This whimsical rainbow flower project is the perfect excuse to play with bold acrylics, embrace messy moments, and let go of perfection. Whether you’re working in your art journal or on a canvas, this tutorial invites you to explore all the magic that happens when you just let the brush lead the way.
Prep your art journal page by taping off the edges with painter’s tape. Begin by covering the entire background with a coat of matte medium (gesso would work fine too). This step helps prep your surface and gives the paint something to grip. Dry with a heat tool.
Using black paint and a liner brush from my acrylic brush set (set #1), paint your flower. If you prefer, you can trace a stencil or printed shape, but I opted for a freehand sketch to keep things loose and organic. Dry again.
This is where the fun really kicks in. I loaded up my palette with bright DecoArt colors – yellows, pinks, teals, oranges – anything that made my heart happy. Using a size 6 round brush, start filling in the petals, one color at a time. Make sure to dry each layer before adding the next so your colors don’t muddy together (a quick pass with a heat gun or hair dryer does the trick!). Some colors like yellow might be more transparent, so layer them up if needed. And if something feels too light, throw in a stronger color on top.
Once your colors are dry, take a liner brush and go back in with black paint to redefine the petal edges and add character. I also used stencil brushes (set #3) to dab around the center of the flower with yellow and black paint to give it some extra texture. This is where the painting really came to life for me – I added black dots, layered in more petals, and swiped more bold color in the center. Dry with a heat tool.
Use a wet fan brush dipped in teal paint to add splatter across your flower. Tap it above your page to let the splatter fly. Do it again with black paint. Dry with a heat tool.
Use a liner brush and white acrylic paint to add some accent lines to your flower petals and flower center. One of my favorite final touches? Dipping into white paint with a foam detailer tool and dotting all around the flower center and petal edges. The dots varied in size depending on the pressure – more pressure, bigger dots; less pressure, tiny dots.
Once everything was dry, I carefully peeled off the painter’s tape from the edges. That crisp border always feels like magic. I sealed my finished piece with a satin spray to protect all those layers and make sure the colors stayed vibrant.
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Supply List:
- 7 X 10 Watercolor Journal
- Painter’s Tape
- Acrylic Paints: DecoArt 2025 New Colors Grecian Blue, Dragon Teal, Lemon Burst, Love Potion, and Fresh Mango. Other: Carbon Black, Titanium White Diarylide Yellow and Pyrrole Orange
- Brushes: Tracy Weinzapfel Studios Brush Sets 1 and Set 3
- Matte Medium
- Sealer: Duraclear Satin
- Dynasty Foam Detailer
- Brushes: Dynasty
Check out Tracy’s Art Journal Starter Kit!
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