Affirmations for Artists, Art Journalers, & Creatives
Being an artist of any kind can be hard work. Harder than most people who don’t consider themselves artists assume. And that even goes for art journalers, who make art only for themselves, in their private art journals. So I decided to make this list of affirmations for artists, art journalers, and any other creative who sometimes struggles making art. I can’t say why we struggle. Is it because growing and learning and stretching as a human is an inherent part of being an artist? Maybe. But sometimes making art – whether on a canvas or in a junk journal or however we make our art – can be downright scary. But I don’t believe it has to be. And I do believe that the energy we have while making our art carries into the work. So if you want to make something without fear, using daily affirmations like those below can be extremely helpful! I’m sharing 27 affirmations for artists, but feel free to exclude those that don’t work for you, and add any that you create yourself that might be more helpful. I’ve also created graphics of most of the affirmations. Please feel free to pin them on Pinterest, and/or Instagram stories (be sure to tag me @joyfulartjournaling if you share them to IG stories! I’d love to see that!) The best way to read affirmations is to first choose those you want to say, and then say them to yourself in a mirror. Mindfully say each word and phrase, look yourself in the eyes, and really take it in. It may feel odd to say the affirmations to yourself in the mirror at first. If you just can’t do that (because it gives you the giggles or just makes you uncomfortable somehow) simply say them aloud, to yourself. Hopefully, in time, they will become natural for you, and you can ease into speaking them into a mirror. Here is my list of affirmations. Again, feel free to add to it, or discard those that don’t fit you or your situation. I am filled with creative ideas. I always have access to my creative higher self. The art I make is important, especially to me. I always have time to make art. I trust my inner creative guide. Getting into creative flow is easy for me. My artistic ideas are abundant and original. Making art is good for my soul. More and more creative ideas are coming my way. Today I will let my creativity guide me wherever it wants to go. I make and create art with ease and flow. The better it gets, the better it gets! I bring joy to the canvas and the canvas brings me more joy in return. Brilliantly creative ideas flow to me every day. Making art makes me happy. I’m progressing in my art practice daily. I celebrate even the tiniest wins in my art. As I grow as an artist, I become more of who I’m truly meant to be. I sell my art with ease. The business side of art lights me up. I love to see other artists succeeding, because it means that it’s possible for me, too. I surround myself with people and things that spark my creativity. My creativity is a gift, and I’m grateful for it. I’m in alignment with my creativity. I love myself even when I make “bad” art. I don’t make mistakes. What I labeled mistakes previously, I know now are just nudges that help me grow as an artist. I make time to make art every single day. There you go! 27 Affirmations for Artists, Art Journalers and Creatives of ALL kinds. Let me know if you like these, and if you do, I’ll make more. 🙂
Our new line of Modern Aesthetic Lined Journals!
While the bulk of what I write about here is art journaling, I also do some more “traditional” journaling (ie., writing down thoughts, feelings, bits of my days, gratitude lists, etc.) But when I realized a lot of other art journalers also love to journal in more traditional ways, too, I started dreaming up how I could create some beautiful, modern aesthetic lined journals. And finally, I’ve done just that! These journals are simple, by design! The lined pages are there for you to fill with things like: A daily diary or journal Gratitude lists Wish lists Quotes you love Your feelings and thoughts about things that happened in the past Journal about your travels A bucket list (things to do before you die) A fuck it list (things you never want to do again) A to-do list A self-love journal Or whatever YOU like to journal about! So far, we have four aesthetic cover options, with more to come! Check them out: These modern aesthetic lined journals make great gifts for the women in your life, millennials, moms, daughters, best friends, basically… all the cool people in your life! 😉 They are meant for writing in (I love using these pens in mine) you can also add things like stickers, washi tape, collage with glue sticks, even these tempera paint sticks. Just nothing too “wet” like watercolor, acrylic paints, etc. You can always see our most current line of journals and art journaling books here!
