This bright watercolor art journal page is all about creating a playful sunburst filled with doodles, color, and creative encouragement. Using Distress Oxide Sprays, watercolor, simple Sharpie linework, and a stamped sentiment, this project becomes a cheerful reminder of what art can do: inspire us and everyone around us.
Prep your art journal page by taping off the edges with painter’s tape. Mist your watercolor palette with water to activate the colors.
Begin by masking off a circle near the top of the page (or use a round cup). This will become the sun. Lightly spray the background with Distress Oxide Sprays, using colors like Peacock Feathers, Shaded Lilac, and Mustard Seed. Mist the page with water so the colors soften and blend together. Keep the background light and airy so the doodle lines will stand out later.
Once the background is dry, remove the circle mask and paint the sun with yellow watercolor. Let the yellow feel bright and warm, then add a little depth around the edge if desired. This circle becomes the main focal point of the page.
Using a ruler and an Ultra Fine Sharpie, draw lines radiating out from the sun. These do not all need to be the same length or perfectly spaced. Add small breaks in some of the lines so you have room for doodles, symbols, and playful details.
Now comes the fun part! Add doodles to the ends and centers of the rays. Use hearts, flowers, arrows, circles, diamonds, spirals, squiggles, leaves, dots, dashed lines, and any little shapes that make you happy. This gives the page a playful, creative energy and turns the sunburst into a full mixed-media design.
Use Pyrrole Red acrylic paint to add a few tiny red hearts or accent marks around the page. Keep these details small, so they do not take over. I’ll also use a fan brush to splatter some paint across the page.
Stamp “I Aspire to Inspire” inside the sun using black archival ink. Since the sun is the focal point, the sentiment fits perfectly in the center and gives the page meaning. Press firmly and evenly so the words stamp clearly.
Use an Aquarellable pencil around the sun or anywhere you want a little more depth. You can activate it lightly with water if desired, but be careful since much of the page is water-soluble.
Once everything is completely dry, seal the page with Dorland’s Wax. Since the sprays and watercolor are water-reactive, wax is a great way to protect the finished artwork without reactivating all those beautiful layers.
Carefully remove the painter’s tape to reveal the clean border. Sign your artwork and enjoy your finished sunburst page!
This project is simple, playful, and full of personality. The sprayed background creates movement, the sun brings warmth, and the doodles make the whole page feel joyful and personal. It is a perfect reminder that you do not need a complicated plan to make meaningful art. Sometimes a circle, a few lines, and a message like “I Aspire to Inspire” are more than enough.
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Supply List:
- Grumbacher Watercolor Journal 7 X 10
- DecoArt Media Fluid Acrylics: Pyrrolle Red
- Watercolors; Tropicals
- Ranger Archival Inks (Jet Black)
- Stamp Set: Totally Tracy (Tiger Lillies)
- Dorlands Wax Medium (clear wax medium)
- Distress Oxide Sprays: Shaded Lilac, Peacock Feathers and Mustard Seed)
- Paint brushes – Tracy Weinzapfel Brush Sets
- 10/0 Micron Liner Brush
- Black Aquarellable Pencil
- Painter’s Tape
Check out Tracy’s Art Journal Starter Kit!
Tracy’s Resources Page and visit Tracy’s Shop