Visual Journal – mamasbrush

Girl Jumping in a Puddle in my Art Journal

Another installment of my April art journal page.

Illustrating children - Jumping in a Puddle

A few weeks back I told a bloggy friend I follow that I’d be participating in this 100 day project and that I’d be working on illustrating people. Well, I did it a few times and even saw some improvement, but this isn’t a good time of year for me to be promising to do anything everyday. 🙂 I can barely paint at all.

However, while I’m also trying to do a some of the April hand lettering prompts over at Awesome Alice, I decided that this “puddle” prompt should involve at least some of a person. 🙂 So this is my “Little Girl Jumping in a Puddle.”

I love that I can get the playfulness of the moment without a face. 🙂

Gathering here.

Art Journal vs. Bullet Journal

What is the difference between an art journal and a bullet journal? Which one is right for me?

These are great questions! And to be honest, a year ago, I don’t think I could have answered you. As it turns out, they can be as different or as similar as you want them to be. Anything with the word “journal” in it can be tweaked to fit you. There are no hard fast rules. Truly, if there were, who would be coming to make sure you are following them? Your journals, you make the rules!

But, still, what’s the difference?

Art Journal vs. Bullet Journal: What is the difference?

For me, the difference is found in the purpose.

Bullet Journals
The purpose of my bullet journal is organization, record keeping, and memories. I write what I’m reading in the Bible, what I am thankful for and the things and people I am praying for. I make a list of the seeds I’m planting and how many eggs the kids bring in each day from the chicken yard. Using a bullet journal helps me not to have loose papers all over the house.

Art Journals
The purpose of my art journal is to practice my painting and to make a memory. I follow prompts that help push me out of my comfort zone some days and other days I paint something special from that day. For me, there are no rules in my art journal and it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s just for me.

When they cross over
Sometimes bullet journals and art journals cross over, and that’s okay too. Remember, your journals are whatever you want them to be. Some people only put words in their Bullet Journals, others make them fancy with stickers and washi tape, while others cover them with original drawings or even tape paintings inside. I love seeing form and function married into a beautiful Bullet Journal, but that isn’t for everyone.

In the end, I do a little bit of both. When life is crazy, I do less decorating in my bullet journal and leave my art journal behind altogether. When I’m feeling creative but don’t have an outlet for it, I bring one or the other out and go crazy. 🙂

Bullet journal for kids: Homeschool Assignments Pages

One more idea
We homeschool and I’ve started organizing my older children’s schoolwork bullet journal style. Until recently, I just made columns and filled them in, but in the last week or so, I’ve been trying to make them a little more fun. This week I asked my daughter what she wanted her theme to be and she picked cupcakes. She thinks it’s fun and I got to merge my form and function. 🙂 (Note: I used kid’s markers for these pages and for some of my others. I just tape together two pages so the bleed through doesn’t show.)

Do you have a bullet and or art journal? How do you use them?

Gathering here.

February Art Journal Prompts – Week 3

I had a lot of fun with week three of the February Prompts from Awesome Alice. Let’s get to them…

Chocolate Chip Cookie in Watercolor — Prompt: Cookie

Watercolor Flowers - Journal Prompt — Prompt: Flowers

I did these flowers without a sketch. I just jumped in with the watercolors and added the lines later. I don’t do a lot of these, so they were outside my comfort zone a little. I could have done a simple flower (what I would normally do), but I wanted to use this opportunity to push myself. That is what this exercise is all about for me after all. 🙂

Forever and Ever - Hand lettered — Prompt: Forever and Ever

Oh My Darlin' Clemintine Hand lettered - Prompt: Darling — Prompt: Darling

My children keep asking if this is a peach. I’ll admit, it does have a bit of a peach look to it, but it’s totally a clementine. 🙂 The clementines we buy each winter are “Oh my Darlin'” Clementines, so I had to try this. Plus, it pushed me again. 🙂

Art Journal Prompt: Sweet Hearts — Prompt: Sweet hearts

Art Journal Prompt: you make me happy (hand lettered) — Prompt: You make me happy

Art Journal Prompt: My heart is yours — Prompt: My heart is yours

I actually really love this one, but I don’t love the way it turned out. I did some more working with it on paper after this was done and have come up with something I’m excited to debut in next Valentine’s printables., so if you like my stuff, you may want to subscribe so you don’t miss it. 🙂 (shameless plug)

Have you seen week one and week two?

Gathering here.

