heart – mamasbrush

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.

Hand Lettered Verse — Watercolor Rose Wreath

God looks on the heart hand lettered quote with rose wreath frame

My baby girl is turning 10 today.

It is hard to believe!

God looks on the heart hand lettered quote with rose wreath frame

We chose a rose garden theme because she is loving flowers lately, and especially roses. I told her she can have some space in our garden for flower beds and she is so excited. We found bulbs and seeds as presents and the promise of a Knock-out Rose bush of her very own as soon as they are in stores around here.

God looks on the heart hand lettered quote with rose wreath frame

I’ve started painting something for each of my children for their birthdays, so this is what I painted for her. I chose 1 Samuel 16:7 because I want her to remember this important truth about beauty.

Happy birthday sweet girl!

Gathering here.

The Best Conversation… Hearts ~ In Watercolor

Real life has kicked in and what I said at the beginning of this whole journey is really happening. I do this in my spare time, and these days I don’t have much. January was great for posting because I had a lot of content from the past year plus to share. In addition to that I had a project with a deadline I was working on and my husband was working evenings helping a friend on a house project for 10 days so I was alone at night a lot (I paint a lot more when he’s not around).

In the last 4-5 days I’ve painted hardly at all… surely not conducive to finishing projects. 🙂 That said, this project isn’t finished either, but I wanted to show you the finished part.

I love the look of conversation hearts and, in fact, have this jar of candy more as a decoration than for the kids to eat (I’ll let them start having some after Valentine’s Day… though they each had one while I had them scattered on the table for these pics). They are just so… iconic Valentine’s. At least from my childhood.

I’ve wanted to decorate with them for years, but I didn’t want the standard messages hanging on my wall or from a garland or on my corner table. “BFF” and “Be mine” and “Call me” weren’t going to do. So I came up with my own messages.

Instead I’ve god “Put on love”, “Love one another” and “Be His” among others. I included the Scripture reference in the border and framed them in these inexpensive white Walmart frames. (I love these!)

I had big dreams of having these finished by now and having a printable version for you to use either as wall art or handing out Valentine’s, but the other three have little problems that still need to be fixed and I just can’t justify painting when other things are going undone. Hopefully I’ll at least have them to show you soon! 🙂 Maybe even before Valentine’s Day!

***Update 2/2/19: Click here to find printable files of these conversation hearts for framing and Valentines.

This post may be linked up at one of these gatherings!

“Bear with one another in love” – Hand Lettered Watercolor Illustration

"Bear with one another in love" Hand lettered Ephesians 4:2 with illustrated Coffee cup

I began this concept as a tiny drawing in my sketch pad. I was sick with fever a couple weeks ago… sick enough that my husband stayed home from work to take care of me and all my responsibilities (there are 6 of them ranging from 2-11).

After breakfast I made my move from the table to the recliner, but on my way I grabbed a pencil and my sketch pad. I rarely have time to just sketch and play with ideas these days, and it was a delightful treat to have nothing else I was required (or capable of, I might add) to do but sit there and doodle (with my also sick 4 year old cuddling with me, of course.)

A couple of days ago, that little doodle made it’s way onto graph paper, and then finally to watercolor paper where the daunting job of adding color in a way that doesn’t mess up the whole thing awaited me. A night or two later and I was looking for just the right way to finish it off.

And there it is… “bear with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2

Original artwork in watercolor and artist pen on 140 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper.

“Where do Snowbabies come from?” – Hand lettered watercolor illustration

Update 11/2024: you can now find a new version of this in my Etsy shop!

I love how this turned out. It started with visions of a stork flying in with a snowbaby in it’s bundle, but that seemed a little too “warm weather” to me.

Snowbaby Handlettered

This is my newest project. I made it Saturday night in its entirety – concept to framing. I wanted to use it to decorate the “sprinkling” gift table I was setting up at church Sunday morning.

In the end, I decided the snowbaby should descend with the snowflakes into her mama’s waiting arms. And I know I’ve used this verse before, but it seemed appropriate. 🙂