A girl with an umbrella always says “hope” to me. Hope that the rain will clear up, hope that she’ll stay dry, hope that what is coming down will stop. There is hope of sunshine, hope of change, hope of tomorrow. It says that in spite of everything, she at least has an umbrella and is protected somehow against the worst of it. It may seem a tad dramatic to put all that pressure onto a simple umbrella, but it is one of my favorite motifs to work with.
For this canvas, I paired book text and the Stabilo All Pencil
Rainy Days Mixed-Media Art Journal Page Supplies:
- Stabilo All Pencil
- Matte Finish Gel Medium
- Water Brush
or paintbrush and water
- Old book pages
- Distress Spray Stain – Walnut Stain
or paintbrush and water
Rainy Days Mixed-Media Art Journal Page Instructions:
Spray one page of old book text with Walnut Stain Spray Ink
Rip the margins off of several book pages and collage the ground with these pieces. Apply gel medium to the art journal page, stick down the paper, and paint over the entire piece with gel medium to ensure that the page is well-sealed. This will be an important step to ensure that your Stabilo pencil markings blend easily on the page.
Cut each line of text and adhere to the page with gel medium. Put certain pieces at odd angles so that the lines don’t look to perfect. Mix in lines of text from the spray inked page. Remember to coat top of each piece with gel medium.
Draw the outline of a girl holding an umbrella with the Stabilo All Pencil. Fill in the outline entirely with pencil, then blend with a water brush or paintbrush. Fill in any gaps that are not opaque enough by dipping the pencil directly in water and coloring in the holes.
Outline a few of the lines of text with Stabilo pencil. Blend with very little water, and dab away excess water and ink with a paper towel. Repeat process around the lines of text until desired effect is achieved.
Fill in the ground lightly with Stabilo pencil and darken the area underneath the girl for a puddle/shadow. Blend with water, allowing the ink to pool up around the edges of the paper pieces to add dimension.
Scribble across the entire top of the page with your Stabilo pencil and wet thoroughly with water. Stand page upright and tap against the table to form drips. Dab away excess water with a paper towel. Repeat as necessary to form enough drips.
Want to see the step-by-step process? Checkout this time lapse video to see the art journaling in action!
Also, this design is now available in my shop! Shop the Rainy Days Tote Bag here.
