Spring is right around the corner, and that means new creative opportunities. Welcome the changing of the seasons in the page spreads of your art journal. This art journal idea can also be easily adapted into an altered book project, as well as reduced to a smaller scale for art card projects. Work on your own during your free time, or with some friends or family!
Materials:
- Art journal
- Watercolor paint
- Paint or sponge brushes
- Glitter gel pens
- Black gel pens or ultra-fine black sharpies
- Glue stick or gel medium
- Spring themed magazine clippings
- Scissors
- Spring themed stickers
- Small containers of water
- Waxed paper
Instructions:
- Open your art journal to the first blank page spread, and place a piece of waxed paper under each page. Create a muted color wash on both sides of the page spread. Allow the pages to dry completely before moving on to the next step. Speed drying time through use of a heat gun or hair dryer.
- Using the black gel pen or ultra-fine black sharpie, fill both sides of the page spread with text about spring. This can be journal entries, quotations, song lyrics, memories, or random thoughts
- Collage over portions of the page spread using the spring themed magazine clipping and stickers.
- Use the glitter gel pens to doodle along the edges of the pages, as well as on blank portions of the page spread.
Variations:
- Use pressed flowers this is applied with gel medium, rather than or in addition to the spring themed stickers.
- Rub the edges of the page spread using colored inks, pastels, or chalks. You could also achieve this look by creating a darker color wash with the watercolor paint.
- Use spring themed ephemera rather than, or in addition to the magazine clippings.
- Add mini-envelopes to various areas of the page spread containing additional journaling.
- Rather than using a black gel pen or ultra-fine black sharpie, use colored gel pens or glitter gel pens for a “spring-like” color presentation.
As you can see, there is a lot of room for creative expression when it comes to his art journal idea. Repeat this art journal prompt as many times as needed do to completely express your feelings about spring. This project can easily be adapted for smaller children to work on. Rather than using watercolor paint as the backdrop, consider using construction paper cutout’s or a drawn background utilizing colored pencils, crayons, markers, or a combination of all of these elements. Work with a group of children in your home, in a classroom, or one-on-one during a play date!
