Adding Positive Quotes + Inspiration To Your Journal
One thing I’ve loved adding into my bullet journal spreads lately is an illustrated or painted quote/saying. Not only does it provide a nice splash of color (or black in my case 😂) and a bit of motivation it encouragement when I’m flipping back through the pages.
While I’m not as NEARLY as practiced and or talented with gouache as Bonnie, she’s inspired me to give it a go.
RECOMMENDED SUPPLIES
- Archer and Olive Journal In B5 - the paper is ultra thick and can stand up to a lot of paint.
- Pencil - I prefer a mechanical pencil with 0.5 mm lead so that I can get those little details, but you can use almost any pencil. Just make sure it isn’t a pencil with a super hard lead because that could create dents in the paper.
- Gouache paint - Gouache is essentially a more opaque watercolor paint. I believe most folks recommend Windsor and Newton gouache, but I snagged some Reeves from my local Michaels because I’m just a beginner and they do just fine. 😉
- Watercolor brushes - I used an 01 and an 02 for this rustic/intentionally messy-ish look.
I started with my usual pencil sketch and used light lines to sketch out where I wanted the black paint to go. I really wanted to do a starry night background and love that I can paint a full page in this journal without the paper going crazy and wrinkling.
From there, it was just a matter of covering the paper with a good amount of gouache. It dries SO quickly, which I’m a major fan of:)
I then used my 02 brush to paint an almost LUSH Cosmetics styled font, rather messy and playful. This Maya Angelou quote has been in the forefront of my mind during May, with it being Mental Health Awareness month, so I thought it was fitting to put into this little notification bubble.
I had a lot of fun playing with a new medium and experimenting with new styles, and I hope this motivates you to not only be kind to yourself but also to try something new in your journal this week. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @thegraytergood or use #thegraytergood so I can see your positive spreads or recreations of this piece:)
<3 Liz