Lesson 1: Watercolors (keeping it simple)

Hello friends,
So much going on this week!  We have a BRAND NEW STAMP RELEASE coming THIS THURSDAY plus...today begins our June challenge to memorize a chapter from the bible this summer!  We will be working through chapter 1 of Genesis throughout June, but we encourage you to work on memorizing a chapter of your choice.

FIRST THINGS FIRST:
Please go read through our 3 part section on MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE before going further if you haven't already:  CLICK HERE ( it will be on the sidebar under Creatively Memorize Scripture logo...and we will keep that up for you so you can always find it on the blog!  We will continue to add the June Memorizing Scripture posts to this logo as well, so you'll need to scroll down!!)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today we want to keep instructions AND MATERIALS simple.  My goal is to have 30 minutes a day to devote to working in my GENESIS CHAPTER 1 journal. I am usually working in Pan Pastels, Acrylic, or occasionally oil, so I decided to give watercolors a whirl...and I LOVE the simplicity of them and the striking colors and effects you can get with them.  So my GENESIS CHAPTER 1 journal I will only be using:
                                      *watercolors (pencils and paints) with the flower wells shown below

*a few good brushes

*a few pens, pencils, and markers

*stamps and ink (I can't resist...I'm a stamper at heart!)

*and my watercolor journal

So you decide what YOU will be using.  In the first 3 posts I had you read under FIRST THINGS FIRST above,  I  described  techniques for creating a Scripture book using acrylic paint so you have examples for that.  Just try to keep it simple, and within the amount of time you can honestly spend working in it.  If you don't want to worry with color, use pen or pencil on notebook paper!

Next, I wanted to work on lettering as I go through this month and well as playing with the watercolor techniques on my pages.  So I grabbed my books and magazines and will keep them handy as we go.  I want the SCRIPTURE to be SHOWCASED.  My goal, which we always must keep in mind, is to MEMORIZE God's Word, not create a necessarily priceless work of art :o)  So the lettering will be important.  

I want to practice a bit before I decide to write INTO my journal so I am pulling out some watercolor paper and playing first. 

The first verse in my journal is Genesis 1:1.  I played with watercolor on the right of the watercolor paper you see below and the left was what I decided to actually make:

So let me take you through some of my thinking so you can think through these as you go into yours.  First thing, I felt CREATED fit better and was better as bold for the composition.  Next I didn't like the green that came when I put the blue over the yellow (taught kindergarten and first grade for many years...should know that one LOL).  So when I went to make the finished side of this paper I made sure to use my blow dryer.  Next, it NEEDS and outline!!!  Black marker will probably go around all my Scripture.  I also practiced adding color with a paintbrush and taking color off with a paper towel on the right side, realizing I am far more attracted to the bold colors than the muted (hence the strong blue and yellows on the left).  I also tried every white pen I own out on the right and different ways to give shadow to the word GOD.  This led me to create a SHADOW practice sheet...

If you click on the photo you can see close up some of the different shadows I made in different ways.  This was very helpful and it actually inspired me to keep a separate practice notebook where I can practice with different fonts when I have a few minutes here and there.  This is actually EXCELLENT for Scripture memory!  The more I write Scripture, say it, hear it, think on it...the more I secure it into my heart!

So that is enough for one day.  Get your notebook or sketchbook or art journal and write out verse 1 for today.  If you want to add some color, do that.  I will be back once or twice a week in June to share more ideas and tips and to show you what I've created in my art journal thus far and I hope you will join me!  Memorizing Scripture is so very powerful!

Until then...don't forget to get your sticky note on your bathroom mirror and go over it every time you are in there:

 

Then tomorrow you will add 1:2 and repeat BOTH verse 1 and 2 together.  Day 3 you'll add verse 3 ONLY IF you know verse 2 solidly otherwise stay on 1 and 2 until you know both.  For now put them side by side or in a row down your mirror as  you go.  I'll share another way of storing these once you get to day 7 so that you aren't requiring 3 bathrooms to do this LOL.

And add a set of sticky notes to your refrigerator.  I had no idea how much this addition helped me!!  

Please leave us a comment if you are committed to memorizing a chapter of the Bible this summer (we have 3 months until fall :o)!  You can DO THIS!!

Blessings,

Antoinette                                  shop online for our stamps and Bazzill papers:

www.inspiredstamps.com