Weeks ago I posted a fast one minute process video on social media of a Bible journaling page I did of some simple branches using Acrylic paints. I asked if I should do a full tutorial and the
The great part is that painting these branches/ leaves is not all that challenging technique-wise, and it lends itself well to other mediums! Though I used acrylic paints to create this page, I have done these same branches many times using watercolors and it turns out great!
I actually happen to have a tutorial on watercolor leaves that is a great resource if you want to learn more about painting different foliage! It even includes a free printable! You can find that post HERE.
I also want to note that I used my Interleaved Journaling Bible for this page, which has full blank pages for every other page to work on. But if you don’t have this Bible, you can scale it down and maybe do one branch in the margin of your traditional journaling Bible, create on a separate sheet of paper and create a tip-in out of it, or just try it out as a separate art project! These tutorials are meant to inspire you and encourage you to try new things. So have fun with it and get creative!
The Tutorial
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A note on acrylic paints- I absolutely love using acrylics for Bible journaling but I always get lots of questions about them. Acrylic paints do not bleed through an un-prepared journaling Bible page. In fact, they act as a page protector, just as if you prepped your page with gesso. The other great thing is that any brand of acrylic paints works for Bible journaling. (I prefer Apple Barrel paints, as they are cheap and come in many colors.) I will say though, that if you can, try to find a matte or satin acrylic rather than those with a glossy finish. Glossy finishes can cause pages to stick together slightly- I find that they always pull back apart easily and with no damage, but some people do not like that.
Materials Used
- ESV Interleaved Journaling Bible
- Apple Barrel Acrylic Paints
- Liquitex White Acrylic Paint (This is just what I had on hand, but usually I would use the same Apple B
arrel brand as above) - Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen
- Micron Pens
- Unibal Signo Gel Pen
- Size 8 (or any small) Paint Brush– I don’t use any specific brand, I get synthetic brushes in value packs from the craft store
- Craft Heat Gun
Other Helpful Tutorials
- Watercolor Leaves Tutorial– With Free Printable
- Brush Calligraphy Basics
- Bounce Lettering Tutorial
- Faux-Calligraphy Tutorial– Three Simple Steps To Beautiful Hand Lettering
- How To Create A Journaling Bible For A Child Or Loved One
