FREE online class

Bible Art Journaling 101

Week One

•     There is no “right” or “wrong” way to do this!
•     This is self-paced. By the end of our class you should have completed 3 verses in your Bible. Some will create more but everyone should be able to finish 3 verses.
•      If you are one of those that thinks, “I am not that creative I am not sure I can do this” I say, “YOU CAN!” This process is about you creating something meaningful to you. Let it be an expression of your love for God.

·         When selecting a verse to work on, I suggest holding off on your treasured verses until you gain some experience and develop your own style.

How do you develop your own style and gain experience?

 Begin searching for examples that appeal to you. You may like the lettering in one example, the colors used in another, or you may like a drawing in still another –all of these can be used for inspiration. If you like it, save it. I have a pin board (on Pinterest) that I use to keep all of my inspiration in one place.

Experiment with your own writing:

BLOCK STYLE

all lowercase

playful loopy style

s t r e t c h e d

Tall & Thin

S    p    a    c    e    d

·         Use a pencil until you have it the way you want it to look. You will use your eraser.

·         Practice on scratch paper or graph paper (this is what I prefer) first. After a few verses this may not be needed.

Using graph paper is helpful for a number of reasons. I use it because I can sketch out my space and then lay out the words in a way that is pleasing. I often erase several times before I get it looking the way I want. Once I have something I am happy with, I can use the grid and my ruler to lay it out in my Bible. Each square on the graph paper is ¼”. By using the grid I can figure out how much space each line of the verse design will need. I can then make little guide marks to help transfer the design from paper to Bible

 The above picture shows my two verses sketched on graph paper

The above picture shows what I sketched into my Bible.

The measurement (vertically) is ¾” for the word “stand”, ¾” for the word “still”, and 1” for the word “Jordan”.

The orange circles in the picture on the right show my tick marks for the vertical measure for each word.

All of the marks are erased before the final color is added.

Here is a side by side look at a verse. The picture on the left is the sketch on graph paper and the one on the right is the finished verse in my Bible.

I am not sure if it shows up well in the picture, but if you look closely at the “consecrate” on the graph paper, you might see 7 or 8 attempts erased while trying to get the letters to fit on my 2” margin.

Using different fonts

·         One way to learn how to do hand lettering is by looking a different fonts. www.dafont.com offers a ton of free fonts for you to download. 

·         Look at different fonts for inspiration for you to use in your own hand lettering.

·         If you find a font you think you can use, print it out by typing the alphabet in a word document.

This font is called Broadway. Open a word doc and type as follows:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz

1234567890,.”( )

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog 456 times.

Be sure to keep your font size the same so you will see the proportion between the upper and lower case letters. Print the document to use when you are hand lettering.

This week’s assignment:

•     Start searching for examples you love.
•       Create a pinboard on pinterest. It is an easy way to keep your inspiration in one spot.
•      Begin to practice your hand lettering.
•     Start thinking about verses you want to create in your own Bible. These should be verses that are meaningful to you and/or verses you want to commit to memory.
•     Explore fonts and save a few to use for inspiration.
•     Print off a few font inspiration sheets using the example on the previous page.
•      Purchase your additional supplies, including graph paper if you want to use it to sketch before you draw in your Bible.
•      Sketch out a verse (or two) on scratch or graph paper.

·         Above all, have fun and use this as a way to praise and worship. If you keep Jesus in mind while you explore this, you will find great joy in the process.

Lastly, remember this Bible of yours has 1066 pages. You will have a wonderful opportunity to fill it up over time. Not every verse you do will be your favorite, but you will love them all because they are the word of God! Beautiful verses filled with everything we need to live a life full of joy!

Week Two

Since our last class you should have done the following to be prepared for this week’s lesson:

•     Sketched out a verse or two in pencil on graph or scratch paper.
•     Collected some inspiration from pinterest or google images.
•     Downloaded and printed some fonts for you to use in your hand lettering.
•     Practice the different hand lettering in the week one handout.

