Hi everyone, Heidi here, today I would like to show you a step by step tutorial for creating this fun art journal page and using Lindy’s gorgeous Magicals for coloring the focal point!
I’m working in my Winsor & Newton Heavy Weight Wire-O Sketch Book. My base is two panels made from watercolour paper in the size 14.5 x 20.5 cm for each panel.
Let’s get started!
Step 1:
I will first work on the focal point that will be placed on top of one of the two panels that I mentioned before. I started by printing a digital image by Aurora Wings (Gardenia) onto thicker smooth paper and die cutting a square shape around her (leaving enough room for a black slightly larger mat to be adhered later on).
Next, I applied my first color of choice which is Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical in Frenchy’s Pink Pouf, a light purplish pink color. I make a watercolor paint out of this Magical by adding some of the powder to my palette using a dry brush and mixing the powdered pigment with water. Remember that Lindy’s products are permanent once dry so you have to work relatively fast to not create harsh edges (unless that is what you are going for). Make sure to have a clean jar of water at hand for cleaning your brush.
Apply the color in the shadowed area of each petal and work outwards with a clean brush with a small amount of water (too much water might smudge your black lines a bit, but we will fix that later on). Work on one petal at a time! I also used this color on her lips.
Next, I added more depth to each petal and her lips using a darker pink color over the first one but only in the deepest shadow area’s. For this, I picked Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical in Poppin’ Pink and I used the same method as with my first color. The more depth you can create the more realistic the image will look!
Step 2:
The remaining flowers I wanted to paint orange, for my lighter color I picked Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical in Mango Mania and for my darker orange color, I picked Tears on my Pillow Tangerine, working in the same way as I did with my pink colors. I also use a very thinned down pink and orange mixture to add some color around the image.
Step 3:
For the leaves, some of the hair elements and the eyes I used Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical in Tibetan Poppy Teal, not adding a second color because these elements didn’t need that I felt (I just used more layers of the same color to create a more dimensional look).
Step 4:
Now on to the trickiest part of this coloring process, the skin: for this, I used Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical in Cocklebells Coral, very watered down and adding more layers to the shadowed parts and focusing on creating a smooth look (for which you will have to work fast, or otherwise you will create harsh edges).
Because of the shimmer particles in the color, you might lighten some of your black lines, don’t worry about that, we will add them back in later on.
Step 5:
For the hair I used Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical in Dark Chocolate Truffle, using the lines that are already visible in the image as my guideline. I also used a very, very thinned down version of this color to create more depth in the face.
Step 6:
And to finish the coloring part I used Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical in Yellow Rose of Texas for the remaining elements, using the thinned down Dark Chocolate Truffle to tone this bright yellow down a bit in the second layer.
Step 7:
What I like to do in my last step, after all the coloring is done, is to add back in some of the black lines that you might have lost during the coloring process (using a black multiliner with a 0.1 nib) and some highlights using a white gel pen.
This is what my focal image looks like after the whole process is finished!
Step 8:
Time to work on my background panels: on the right-hand panel I penciled in my quote, first with a graphite pencil and when I liked what I had I went over the lines with a black Faber Castell PITT Artist Pen (S), which is waterproof.
Then I applied some The Crafter’s Workshop Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste over a TCW stencil (TCW482s) using a palette knife and set that aside to dry. When dry I used the lightest pink color that I used before to add color to the background and when done I added splatters with my leftover teal color.
I also added some brown ink around the edges op the panels using Archival Ink in Sepia in combination with a foam applicator tool, this will create a more defined edge on the project!
Step 9:
Now it’s time to put everything together: die cut a slightly larger black square panel and adhere both square panels together using liquid glue. This combination I can adhere to my left-hand panel using one-millimeter thick foam tape. And to finish this art journal project I now only have to adhere both panels into my art journal using gel medium and a brush or some other strong glue!
I totally love how this page turned out!
Detail pictures:
Lindy’s products
- Magicals: Frenchy’s Pink Pouf, Poppin’ Pink, Mango Mania, Tears on my Pillow Tangerine, Tibetan Poppy Teal, Cocklebells Coral, Dark Chocolate Truffle and Yellow Rose of Texas.
Other products used
- Art journal, watercolor paper, smooth paper to print on, small brush, modeling paste, palette knife, stencil, waterproof marker, white gel pen, brown ink.
