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Small Things with Great Love



Hi everyone, today I would like to share this art journal page with you all. Colouring the image took me a lot of time (about 20 hrs) but I’m totally happy with the end result! Today I’m working in my altered Greek journal that I showed you some weeks ago.




Step 1:

The hydrangea image is available if you are a member in the Anna Mason online school (“Hydrangea”). I printed the image on regular A4 size printer paper. I also handlettered a quote that I found online on a different piece of paper. This is the idea of the lay out I had in my head.


I also primed the page in my Greek journal that I wanted to use: I put some washi tape here and there, but mostly in the fold, and I primed both pages using clear gesso.








Step 2:

Next I traced the hydrangea image onto Strathmore Toned Tan paper using graphite paper and now I can start colouring the flower image. I always start out by mapping in the area’s that I feel are highlights in that particular image (for this I use a white drawing pencil).


Now that I know where my highlights will go I can start mapping in the other colours. I add more colours to my first picks as I go. I look a lot at the picture that Anna Mason provides with each project. Each of the flower petals has it’s own curve and it’s a challenge to create a 3D look. I personally find the green leaves the most challenging though!

For the colours I picked today I used my Spectrum Noir ColourBlend coloured pencils and I used the colours: Pink Violet, Sea Urchin, Anemone, Atlantic Blue, Jade, Holly, Alpine, Maize, Spice Brown and Black.


After the colouring is done I fussy cut the image. In the end I will cut the image in two before adhering it into my art journal.



Step 3:

Back to my art journal background: after priming the pages I can now give them some colour, for this page I wanted to create a light and airy look. For this I first applied white gesso in some area’s and than added some America acrylic paint in the colours “Petal Pink” and “Antique White” using my fingers, mixing and matching until I liked what I had. Adding in a little white gesso in the end.


Next I traced the quote that I created on a separate piece of paper, also using graphite paper, and filling in the lines with a brown/black fineliner pen.



Step 4:

Now I only have to adhere the hydrangea image into the journal using liquid glue and one millimetre thick foam tape, and to finish the project I edged the pages using first Archival Ink in “Plum” and after that a little of the Archival Ink in “Sepia”, both using a foam applicator tool.


Detail pictures (although these large project don’t do well on detail pictures usually):






And that is it for today’s art journal project, I wish you a creative day!

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