For week two we want to transfer our sketch into our Bibles using a ruler, pencil, and white eraser.

I like to measure each line of my sketch and transfer that to my Bible margin. I like to start with the center and work up and down. The reason for this is that by starting in the center I can make adjustments as needed and I am able to balance the finished work.

Once I have the sketch the way I like it, I will slowly go over the sketch with 005 micron pen. I use this very fine point because I don’t have the steadiest of hands. I tend to get a bit nervous at this step and I almost ALWAYS make a mistake. I use this very fine pen because my mistakes will be small and fine and easy to cover up as I increase the weight of each letter. Sometimes my errors will dictate what the final letter style will end up looking like.

Once I have gone over my letters with the 005 micron pen, I will go back over the letters adding weight and fixing errors.

Next step is to erase the pencil markings* and go over any missed spots with a 03 micron pen. Any letter that needed a thicker line or any missed spots are filled in at this time.

*It is important to wait a minute to ensure the ink is dry before you erase the pencil markings. Erasing too soon will smear the ink

The above picture is colored but you can see the difference in the black lines. The ones in the finished work are thicker. Some of that is by design some of it is to cover up mistakes J

This week’s assignment:

•     Sketch your verse into your Bible
•      Follow the step-by-step instructions for finishing your verse with micron pens
•     Repeat the process and complete two verses from start to finish –sketch on graph paper, transfer sketch to Bible, go over with 005 micron pen, add weight and cover up any mistakes, erase pencil marks, and go over with 03 micron pen to finish
•     Start thinking about verses you want to create in the next lesson
•     Our next lesson we will build upon what we have learned and add color to our verses.
•     Continue to look for and save inspiration.
•     Find a new font you want to use and download it and print it out (as explained in last week’s lesson)
•      Above all, have fun and use this as a way to praise and worship. If you keep Jesus in mind while you explore this, you will find great joy in the process.

Lastly, remember this Bible of yours has 1066 pages. You will have a wonderful opportunity to fill it up over time. Not every verse you do will be your favorite, but you will love them all because they are the word of God! Beautiful verses filled with everything we need to live a life full of joy!

Week Three

Since our last class you should have done the following to be prepared for this week’s lesson:

•     Sketch your verse into your Bible
•     Follow the step-by-step instructions for finishing your verse with micron pens
•     Repeat the process and complete two verses from start to finish –sketch on graph paper, transfer sketch to Bible, go over with 005 micron pen, add weight and cover up any mistakes, erase pencil marks, and go over with 03 micron pen to finish
•     Start thinking about verses you want to create in the next lesson
•     Continue to look for and save inspiration.
•     Find a new font you want to use and download it and print it out (as explained in last week’s lesson)

In week three we are going to learn to add color to our verses in our Bibles. Before we learn about adding color to our verses I would like to share with you how I draw a wordy verse.

This is the process I use. You may find a different way that works for you- that is great. I want to share what I do to help those that are struggling with this.   

•        write out the verse on graph paper
•      circle the words you want to emphasize
•      use a line to break up the verse into sections – each section will get a text box on the sketch 
• 
  

·         sketch each section into the corresponding text box 

I I like to measure each line of my sketch and transfer that to my Bible margin.  In the example below (using a different example than the one above)  you can see that I kept my text box measurements the same in the sketch and in the end design in my Bible but I ended up changing the font styles used. 

      Once I have the sketch the way I like it, I will slowly go over the sketch with 005 micron pen. I use this very fine point because I don’t have the steadiest of hands. I tend to get a bit nervous at this step and I almost ALWAYS make a mistake. I use this very fine pen because my mistakes will be small and fine and easy to cover up as I increase the weight of each letter. Sometimes my errors will dictate what the final letter style will end up looking like. Once I have gone over my letters with the 005 micron pen, I will go back over the letters adding weight and fixing errors.

