If you have been following me, you will know that I just love colourful backgrounds. For this Art Journal page I decided to challenge myself and try to stick to just a plain white background.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- I covered my page with white acrylic paint so that I have a nice, smooth surface to work on. You can also use white gesso if you prefer. Make sure that the page is completely dry before you carry on.
- Use a charcoal pencil and draw the outlines of the birds on the Birds-in-a-Row stencil.
- Use white acrylic paint to pull the charcoal from the outlines of the birds to create a grayscale image. This also "fixes” the charcoal so that it does not smear and allow you to add more layers on top.
- Draw one of the birds on the stencil on patterned paper and cut out. I used wax paper that I created with foam stamps and acrylic paints.
- Use the Birds-in-a-Row stencil to adhere the image of the bird with matte medium next to the other birds. Make sure that it lying flat with no air trapped underneath.
- Use the stencil to add details to the birds with the charcoal pencil and blend it with white acrylic paint – this will give it a more painterly look and soften the rigid pencil lines.
- Do the same with the coloured bird, but you use a Derwent Inktense pencil. I used a lime-green acrylic paint to pull the coloured outlines into the image. This will give you a graduated coloured look from dark to light.
- I used yellow and blue acrylic paint to create some interest and details to the bird. Remember to add a small white dot in the each of the bird’s eyes – now they will look alive.
- Print out the quote and use transfer paper to transfer it to your page. Use markers (I used Big Brush pens) to write over the “pencil” lines. I used the same technique for the grayscale birds and used my charcoal pencils and white acrylic paint to create the word “copy”.
- Add some interest and details to the words and the birds with different colours of markers in different nib sizes.
- Use the Swirls 1 stencil and the Teal Green Derwent Intense pencil to draw swirls behind the row of birds. This will anchor the birds as it looked like they were floating in the air.
- Use a water brush to activate the Inktense pencil and go over it with a marker when it has dried.
- Remember to add the date.
Download quote:
