This art journal project is all about experimenting with watercolor, resist spray, and bold floral linework. You’ll start by sketching a large flower directly with black acrylic paint, then add texture in the background using resist spray and stencil elements. After layering colorful watercolor washes, you’ll finish the piece with soft pink petals, gold splatter, a stamped quote, Dorland’s Wax, and a clean taped border. The finished page feels colorful, textured, and full of creative energy, which fits perfectly with the stamped quote: “Creativity, the more you use, the more you have.”
Begin by taping off your art journal page with painter’s tape. Instead of sketching with pencil, load a liner brush with Carbon Black acrylic paint and start by marking the center of your flower. Pull loose petal shapes outward from that center point. Don’t worry about making it perfect. The goal is to commit to the shape and let the flower develop naturally. Keep the lines light, loose, and organic.
Once the flower outline is dry, create a quick mask by placing scrap paper over the flower and tracing the outside shape. Cut the mask out with scissors. This does not have to be exact – it just needs to cover the flower enough so the resist spray and background texture stay mostly behind it.
Place the paper mask over your flower. Then spray resist spray over the background area. You can use it through stencils or swirl elements to create texture. Let the resist dry completely before adding watercolor. This step creates hidden texture that will show up once the paint hits the page.
Once the resist is dry, lightly wet sections of the background with clean water. Add watercolor in greens, blues, yellows, and other bright tones, letting the colors move and blend across the page. The resist areas will repel the watercolor and create white textured marks in the background. Allow the colors to overlap and soften naturally.
Before moving on to the flower, protect it again with your mask if needed. Use 24K gold acrylic paint with a fan brush to splatter over the background. This adds shimmer, movement, and a little extra magic to the resist texture. Let the background dry thoroughly before continuing.
Now remove the mask and begin painting the flower. Use soft pink watercolor and let the pigment move through each petal. Add deeper pink near the flower center and allow the color to fade outward. You can tilt the page and let gravity help the watercolor flow. Keep the petals soft and slightly translucent so the black linework still shows.
Once the petals are mostly dry, go back in with your liner brush and black acrylic paint to add fine details. Pull delicate lines from the center of the flower outward into the petals. Add a few dots or small marks near the center for extra texture. Keep the details light so the flower still feels soft and open.
Instead of stamping directly onto the finished painting, stamp your quote onto a separate piece of watercolor paper or scrap paper. This gives you more control and keeps you from risking the whole piece if the stamp doesn’t come out cleanly. Trim the stamped quote into a rectangle or label shape.
Lightly add watercolor to the stamped quote piece so it coordinates with the background. Blend in greens, yellows, and warm tones to make it feel like part of the artwork. Ink the edges with archival black ink to give it definition.
Use Zip Dry glue to attach the stamped quote piece to the lower portion of the page. Press it gently into place and hold for a few seconds so it adheres. Once attached, you can extend a little linework or shading around the quote so it feels integrated with the rest of the page.
When everything is completely dry, apply Dorland’s Wax over the page with a paper towel. This seals the watercolor and acrylic layers without reactivating the water-soluble paint. Buff gently and remove any excess wax. Carefully peel away the painter’s tape to reveal a clean border. Sign your artwork at the bottom and enjoy the finished piece.
This project is a beautiful reminder that creativity grows when you use it. The resist spray adds surprise texture, the watercolor creates soft movement, and the stamped quote ties the whole piece together. It’s playful, layered, and a great example of letting your supplies lead the way.
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Supply List:
- Surface: 7 X 10 Grumbacher Watercolor Journal
- Ranger Distress Resist Spray
- Watercolors – Odyssey & Tropicals
- Ink: Ranger Archival Ink
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics
- DecoArt Extreme Sheen Acrylic Paint (24K Gold)
- Dorlands Wax Medium (clear wax medium)
- Paint brushes (fan brush + 2 round/detail brushes)
- 10/0 Micron Liner Brush
- Painter’s Tape
- Adhesive: Zip Dry
- Foam Detailer
Check out Tracy’s Art Journal Starter Kit!
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