Why February 15th Roses are Better

This year Valentine’s Day just happened to fall on our weekly dinner and grocery shopping night. My mom stays with the kids and my husband and I go out. Sometimes it’s a slice of pizza at the store and other times it’s one of the many restaurants we love.

After dinner, we went shopping. Wegman’s is our store of choice. We actually find that it’s “Family Pack” options are less expensive than BJs and Walmart. At any rate, as we entered the store, we walked right into a huge display of roses. Of course they were beautiful! But I wasn’t even interested!

“Those will be cheaper tomorrow!” I said as I skirted around them.

Fast forward to Friday, February 15th. Dinner was running late, so my sweet husband picked up the few things we still needed from Walmart on his way home. When he finally got home, he had these beautiful yellow roses. They are so pretty! And the best part… they were 50% off!

Yes, it’s true, February 15th roses are better than roses on Valentine’s Day… at least for this practical mama!

And that pretty pitcher? We bought it from Bed, Bath and Beyond during our Thursday night shopping trip with a coupon. It matches my new (Black Friday 2018) “fancy” dishes and was only $11.99. (Not an affiliate link) I think we’ll be adding the other serving pieces over the next few months as we have coupons. They will look pretty in my new display cabinet (I’ll have to share pictures of that someday soon) and on my table.

The painting, I decided to do late last night. My father-in-law had arrived late and we were all just talking in the kitchen. The flowers were so pretty just sitting there on my table in my new pitcher and I gave in to the impulse to try to paint them without doing a sketch first. So there I was, standing at the kitchen counter painting while my husband and his dad were sitting on the stools and we all talking.

I started with the yellow, then added the greenery. Last I added just the shading for the white pitcher. (Painting white things is tricky!) I waited til morning to add the pen.

I took a before and after pic for you so you can see the difference between pen and no pen. I’m often afraid to add the pen because I’m happy with how a painting looks so far and I know that I can completely ruin it if I do the pen wrong. But more often than not, I love the end result with pen so much more. It just makes it pop! Not to mention defining lines and clarifying the object being painted.

So which do you like better? Flowers on February 14th or 15th?

Gathering here.

100 Posts and What to do when you Mess up

I haven’t been watching for this, but the other day I stumbled on the fact that I had posted 99 posts so far. That makes this one #100. I thought maybe I’d do something special to celebrate (because I’m all about celebrating small things to keep life interesting), but, like Valentine’s this year (Happy Valentine’s Day by the way!), sometimes life dictates that we keep things simple. Instead of some big plan, this year we are putting heart sprinkles on cinnamon rolls out of a tube and eating heart shaped bacon for breakfast… done. Valentine’s Day celebrated.

Likewise, keeping “100 posts” simple… Thanks for joining me for 100 posts!! There. We celebrated! (I don’t know how to find my top posts anyway.)

On an artsy note, I wanted to share this weeks February prompts. I’m still using the February Prompts from Awesome Alice. I’ll admit, this week was harder for me. And I wasn’t as happy with them as last week. Some more than others. But God rarely uses the perfect things in this world.

February Art Journal Week 2 - I am the Lord — Prompt: One of a Kind

Love Letters - February Art Journal Week 2 — Prompt: Love letters

February Art Journal Week 2 - Conversation Hearts — Prompt: Candy

This is a great example of things not going according to plan. I had already filled in several of the hearts when I got pulled away. When I returned and started back at the lettering, I had the black pen in my hand instead of the red. Oops. I had a few choices… tear out the page and start over, give up the whole thing, or leave it as a demonstration that I’m not perfect and that we can press on even when things don’t go our way.

I picked that one. 🙂 I’m not perfect, but Jesus redeemed me. Hopefully He will still use my artwork… even when it’s not perfect (because it rarely is.)

You and Me - February Art Journal Week 2 — Prompt: You and Me

Hopelessly in Love - February Art Journal Week 2 — Prompt: Hopelessly in Love

Hugs and Kisses - February Art Journal Week 2 — Prompt: Hugs and Kisses

Happy Valentine's Day - February Art Journal Week 2 — Prompt: Happy Valentine’s Day

Like I said, these aren’t perfect. I was tempted to get frustrated and embarrassed, and even to keep them to myself. But in the end, I knew I wanted to share them with you. Because God loves to use the imperfect to bring Himself glory. And I hope He is glorified in these!

It’s true for you too, you can be used by God, no matter how flawed you are, if you surrender yourself to Him! 🙂

Gathering here.

My February Art Journal Prompts

This month, I decided to join in with Awesome Alice and her February Hand Lettering Prompts. That said, I’m doing it my way. 🙂 (I almost never follow a recipe exactly.)