How to Start An Art Journal Blog
If you’re already sharing your art journal pages on social media, you might be wondering how to start an art journal blog in order to take it to the next level. Well, I’ve been creating websites since 1998 (whoa! Can it really be that long ago?!) After teaching myself HTML (the code you used to have to know in order to create a website) I started an online business from my kitchen when my babies were little. In fact, I remember trying code with one hand and holding my youngest with the other as she was breastfeeding. It certainly wasn’t easy! And that’s why I share that story with you: Because it’s never been easier to create a blog / website! Now, that’s not to say you might not face challenges as you make yours. There’s always a learning curve when doing something new. But I believe anyone can create an art journal blog, and you can make it as simple or as fancy as you want to! In fact, I’m going to teach you two ways to create your blog: one is just for fun and one has the potential to make a little extra money. (I’m in no way talking about getting rich here. But what if you could make an extra $50-100 a month for more art supplies? That might be fun, right?) So let’s get started, shall we? How to start an art journal blog Choosing a Domain Name One of the first steps in starting your art journal blog is choosing a domain name. This is how people will find your blog. Q. “Where can I see your art journals?” A. “Oh thanks! Over at www.MyDomainName.com!” For me, I found this process fun and frustrating! It’s fun because I love to brainstorm different ideas! You could use your name in the domain, a nickname, or even a business name. But sometimes, no matter how many ideas you write down, your ideas will all be taken. But don’t lose heart! There are ways to work around this. For instance, if you wanted to use your name, but it was taken, you could add something to it. Let’s say you were Betty Smith, and bettysmith.com was taken. You could try one (or more) of the following: bettysmithstudio.com bettysmithart.com bettysmithjournals.com bettyjournals.com etc. One thing I recommend against is adding a dash in your domain (like www.betty-smith.com). They are hard to say out loud (ie., “just go to Betty dash Smith dot com.”) and even harder for people to remember (so even if they do remember the gist of your domain, they might just end up at bettysmith.com anyway!) But you don’t have to use your actual name, of course! Like I mentioned before, you could use nickname, a business name, or, kind of like I did, you could even describe the type of art journaling you do. Though I would be careful about this, as you don’t want to box yourself in, either. You might start out with an art journaling blog, but you might expand to hand-lettering or mixed-media art or wherever else your creative exploration may take you! So just keep that in mind. Psst…. still stuck? Try this domain name generator! Once you’ve chosen a domain name and verified it’s actually available, the next step (before you pay for the domain!) is to see if that same name is available on the social media platforms you plan on using, as well. Let’s say you chose bettyjournals.com and you plan to be on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok. You’ll want to go to each of those platforms and see if @BettyJournals is available. The reason for this is because, ideally, you want all of your social media handles the exact same as your domain. It makes it SO much easier to find you, and it will be 1000% more professional. You may be wondering: “So Jules, how much is this domain name going to cost me?” As I mentioned, I’ve been doing this for a long, long time. My favorite place to buy domains is NameCheap.com. Not only are the domains cheap (hence the name), they also include domain privacy for free. (Most domain registrars charge extra for this!) Domain privacy means people can’t see your name, email address, home/business address and/or phone number when they search for who owns your domain. Without that privacy feature, anyone can easily find all of that information about you… which can lead to things from spam to scams! So even if you don’t use NameCheap.com, please find a registrar that at least offers it Namecheap has a range of prices, but most available .com domains start around $9 a year. Not too bad! (As a comparison: I have a domain with another registrar that was $14.95 per year, plus an additional $15.95 a year for the domain privacy. On that account the domain privacy was free for the first year only. With NameCheap.com it’s free for life. Next Step: Add Hosting While you may not need to learn HTML (or any other website coding languages) all of those files (not to mention your images, videos, etc.) need a place to “live” on the internet. That’s what a hosting company does. NameCheap also offers hosting, but I honestly find it a little… awkward? So I use SiteGround to host all of my websites. You might find having your domain name and hosting all under one roof, so to speak, easier and more convenient, and that’s fine if you do. I prefer SiteGround for hosting, not just for ease of use, but their site speed, security, and tech support are some of the best I’ve ever seen and experienced. If I ever have questions or issues, they are quick and efficient in response. Plus, even for a “hobby blogger” their prices are affordable, starting around $6.99 per month. (I mean, I easily spend more than that on paint for art journaling!) Prices may change slightly, but they’ve remained mostly the same
Collage in Art Journals
Recently I bought the cutest pink art journal (pictured below), and I decided that every page in it would have at least a little bit of pink, in varying shades. I’ve used collage in art journals for years now, but for some reason (so far, anyway!) I’ve only made collages on every page in this journal. Maybe I’ll do some painting or drawing, etc., later on. But maybe not?! That is just one of the joys of art journaling! I do love collage (and I do a ton of it in my personal work), so I thought I’d share what I’ve been making with you here, too! (These images were first shared on my Instagram @joyfulartjournaling.) The first page of an art journal is always intimidating for some reason. I frequently wait until my journal is full to make something on the first page. The reason for that is because, by the time I’m done with a journal, it usually has its own “vibe” or feeling. But because I knew what I was making in this art journal (at least loosely based on the color pink), I felt a bit more confident going for it! (Although I probably created this page 3rd or 4th after some others.) Pink and grey are definitely a theme, at least in the beginning of this journal. But they go so well together, it’s hard to help using them over and over! 😜 The following images are in the order which they appear in the journal, so far, anyway. (I sometimes skip a page because the idea I have for one side doesn’t go with the other.) And finally, this is the (incredibly cute!) notebook I’m using for these collages. Mine is pink and 5.7″x8″, but they come in a wide variety of colors and sizes.
