30 Minute Sketch Book/ Art Journal Activity

Creating art in my sketch book/ Art Journaling; whatever you like to call it is one of my favourite things to do. I really should do it more often! It's a place to be free. You don't have to show anyone your results. It's a place to have fun and play. Try it, if you want to, even if you don't consider yourself to be arty or the creative sort.

My Sister in law was over recently and we all painted pictures together. She doesn't paint or consider herself creative, but has dabbled in a few crafty projects here and there. She had a really good time painting, because it's just plain fun.

So grab a sketch book or art journal and get going!

You need: Sketch Book/ Art Journal, Acrylic Paints, Medium (optional; I use gloss medium), Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels, Coloured Pencil, and of course some paintbrushes, and a hairdryer if you want to speed things up and keep to that half hour.

First, I covered the whole page. Just use colour here, no white or black. Use your favourites or whatever you are drawn to use. I like to add a bit of medium to my paint, but you can add water, or just straight paint. Keep it mid tones, so not too light; not too dark.

Cover, cover, cover that paper! Yay!

Then I dried it with a hair dryer, then coated it with Golden Acrylic Ground for Pastels. This gives the surface a nice grip so you can draw over the top with pencil. If your paints are very matte (I find Jo Sonja's colours to be matte and I'm happy with the quality of this paint) or you have used water to thin your paint, then you may be able to skip this step. Dry with hairdryer.

Next, draw some shapes. I just quickly drew some flowers. But, draw anything you like here. Crystals, a tiger, a paper boat...

Then I started focussing in on the negative space. I coloured a bit in using the same pencil I drew my shapes with. You could use a different colour, or a mix of colours. I'm all about individuality, play and experimenting... :)

I then washed down some white paint and painted in the rest of the negative space. Some parts are thicker than others and I think that's the beauty of it. 

And there you have it, fun! I'd love to see if you use this prompt to create something in your sketch book or journal.

Jules :)