unique as you are if you create your own. I enjoy creating my own planners as the seasons and color choices change. This year I've designed quarterly inserts for my travelers notebook - changing the theme and colors based on the time of year. I always love an excuse to paint a sunflower, so I chose to feature this on the cover of my third quarter planner. A bit of gesso, acrylic paint, inks and a permanent pen was used to create the cover shown. I especially like to flatten the cover so I can paint the image on both the front and back covers.

Be inspired by nature

After a recent trip to a botanical garden, I was indeed inspired by the colors and wanted to document them in my art journal. Try it yourself - choose a flower, walk through the woods, or find a favorite vegetable in your garden. It doesn't have to be complicated, simply let it inspire you to create a page in your art journal!

Luck be a lady!

My mom always said ladybugs were good luck, so I've created my own little lady in my Hobonichi Techo with Schmincke and Daniel Smith watercolors.

Hello, April!

April is here - which means Spring is in the air! Time to do what you love! I'm loving watercolors and the color CORAL right now. Watching the magic of watercolors dancing together is very meditative. The color CORAL brings energy and warmth to the page and your life. Pantone's Color of the Year is Living Coral so now is the time to try this warm color in your journal. TIPS: Allow watercolors to move around on a wet shape by dabbing paint from your brush. Try Daniel Smith's Quinacridone Coral for a beautiful coral color.
Happy April!

Hello, March and the beginning of Spring!

I dedicated the theme of spring to my March Hobonichi pages. Using watercolor and some lettering prompts, I hope to complete the whole month! Here's a sampling. Enjoy the coming of Spring!

Month of love, pink and red

February is the month of love, pink and red for me. I always surround myself with color which is influenced by the season. Here's a few journal pages to celebrate February.

Wintertime in my journal

This time of year brings out the peaceful colors of BLUE and GREEN. I use these colors in my home, journals, clothes and planner.
I challenge you to use these colors in your art journal. Use what you have! I used a favorite stencil, some gesso, torn book text, paint, ink and even some reinker ink. I found a quote to write on a scrap of paper and glued on top.

Tip: if you are adding paper to your page and it isn’t quite the right color, sponge some of the page color onto the scrap and it will perfectly blend! Take 30 minutes - just enough time to relax, have fun and feel satisfied with your completed pages!