Fun and Easy Weekend Craft Idea: Rainbow Wall Art!
Hello creative friends! Yes, I realize this is a blog about art journaling, but because (as you probably already know if you know me at all!) I’m a creative explorer! So today I want to share with you this fun and easy weekend craft idea… The first thing you should know about this cute rainbow wall art is that I learned it from Faith Hale in this Creativebug class. The second, and equally important thing you should know: I did a lot of the things “wrong” in the class, and I am sure my rainbow would be… well, less “perfectly imperfect” and more just “perfect” if I had actually followed the instructions! Ha! (I’ll explain more as we go.) But just goes to show that you don’t have to have everything “just right” in order to make something with your own hands that you adore, and are proud of! I first watched this class almost 2 years ago (when it first aired) and have wanted to try making my own wrapped rope rainbow (try saying that three times fast!) ever since. I finally put a couple of the “main ingredients” on my Christmas wishlist, only, they weren’t quite right. As you can see from the class photo above, my rainbow turned out… well, not “wrong”, but definitely different! There are a few reasons for that! One obvious thing to point out: I didn’t use traditional rainbow colors. But you certainly can if you want to! But also, the rope Faith uses is 1/2 inch cotton rope. My (very soft!) cotton rope is around 5/16 inch: so much smaller. While I’m happy with how mine turned out, I think the smaller rope would be better for smaller projects, like a rainbow brooch or necklace. Or even just a smaller wall hanging! Then there was the wire. Faith uses and suggests 20 gauge crafting wire. Though, based on what hers looks like, I’m guessing even a thicker wire like: possibly 12 gauge, or even 10 would work (if that’s what you have on hand)! But I had these (SUPER flimsy!) 26 gauge floral wires on hand, so I used them, taping 3 together for each rope, hoping to make them at least a bit more sturdy! It worked… at least a little bit. Luckily, when I sewed them together it also helped shape and sturdy my rainbow. But that’s another thing! Faith suggested using a curved needle. I didn’t have one on hand (and I didn’t even want to wait the 2 days for Amazon to ship me one!) so I used a straight needle. Now, I’m not sure if it was just my lack of sewing skills (though, I’ve been sewing here and there since I was about 9, so I’m somewhere between amataur and maybe intermediate?), or my straight needle, but the back of my rainbow is pretty ugly! (Especially compared to Faith’s!) But it’s going to hang on a wall, so I tried not to get too upset about that. In fact, I’ll even show you here, just in case yours turns out, well, less than perfect, too! 😉 Also, Faith uses and recommends yarn for the colorful wrapping. I used yard for the top/pink layer, but all of the other layers are covered with vintage embroidery thread. I bought a ton of it from an estate sale years ago, and I hardly ever embroider anything, so it seemed perfect for this project! (Can you tell I’m a “use what you have” kind of creative?!) Anyway, the embroidery thread worked fine, though it took a lot longer than the yarn did and it was a little more difficult covering the taped ends of my wires. Again, it’s something I would use again, but probably only on a smaller project. Finally, Faith teaches us to use a cat brush (and there are quite a few hilarious moments around that during the class!) to comb out the strands of rope at the end. In that case, I’m still waiting for Amazon to deliver my cat brush 😸, so right now my rope strands look like when your mom braided your hair after the bath at night, and you took the braids out the next morning. But again, I’m not mad about it! In fact, I think it looks cute! Which is why I’m publishing this post before I get my cat brush. 😉 But I’ll probably post the “after” the cat brushing photo on Instagram, so be sure to follow me there. This was a super fun and easy weekend project, for sure. It was originally a Creativebug live class (which they used to host weekly… now it’s more “occasionally”.) That means it’s shorter than a lot of their other classes. In this case, it’s about 30 minutes. Creativebug has thousands of online classes – from paper crafts, sewing, knitting, art, food, home, kids and more! – some of which are occasionally free, but the monthly membership is very affordable for just about anyone. And yes, I am an affiliate for Creativebug, but I’m also a (fairly) long-time, very happy member — since 2018. P.S. I apologize for my “overuse” of quotes in this post. 🤣 I’m not sure what got into me?!
