Water-soluble Art Supplies Add Depth to Art Journal Painting

Earlier this week I asked our Facebook friends what college-level art school they would attend if they could go anywhere. Some people named well-known schools. Some were more focused on the location (such as any art school in Hawaii).

Jacqueline Newbold works on a page for her travel journal, demonstrating how she uses the bleed from water-soluble
pens to add depth and shading to her painting.

But one Facebook friend posted: “Cloth Paper Scissors University!”

Well, we don’t have a Cloth Paper Scissors University . . . yet. But we do have a place where you can learn about a wide variety of mixed-media, jewelry, and fiber art techniques from some of the top teachers: Craft Daily.

For example, I learned something new from watching Jacqueline Newbold describe one of her techniques for creating travel journal pages with watercolors.

You might think that water-soluble pens and watercolors don’t mix. After all, if you draw with the pen and then color in with paint, the ink will release and run.

But Jacqueline shows how you can use the water-soluble characteristic to your advantage.

Using a photo of a French door as inspiration, she draws the outline using a black water-soluble pen.

Next, she applies a little water with a brush, moving the brush from the drawing outward into the white spaces. The ink is activated with the water, and you can use it to create depth and shading. Note: Jacqueline suggests you leave some gaps here and there when you draw your lines and leave some white spaces so the black ink isn’t too heavy when it runs.

After that, Jacqueline applies color, blending it here and there with the ink to create shadows and other shades of the colors.

Once the paint and ink dry completely, you can add more watercolor paint to the composition and the ink won’t bleed again, Jacqueline says.

Jacqueline’s video tutorial Art Journals On-The-Go How to pack, prep, paint ,and more is full of tips and techniques using watercolor painting supplies, water-soluble pens, pen and ink, sea sponges, plus ephemera to create interesting, artful, and memorable travel journals. With a monthly subscription to Craft Daily, you could also learn painting and art journaling techniques from a roster of star artist/teachers like Jane LaFazio, Paula Phillips, Pam Carriker, Dawn DeVries Sokol, and more–all at your convenience.

P.S. What’s your favorite water-soluble art supply? Do you mix it with watercolor painting? Leave a comment below.

Categories

Art Journaling and Lettering, Blog, Mixed-Media Supplies, Mixed-Media Techniques

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