Sometimes, art just pours out of you. This heart wasn’t planned. It wasn’t traced or sketched or measured. It was painted from the gut with whatever colors felt right in the moment. And what showed up was this rich, moody, and deeply layered heart… full of feeling. If you’ve ever wanted to create something that feels emotional and expressive, this project is for you!
Tape off the edges of your art journal page with painter’s tape and mist your watercolor palette with water to activate the colors.
Start your piece by wetting your page with your paintbrush in the shape of a heart. Then drop in your watercolors in deep, moody tones. I used blues, purples, and pinks and let the colors bleed together naturally. No outlines, just freeform shapes and water doing its thing.
Use a fan brush to splatter your color. Add water, tilt the paper, dab here and there – embrace the mess and trust the process.
Next, I went around the edges with black acrylic paint to give it a strong, defined border. This contrast really makes the colors pop. I also added a zig-zag line down the center of the heart.
I outlined the heart with a black aquarellable pencil and sprayed it with my water mister to blend and let that dark color run.
This part is my favorite – bringing in the unexpected details.
I added gold splatter across the page for a little shimmer and magic. You can use gold watercolor, ink, or Extreme Sheen paint for this step. Tap your fan brush gently or use a toothbrush for fine splatter.
Then, I added gold “stitches” across the heart in criss-cross patterns. These stitched lines aren’t perfect – some are tight, some are loose – but they represent healing. Mending. Holding things together. To finish the piece, I painted a tiny Pyrolle Red heart right in the center.
Watch the replay below!
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Supply List:
- 5.5 X 8.5 Indigo Watercolor Journal
- Painter’s Tape
- Watercolors: Prima The Classics & Tropicals
- Decoart Media Acrylic Paints: Carbon Black & Pyrrole Red
- DecoArt Extreme Sheen – 24K Gold
- Brushes: Tracy Weinzapfel Set 1 and Set 2
- Pencil: Aquarellable Pencil
Check out Tracy’s Art Journal Starter Kit!
Tracy’s Resources Page and visit Tracy’s Shop