Next step is to erase the pencil markings* and go over any missed spots with a 03 micron pen. Any letter that needed a thicker line or any missed spots are filled in at this time.

*It is important to wait a minute to ensure the ink is dry before you erase the pencil markings. Erasing too soon will smear the ink.

Coloring your verse with colored pencils

Stippling - Stippling uses tiny dots to put color on an image. The placement of the dots will determine the end result. Many dots placed close together will produce a darker deeper color and is used in shading. Fewer dots spaced further apart will produce lighter color and is used for lighter coloring. Practice stippling by drawing dots that are close together and also by drawing dots that have more distance between them. Also, notice the difference between dots made when the pencil is sharp vs. when the pencil point is dull. Stippling is a great way to add some interesting texture to a drawing.

Hatching - Hatching uses a repetition of parallel lines. The lines all go in the same direction. The lines can be close together, far apart, or any variation in between. The pencil is lifted from the paper after each line and then placed down again to create a new line.

Cross-Hatching - Cross-hatching is similar to hatching. Once hatching has been done, repeat the process going over the hatching but in the opposite direction –creating an x pattern. This is a great way to create shading in a drawing. Cross-hatching can create interesting textures.

Back and Forth Stroke - The back and forth stroke is probably the most common of all the colored pencil techniques. This is probably how most of us colored as children and still do today. Basically, you just put your pencil on the paper and draw in a continuous back and forth motion, without lifting your pencil off of the paper. This is a good way to fill different areas of your drawing with a lot of solid color. The end result can vary depending on the point of your pencil. A sharp point gives noticeable lines in the stroke. A softer point will result in a smooth finish.

Scumbling - Scumbling is another technique you probably used as a kid without even knowing that it had a name! Scumbling involves making continuous circular marks on your paper, without lifting your pencil. This is another good way to fill in different areas with lots of color. It can also be used to add interest and texture to a finished image.

The image below uses several of the techniques in one project:

This week’s assignment:

•      Sketch your verse into your Bible
•     Follow the step-by-step instructions for finishing your verse with micron pens
•     Use your colored pencils to add color to your verse. Try one or more coloring techniques.
•     Continue to look for and save inspiration.
•      Find a new font you want to use and download it and print it out (as explained in last week’s lesson)
•     Above all, have fun and use this as a way to praise and worship. If you keep Jesus in mind while you explore this, you will find great joy in the process.

Next class we will layer color using colored pencils.

Lastly, remember this Bible of yours has 1066 pages. You will have a wonderful opportunity to fill it up over time. Not every verse you do will be your favorite, but you will love them all because they are the word of God! Beautiful verses filled with everything we need to live a life full of joy!

Week Four

Since our last class you should have done the following to be prepared for this week’s lesson:

•       Sketch your verse into your Bible
•      Follow the step-by-step instructions for finishing your verse with micron pens
•     Use your colored pencils to add color to your verse. Try one or more coloring techniques.
•     Continue to look for and save inspiration.
•     Find a new font you want to use and download it and print it out (as explained in last week’s lesson)

Last lesson, in addition to learning some coloring techniques, I shared with you the way I tackle a wordy verse. Hopefully, at this point you are confident in your ability to tackle any verse that speaks to you. This lesson we will combine some of the coloring techniques to learn about layering color to create depth and shape.

All three of the above are examples of layered coloring. We will go through each one and use different techniques to achieve the same effects.

Example 1:

1.      Using the back and forth method and not lifting my sky blue pencil from the paper, lay down a light layer of color. Add a bit more to the edges –the center should be lightest.

2.      Using the light blue pencil and scumbling (circular motion) add another layer of color to the outer edges. 

3.      Repeat the process from #2 using your blue colored pencil, but add a bit less. We are trying to get a gradual layer of color from lightest to darkest the progression should be visible but not so obvious. 

4.      Repeat the process from #2 (and #3) using your gray colored pencil –this time only adding very little to the outer edges. This will help create depth.