Art Journal Update and Inspiration
Hello friends! It’s been a minute since I posted here. There are a few reasons for that, but for the most part it can simply be summed up as: 2020. Ha! I’m mostly joking. There are some (really) good things going on here, too! Like the fact that I’m creating my first art journaling class! I’m super excited to share that with you, as soon as it’s done. But I didn’t want you to think that I’ve quit journaling, or creative exploring! So I thought I’d share a bit of what I’ve been up to… Like the fact that I tried Gelli printing for the first time, and I’m in love! It’s a form of mono printing that you do on a “gel” or gelatin plate. “Gelli Plates” are actually a brand — and the brand I use for my gel printing. They come in a variety of sizes, as well as kits. Here are two of the gelli prints I made in my journal: Those are definitely not my “normal” colors, but that is one of the joys of Gelli printing: you really get to explore all kinds of ideas! This second photo is definitely more in my comfort zone, as far as colors go. I re-used some of my “stencils” as collage elements for both spreads in my art journal. I really like how they turned out! I made so many Gelli prints, I started to wonder what I was going to do with them all! Well, duh! Making art journals from them was the perfect idea. So I printed on both sides of several papers, cut them down evenly, and bound them with embroidery thread. The journal they produced is pretty small — about 4.5″x7″ — but not tiny. It’s a great size to throw in my bag and work on it on the go! Here is the cover: And here is one section of the inside (I share more of the inside pages on my Instagram): Speaking of small art journals; I found this teeny tiny (about 2″x3″) sketchbook from 2008! I only made 3.5 portraits in it, but I was so inspired by them, I’ve decided to work in it more. Here is one of the portraits (I drew them all with stippling): This stipple portrait was after an Albrecht Dürer painting that I love, Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman. You can see the rest of the stipple portraits I made on my Instagram. Stipple drawing is so fun, but also very time consuming. So future portraits in this tiny sketchbook will likely come in many forms/mediums. Also, I’m really close to finishing my latest altered book! Here is one of the spreads I made recently: art journal inspiration And, of course, I’m still art journaling, too! Here are some recent highlights for some art journal inspiration: So there you have it! What I’ve been working on lately. (I actually tried perfect bookbinding for the first time, too! But that’s for another blog post.) Let’s stay in touch!
Iconic “Retro” Pen Set Review
They other day I realized that, with alllll my markers, I didn’t have a single one I’d call a “mustard” color. I bought this set of 80 Crayola Markers (including 12 scented markers! Hellloooooo 4th grade!) and between that pack and some other more expensive pens I had, I thought it would be years before I needed to buy more. But I was missing any kind of mustard colored pen. So of course I went to my favorite shopping site during this pandemic: Amazon. I searched for a “mustard pen”… The first response was this Copic Marker… a good quality choice, but it was $8 for one pen, plus they wanted me to pay for shipping! On Amazon? No thanks. 😜 But there was another result that intrigued me… This 5 pack of markers – including the mustard color I was looking for, not to mention some other super cool colors – for under $7 for the whole set! With a 4.5 star rating, and the free shipping I’ve grown accustom to with Amazon Prime, I thought it couldn’t hurt to give them a try for myself. I think the overall consensus in the reviews was quite accurate. Here is an overview of what I read that I agree with: Iconic “Retro” Pen Set Pros The colors are amazing The price is right I love the dual tips The chisel tip allows for extra creativity They’re water-based so you can use them almost like watercolor pens Even on my very thin planner paper, there wasn’t any bleed-through until I made 5+ passes in one spot Did I mention the amazing, on-trend colors? Iconic “Retro” Pen Set Cons The small tip is so small, and the colors are so light, it’s hard to read if you’re using it for lettering The chisel nibs are rough, so if you go over a spot more than two times (or more) there will liking be some piling on your paper (see video below) While I listed being water-based as a pro, some art journalers might consider it a con, as they’d rather have a permanent ink. So this one comes down to personal preference Based on my personal experience…. well, I’m in love with these pens. They do offer other color sets, which you can be sure I’ll purchase in the near future. I mentioned the set I purchased is called “Retro”, but check out these delightful color names: Cloudy Blue Brownie Pink Mustard Yellow Pale Vermilion Warm Grey Here’s a quick video that shows how the colors layer. I like that you can create a gradient, but there is some piling due to the chisel tip being so rough. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jules @ Joyful Art Journaling (@joyfulartjournaling) on Sep 11, 2020 at 1:54pm PDT As I mentioned before, there was no bleed-through on any pages, including my thin planner paper, which is great because I will definitely be using them in there. The other Iconic sets I’ve saved to my wish list now that I know what to expect: Deco Retro Mild Highlighters (which is a larger pack that includes the five colors I’ve reviewed here, plus five more – I’d say- brighter colors) Pastel Retro (which also includes the five colors I reviewed here, plus five more light colors) And just so you know, the little journal I used in these photos is an amazing mixed-media sketchbook from Bee Paper Company. They’re a little on the pricey side, but SO worth it! Well, that’s all for today… I just had to share because I’m seriously so obsessed with this pretty pen set! I hope you love it, too.
