Learn how to let go and paint freely with your watercolours in an art journal.
Art, especially journalling should give you that sense of reckless abandonment. The freedom to try new things and express yourself through colour, lines and images. It does not have to be hard, or perfect, just fun! Here’s how to use your watercolour paints in a loose painting tutorial that will enhance your art.
It starts with a Napkin…. no kidding
Remember all those napkins your gramma always saved for special occasions? Today is that special occasion! Begin with a napkin that inspires you.
Napkins are usually 2 to 3 plys of thin paper, you need to tear it apart to get that top image in its most transparent form. It’s ok if it tears that will just make it all the more interesting.
Now apply collage pauge (mod podge, or a matt or gel medium) to your watercolour paper. Place down your napkin and carefully with a soft brush put another thin layer of pauge on top to seal it down. Let DRY.
Next…….lets’ go a little watercolour art journalling crazy
I’m sure somewhere in the back of my artist mind I thought of which colours to use to some degree. Basically some analogous colours, red sage, sunshine yellow, carrot, modern maroon, then I went for a complimentary which happens to be Turquoise delight. If you are worried about which colours to use; try to echo the colours from your napkin.
Play with your watercolour with a loose free approach and your journals will look amazing. Did you know you can even use watercolours and their brushes for calligraphy too?
Weeeeeeee here we go, look ma we are painting!
The application is simple I just wet the paint, give a little splotch of paint on the paper, then quickly rinse out watercolour brush with clean water and jump back to my wet paint and drag it out. It’s nothing more than scribbles just with paint and water. See how the below layers of napkins, doiley an pauge medium give the watercolours that fun texture!
Special painting secrets ……. you should leave neutral spaces to maintain the balance of your vibrant colours. Notice how much white I have in this piece? If you’re painting gets to crazy for your liking I recommend neutralizing and you’ll see in the next few frames how I added clippings to get it back to what I like. Remember art is simply what you like and are happy with.
Texture 
Vibrancy
Just look at that hot painty mess. Doesn’t it make you happy?
There are bits of this that I love and want to save, but there are definitely holes and changes I want to make. So I’m going to add some more of those vintage looking postage bits and then perhaps slap on some words to tone down this beautiful chaos.
If it feels unfinished to you; great you know you need to keep going. If you simply don’t like what happened you have some creative choices to make. 1. Burn it and start over 2. Add more layers of stuff and keep going.
Balanced 
Soulful
Not too shabby
Some of the best art comes from letting yourself go and play. You will look back on your art journal pages and be surprised at the inner wisdom that comes from them.
Now if you only wind up liking just a part of what you made you have succeeded, cut that piece out and frame it.
If you came out hating it that’s still a success, you just advanced your experience with painting, and maybe it becomes a gift for someone special… or a bookmark. I always suggest trying to adjust and fix your piece because that is where your best skills will come from. Then you can recklessly paint away knowing you’ll fix it up later. I hope you enjoyed this process and feel free to share and engage with us online by sharing and tagging us in your photos.
Supply List for this Project:
- Watercolour Paper
- Watercolour Paints and Brush
- Fun Napkins
- Collage Pauge (decoupage gel, mod podge, matt or gel mediums)
- Water bin, paper towel
- Cute Cutouts
- Old Magazine, Scissors
If you need a cute napkin/doiley set check out @wendygetscreative on instagram. She sends out super cute packages and you’ll get some great one off napkins to play with. Her Etsy shop is: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WendyGetsCreative
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butterflyforestpaints/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Butterfly-Forest-Paints-104450871342986
Check out our individual colours for your art journalling projects. https://butterflyforestpaints.ca/product-category/individual-colours/