DIY Painted Journal
Hello, crafty people! Hope your day has been rockin' so far ;) Glad to be in this new crafty corner.
I bought a new sketchbook the other day (I couldn't savage any more scribbled pages of my older books) and it gave me an idea. It was plain black, with no patterns or designs to stand out. I've been following a great business called Hosanna Revival for a while and was inspired by the artist, Katie, to decorate my journal. One day after painting her own bible cover, she decided to make bible covers for others! She has such talent and grace - please check her out here! I decided to go the same route with my sketchbook to give it some life and inspire me throughout the day.
I started with a sunset and a line from one of my favorite hymns - "How Great Thou Art". I've been chewing on the words of this song for days. God is so great, in the midst of storms and trials and in the easiest moments of our lives. The glory of the stars and thunder can't help but shout His name! I wanted this message to fuel me as I sketched new ideas and concepts.
First, I painted a mountain range using the sunset color. Then I filled in the rest with some whispy clouds and purples. I tried out some of Katie's concepts on this one, so all creative credit goes to her! I made sure to paint on the bind and on the outer edges of the cover as well. Artists usually paint around the canvas, so I thought this would look cohesive.
I let it dry overnight, face down so that the sketchbook bind didn't crease the paint. If you're using acrylics like I did, you'll need that time. Some acrylic paintings take years to dry completely! But in the case of a notebook, you'll only need about 12 hours. If you want to add a sealant afterward, go for it! I'm not experienced with sealants so I skipped this step.
In the morning, I experimented with some markers and pens on a paint splotch from the day before. I looked for a thick finish as this would be best for my canvas cover. I ended up using a black Sharpie as my weapon of choice. At this point, I realized I should have gone over the cover with an initial black layer as the canvas absorbs more ink and can leave blank spots in your lettering. I would definitely recommend adding a layer before you start! Regardless, I went over the lettering a few times and it worked out just fine. Here's the final product!
I'm definitely trying this again in the future! It was so fun to spice up a blank sketchbook with some inspiration.
Try it out yourself and let me know how it goes! Feel free to send me your designs on my Instagram page or comment your experience below :) I love hearing from you guys!
May your ideas become reality today, friends ;)
- India
I bought a new sketchbook the other day (I couldn't savage any more scribbled pages of my older books) and it gave me an idea. It was plain black, with no patterns or designs to stand out. I've been following a great business called Hosanna Revival for a while and was inspired by the artist, Katie, to decorate my journal. One day after painting her own bible cover, she decided to make bible covers for others! She has such talent and grace - please check her out here! I decided to go the same route with my sketchbook to give it some life and inspire me throughout the day.
I started with a sunset and a line from one of my favorite hymns - "How Great Thou Art". I've been chewing on the words of this song for days. God is so great, in the midst of storms and trials and in the easiest moments of our lives. The glory of the stars and thunder can't help but shout His name! I wanted this message to fuel me as I sketched new ideas and concepts.
First, I painted a mountain range using the sunset color. Then I filled in the rest with some whispy clouds and purples. I tried out some of Katie's concepts on this one, so all creative credit goes to her! I made sure to paint on the bind and on the outer edges of the cover as well. Artists usually paint around the canvas, so I thought this would look cohesive.
I let it dry overnight, face down so that the sketchbook bind didn't crease the paint. If you're using acrylics like I did, you'll need that time. Some acrylic paintings take years to dry completely! But in the case of a notebook, you'll only need about 12 hours. If you want to add a sealant afterward, go for it! I'm not experienced with sealants so I skipped this step.
In the morning, I experimented with some markers and pens on a paint splotch from the day before. I looked for a thick finish as this would be best for my canvas cover. I ended up using a black Sharpie as my weapon of choice. At this point, I realized I should have gone over the cover with an initial black layer as the canvas absorbs more ink and can leave blank spots in your lettering. I would definitely recommend adding a layer before you start! Regardless, I went over the lettering a few times and it worked out just fine. Here's the final product!
I'm definitely trying this again in the future! It was so fun to spice up a blank sketchbook with some inspiration.
Try it out yourself and let me know how it goes! Feel free to send me your designs on my Instagram page or comment your experience below :) I love hearing from you guys!
May your ideas become reality today, friends ;)
- India
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