5.      I like to finish by going over the entire thing with the lightest color used (sky blue pencil) being careful to keep the center light. By doing this it helps blend all the layers of color together. See example below:

The beehive uses the same technique we practiced above.

1.      Start in the center of each section with yellow pencil. I use the back & forth coloring method when putting down the first layer of color.

2.      Use Golden Yellow to add a little more color moving to the edges. There will be an overlap of color but be careful not to fully cover the yellow laid down in step 1. I use a circular motion for this step.

3.      Use Orange lightly in the areas that would have shadow.

4.      Use light brown over the orange.

5.      Use brown just along the lines of the drawing to add depth.

6.      Go over the entire image with yellow to blend and bring the colors together.

The last coloring exercise we will do will cover shape and detail. We will use the jester hat to learn some shading and detail work.

1.      Let us focus on just two parts of the jester’s hat –the stripes and dots parts. Starting with aqua green and orange color the stripes on the hat leaving some parts uncolored. This uncolored part will be the highlight area. (I have colored the whole hat but I want you to focus on just a little bit to start. You can come back and repeat the worksheet coloring the entire hat.)

2.      Go over the area again with the same colors but do not cover the whole area colored in step one. It should look like a gradation of color when you are finished with step 2.

3.      Using the gray pencil color just a tiny bit around the edges or any place a shadow would appear.

4.      Go back over the entire picture with the original colors used in step one. This will blend all the shading and give it dimension.  You may need to use just a bit of black colored pencil to define the inside of the hat.

This week’s assignment:

•     Find a new verse and complete it from start to finish –sketch in pencil, outline with 005 pigma micron pen, erase your pencil lines, add weight to letters with a 03 pigma micron pen, and add color using one or more of the techniques learned in this lesson.
•     Continue to look for (pin on pinterest) Bible Art Journaling examples and save for inspiration.
•       Work on drawing a new font.
•      Try a new coloring technique
•      Above all, have fun and use this as a way to praise and worship. If you keep Jesus in mind while you explore this, you will find great joy in the process.

Next class we will use watercolor to add color to our verses.

Lastly, remember this Bible of yours has 1066 pages. You will have a wonderful opportunity to fill it up over time. Not every verse you do will be your favorite, but you will love them all because they are the word of God! Beautiful verses filled with everything we need to live a life full of joy!

Week Five

Since our last class you should have done the following to be prepared for this week’s lesson:

•      Found a new verse and complete it from start to finish –sketch in pencil, outline with 005 pigma micron pen, erase your pencil lines, add weight to letters with a 03 pigma micron pen, and add color using one or more of the techniques learned in lesson 4.
•     Continue to look for (pin on pinterest) Bible Art Journaling examples and save for inspiration.
•      Work on drawing a new font.
•      Practice the coloring techniques learned in lessons 3 & 4.

At this point in the class my hope is that you are now getting comfortable drawing letters and sketching out a verse. If you haven’t used colored pencils a lot it may take some practice for you to feel comfortable with the medium. Please continue to experiment with adding color to your verses. These last two lessons we will add color by using watercolor paint and inking. Know that by using watercolor paint your page will be wet and therefore when it dries it will change the texture of your page. If this sort of thing bothers you, you may not want to watercolor in your Bible.

The first thing I do before water coloring is to protect the pages under the page I will be painting. I do this by using a piece of waxed paper under the page I am painting.

Once you have your waxed paper in place you will want to gather your supplies before you begin: Paint, paint brush or brushes, a cup of water (to clean your brush), and paper towel. I like to use paper towel to blot away any excess water or paint on the page.

The trick to using watercolor on these thin Bible pages is to figure out how much water to use. This is something you learn by “feel”. If you have too much water, it is hard to control. Not enough water and the color won’t spread well.

This really will be something you need to learn by doing. If you love the idea of water coloring, practice on regular printer paper before you use it on your Bible verse. The first few times I used it I used it to create rays of light. This was a great way to start because it was simple and defined use of paint.