What are my tweaks? First, I’m doing a combination of hand lettering and illustration, depending on my inspiration. Second, I’m not necessarily doing one each day (obviously, since I have the first 7 done already.) But for me, it’s more something to push me out of my comfort zone. I joke with people that if I just painted what I was comfortable all the time, I’d only ever paint pumpkins. But there is some truth to it. 🙂 But I do intend to do all 28… whether I want to or not.

Below, I’m including the original prompt with the pic.

Rose - hand lettered February prompt — 1. “Red Roses”

A love note from God - hand lettered February prompt — 2. “Be Mine”

This is one of my favorites. Isaiah 43:1 says, “But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (emphasis mine.

Jesus, You are enough - hand lettered February prompt — 3. “You are enough”

Hearts - hand lettered February prompt — 4. “Heart”

Romantic Bunnies - hand lettered February prompt — 5. “Romance”

This is my first attempt at bunnies. I never would have tried them without the prompt.

I love you - hand lettered February prompt — 6. “I love you”

Cupid's Bow - hand lettered February prompt — 7. “Cupid”

Okay, so it’s cupid’s bow. I decided it was close enough.

It has been a super fun challenge for me so far, but I am pretty sure it’s just going to get harder. 🙂

Gathering here.

Good-bye 2018 ~ A New Year’s Sermon Revisited

Update: Find the 2023 version with free printable here.

I’ve posted before about the best New Year’s sermon I’ve ever heard. It was so great, in fact, that a year after I heard it, I was sharing it with you. And now, two years later, I’m back, reflecting on it again.

Only this year I’ve updated it!

Not only is it current, but I made those words at the bottom easier to read (I love incorporating Photoshop into my art process!)

Oh, those words. What a balm to my soul! “Don’t hold on to last year’s guilt and shame. Those sins were nailed to the cross!” Thank you Pastor Jerry for that amazing reminder! And it’s because of that amazing truth that we can look forward with hope and excitement to 2019!

But there’s more!

In celebration of New Year’s and my one year blogiversary on January 2nd, I have a gift for you! I’ve created an 8×10 and a 5×7 version for you to print for yourself!

Now, a warning… I’ve spent the whole evening trying to figure out how to make this work, so if it’s not working… sorry! (And please let me know so I can help.) Until today, I didn’t even know if I could do this from a wordpress.com site. So we’ll see if it works for you as well as it did for me.

Instructions:
1. Click one of the links below
2. Right click the image and select “save image as” from the drop down menu.
3. Save it where you can find it.

Once you’ve done all that, you should be able to print it. Just make sure to select the proper size when printing . 🙂

Files:
Click here to “save image as” the 5×7 version.
Click here to “save image as” the 8×10 version.

Gathering here!

Asparagus in my Watercolor Journal

Our asparagus bed is four years old. Last year was the first year we were able to harvest in plenty. It was pretty exciting! This year is even more exciting. And I find that it can be tough to keep up with the production!

You should see how much asparagus there is in my fridge all the time! I try to serve and eat it as much as possible, but I’m admittedly a couple days behind. And I sent at least a pound home with my sister! If only the kids loved it. That would help!

As I was washing newly harvested asparagus the other night, I found myself wanting to paint them (you’d think I’d be tired of them by now, but I’m not). I started with the paint, not sketches. It was a fun challenge.

And with 3-4 weeks left of harvest season, I found that this was truly the asparagus challenge for 2018… just try to keep up!

Gathering here!

Empty Tomb Illustrated Verse – John 20:29

Update March 2022: I have an updated version of this illustrated verse in my Etsy shop!

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed!” John 20:29

Just before Easter last year, I read this verse and knew I wanted to see it illustrated! I love it. It struck me then that this verse is talking about me! And, I hope, you too, if you believe!

I knew I had to include the empty tomb.

I began it then, but, as Easter is in the spring, there isn’t much time for painting. I never finished it. But it was practically done. All I had to do this week was play with the rock a bit (I wasn’t happy with last year’s work) and finish with artist pen.

I was so excited to share it for Easter this year, but both our computers have been on the fritz! So… with just under 2 hours left of Easter, here it is!

He is risen! Just as He said!

Happy Easter!

Gathering here.

A Garden Journal Entry from April

Here in the dead of winter, it’s kinda nice to be looking at this spread from last April! This was such a fun spread to do.

For the record… The asparagus did the best of the whole year. Last year was not good for gardening! A few more months and we get to try again.