Ways to Save Money Art Journaling
Art journaling is more than just a hobby for me. It’s my favorite way to be a creative explorer, it’s cathartic, it’s fun, and, well, the truth is, I love buying ALL THE SUPPLIES! Paints, pens, journals, stickers…. This list can (and does!) go on and on! (Want proof? Check out this giant list of art journal supplies.) But today I want to talk about ways to save money art journaling (and in some cases, help save the planet, too!) Ways to Save Money Art Journaling: Use What You Have Using what you have on hand is probably one of the easiest ways to save money art journaling! I’m always trying to think of new ways to use old things – or things headed for the trash or recycle bins – in new ways. Here are some ideas for using what you have: Instead of buying plastic (or other) wells for water dishes for your paint brush, use glass jars that were headed to the bin instead. Some of the glass jars I like (because they’re generally not too small or too big) are jelly jars, mayonnaise jars (I buy my mayo from Trader Joe’s, and those are perfect), salsa jars, etc. I also save tiny jars with tight lids whenever I can to store leftover oil paints. In fact, sometimes you only need a tiny bit of water, and a small space for some paint(s). For those times, I also save the lids from many jars. In this case, I like bigger lids with a semi-tall lip (like the lids from peanut butter, spaghetti, and/or jars from bigger/bulk products that I buy at Costco.) The parchment paper you have in the kitchen works in your art journals (at least) a few different ways: You can use it as a tracing paper or as a transparent paper or page in your art journal. And you can also use it in between pages, especially if you think your paint might still be wet, or if you’ve used a loose medium (like lead pencil, pastels, even crayons in some cases) and you don’t want it transferring to the other side. If you want to try making your own rubber stamps, try carving into things around the house, first. Some ideas that come to mind are potatoes (a long-time favorite for carving and stamping!) and cork. But I’ve seen people get creative and carve into Styrofoam (like the trays meat comes in, after it’s been fully washed and sanitized), etc. I never used to use stickers in my art journals, but now I not only use them (often!) in my art journals, but in my planner as well. Which means I’ve purchased quite a few (ha!) packs. I started storing them in a box on my desk, but they quickly outgrew that. So I decided to store them in a pretty bowl my grandmother left me. Not only am I now using and appreciating the bowl all the time, I can easily see and grab the stickers, too. A long time ago I bought some butcher paper to place over my work surface to spare my desk. But I now realize, I never needed it! I get enough junk mail (for free, of course), so why would I ever use good, clean, brand new paper for that? Now I use catalog pages and other mailers to protect other surfaces, and/or for putting glue on smaller images for collage. PRO TIP: Only use glossy catalogs and mailers. Those that are more like newspaper will smudge and lift and make not only you, but your artwork, a blurry mess. Make your own stencils. Stencils can be really expensive, so why not cut your own? Print or draw on cardstock paper (other thicker) and (carefully!) cut it using an exacto knife on a self-healing cutting mat. Depending on the design (and how careful you are while cutting), you might even be able to use the “inside” cut as a reverse stencil, too. Raid your own junk drawers. You may be surprised what you find in your junk drawers that you can use in your art journals! (Especially if you have or had kids in the house. Even teens need art supplies for school projects, and they usually end up in junk drawers when they’re done.) But stuff like glue/glue sticks, colored pens, stickers/labels, pencils (lead or colored), bold markers, rulers, scissors, punches, staplers, tape, etc., all may be discovered in your junk drawer(s). Start hoarding … I mean saving! 