As you progress in your use of different mediums (pen, colored pencils, water color) don’t be afraid to mix them to get the overall desired effect. In the example below I used my micron pen to define the image I wanted to paint. I used water color to add color to the image but when it dried the detail had disappeared and I was displeased with it. I went back over the image with some colored pencils adding detail where I thought it was needed.

This week’s assignment:

• Find a new verse and complete it from start to finish –sketch in pencil, outline with 005 pigma micron pen, erase your pencil lines, add weight to letters with a 03 pigma micron pen, and add color using one or more of the techniques learned.
• Continue to look for Bible Art Journaling examples and save for inspiration.
• Try a new coloring technique

Next class we will use ink to add color to our verses. Lastly, remember this Bible of yours has 1066 pages. You will have a wonderful opportunity to fill it up over time. Not every verse you do will be your favorite, but you will love them all because they are the word of God! Beautiful verses filled with everything we need to live a life full of joy!

Week Six

Since our last class you should have done the following to be prepared for this week’s lesson:

• Find a new verse and complete it from start to finish –sketch in pencil, outline with 005 pigma micron pen, erase your pencil lines, add weight to letters with a 03 pigma micron pen, and add color using one or more of the techniques learned.
• Continue to look for Bible Art Journaling examples and save for inspiration.
• Try a new coloring technique

This week we will use ink pads to color our verses. We will discuss the difference in using ink for coloring and stamping in your Bible.

In the example I will show you I used a stamp, hand lettering, and sponging ink on to color the image. Additionally I used post-it notes to mask areas of the verse to allow different colors used to color. I will go through the process step-by-step so let’s get started.

I am using the verse 2 Timothy 4:17. On that particular page in my Bible (page 997 in the Crossway ESV Journaling Bible) there is a large space that I utilized for this verse.

I started by drawing a 3” x 4” box to place my verse. I placed a line to mark where my stamped “Lord” would be placed and then I sketched the rest of the verse in pencil. I used my 005 pigma micron pen to ink in the pencil lines and then I erased the pencil lines.

I then used my 01 pigma micro pen to add weight to the letters. At this point the verse is finished but I wanted to add color to it. I wanted to use three different colors. I used Stampin’ Up Classic Ink pads: Baja Breeze (retired color), Pear Pizzazz, and So Saffron.  In order to do that I needed to mask off the area I didn’t want colored. I used post-it notes to mask the areas.

After masking, I used a wedge of sponge and an ink pad (Baja Breeze) and began adding ink to the outside corners leaving the center portion uninked so I could add the next color. I attempted to follow the 60-30-10 design rule and used mostly Baja Breeze, then Pear Pizzazz with just a touch of So Saffron.

I took a picture of the next page to show you the bleed through of the ink. I have found that sponging leaves no bleed through but stamping does. For the stamped “Lord” I used Memento Tuxedo Black. As a last touch I used my Stampin’ Up So Saffron Marker brush tip and added just a few shadow details on the banner.

I did one other verse in the same way except in addition to sponging the main area; I used an aquapainter (waterbrush) and a blender pen to add a touch of color. What I found was that the aquapainter didn’t bleed through in small areas, but if used in a larger area, it bleeds. I didn’t have any bleeding with the blender pen, but it wasn’t used in a large area.

The heart in “heartily” was done with a blender pen, all the other hearts were colored with an aquapainter.

This brings Bible Art Journaling 101 to a close. My hope is that you have learned some hand lettering techniques, and coloring with colored pencils, watercolor paints, and inks.

There are a ton of products and materials you can use in Bible Art Journaling. My goal was to show you that it doesn’t require a lot of materials. You could get a lot of bang for your buck by limiting your supplies and finding creative ways to use them.

I thank each one of you for allowing me to share this faith art with you. It has blessed me in many ways. I pray that as you progress in your own Bible Art Journaling you will find great joy in this creative form of worship!