😉 Save all (or at least bits of) all the “pretty” (which may actually be pretty, but may also just be interesting or colorful or patterned, etc.) paper you receive. Think things like: holiday/birthday cards, wrapping paper, interesting/foreign product packaging, etc. I also like to save things like: the mesh from produce bags, doilies from coffee shops, matchbook covers, fortunes from fortune cookies, takeaway menus, maps, etc. Ways to Save Money Art Journaling: Save on What You Don’t Have Not only use your own old magazines for collage materials, but ask your friends for their old magazines, and books too. (If they get “fun” catalogs, ask for those, too. Fun for me might mean an Anthropologie catalog, but whatever you like is the point.) Looking for inspiring images of places you either want to visit or have visited and loved? A lot of places (cities, towns, states, etc.) will send you a free travel catalog filled with gorgeous images. For instance, you can order a travel guide from my hometown of Portland right here. Looking for other cities? Just Google “Town name + travel guide” and you’re likely to find one for the city of your choice. You can also try searching by state, as well. Do an art supply swap! If you have other creative, art journaling friends, why not do a supply swap? In the past I’ve done a supply swap where a bunch of people sign up, and everyone sends out one “large”
art journal video: journaling with jules!
Even though I’m a shy person by nature, I’ve decided to make more art journal videos of my process, etc. But I’m just making baby steps to start, like in the video below where I’m just showing my hands at work. Still, I hope the video provides some insight and inspiration into my art process, that you can then use in yours! Before I started the video, I collected some images that generally went together (based on color more than subject or style, in this case), and then the tools I knew I’d need to put it all together, which was simply a pair of scissors and a gluestick. The only idea I had going in was the floral strip of paper at the bottom, and the vintage botanical illustration. Everything else was essentially improvised, which you will see peeks of during the art journal video… View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jules @ Joyful Art Journaling (@joyfulartjournaling) on Aug 6, 2020 at 10:09am PDT It’s funny, as I gathered different things to include in the art journal video for this spread, I thought I’d use more of them than I did. I do tend to be more minimalist in my art journals, but every once in awhile I’ll just keep adding and adding until a spread is, well, more maximalist! Which way do your art journal pages lean? Minimal? Or filled with layers from top to bottom and back again? Let us know in the comments below! And if you want a sweet freebie for your art journals, check out this offer: Want 3 Free Vintage Flower Images for Your Art Journal?
Free Flower Vintage Printables – and examples for how to use them!
Awhile back I gave away some free animal vintage ephemera for you to print and use in your own journals. It was such a hot, I thought I’d do it again, this time with some free flower vintage printables! (And of course, I’ll show you how I used them in my own art journals, too!) PRE-S: If you simply want the free images, please feel free to skip the “how I used these images” section and scroll to the bottom of this post and fill in the form! I love using flowers in my art journals, especially these vintage illustrations of flowers. They’re so beautiful, and so different that many of the modern floral illustrations, for sure! I decided to print this one small, and use it as one of many layers in this spread. I used an original, vintage flower illustration from an old book, new transparent stickers, a bit of vintage transparent paper, and more. (This one might be my favorite of the bunch!) For this page I used two of the printables: I used the first one as a “cover” that you can flip to reveal the image below it. I simply used washi tape to adhere it to the page, and used the same washi tape to create a little “tab” to make it easier to lift. Underneath I used a (very old!) image I created in collage and then scanned and added details (it was for a class project back — my second time — in college.) But this time I used watercolor brush pens to color in her skirt and shirt collar, as well as one of the flowers I printed out as an embellishment. And last by not least… This lovely lady is actually one of my ancestors. I scanned her photo years ago and printed out a few copies (I made one into a feminist artist trading card, and it was so fun!) In this spread I cut off most of her hair, and re-used some of Marilyn Monroe’s hair I cut off for this spread (where I replaced her hair with a ton of different flowers, etc.) When I added the flowers to this lady, however, something seemed to be missing. But then I noticed the flowers appeared kind of like a flower crown, so I thought I’d add a beautiful green jewel to her crown to really complete the look! So there you go… 3 free flower vintage printables, with examples for how to use them in your art journals! Get Your Own 3 (Free!) Vintage Printables here: