Valentines Art Journal Page - Hop-A-Long Studio

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so today I will be sharing a Valentines art journal page using watercolor. Valentine’s Day can be an interesting holiday, but for many of us, it can bring some mixed feelings. Some of us really enjoy the celebration of love and connection. But Valentine’s Day can also have feelings of pressure to have the perfect experience or life.

Instead of focusing on Valentine’s Day specifically in this journal page, we will be discussing the topic of love.

Thinking About Love

When we think about love, what is love truly about? Love can sometimes feel like the forced display of affection on Valentine’s Day as part of the Hallmark holiday. I believe that it can be so much more than that.

Love can be shown in so many ways, through actions and words as much as gifts and affection. My experience has been some of the ways people have loved me the most are through the small things. Taking time to listen, doing something unexpectedly kind, these are the moments that I treasure the most.

As part of Valentine’s Day, perhaps challenge yourself to reflect on what love truly means to you. This could be through discovering what your own love language is, or that of the people around you. There is more than one way we can celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.

Prompt Questions

For this Valentines art journal page, I started with prompt questions that came to mind. For this page on love, it was 3 questions.

“What do I think love is?”
“What things make me feel loved?”
“How can I reach out and love others?”

When reflecting on these questions, I thought about how during this pandemic, it has been very easy to fall into complacency. We are around our families more than usual, so it can be easy to forget what a gift they are to us. Taking the time to say, “I love you” or to do something special for them can mean a lot during this challenging time. This page was from a place of reflection, to challenge myself on how I see love, how I show love, and how I can connect with others in a meaningful way.

The Valentines Journal Page

For this Valentines art journal page, I was struggling where to start. Sometimes it can be hard to turn the ideas into art and figure out how to make everything come together.

One way to get past this mental block is to start by adding a watercolor wash to the page. This often takes away the intimidation of a blank page and breaks up the white space. If you ever have moments of uncertainty where to start on a journal page, start with some watercolor.

Choosing Your Surface

Choosing a surface can sometimes be challenging. Do you start with something smooth or rough? Absorbent or less absorbent? There are many choices of surfaces out there, my favorites are hot press watercolor paper, Bristol board or a mixed media paper. I prefer a surface that can handle water but is also smooth.

Depending on your book, you may have fixed or removable pages. Both have benefits and drawbacks depending on how you like to create. For this week’s project the surface is Bristol paper because it is smooth which is great for stamping but also can handle the wetness of watercolor. This page is from a removable page journal that is taped it down with drafter’s tape.

Adding Watercolor

After choosing your surface, add a watercolor wash to the journal page. Start with brushing the entire paper with an even layer of water. This is the start of watercolor wet-on-wet technique. Start adding watercolor paint to the surface. As the surface already is wet, the watercolor will move and blend on the page. By using a variety of colors, create a watercolor background.

Adding Salt

Adding Kosher Salt to Watercolor Background

While the watercolor surface is still wet, add coarse salt in a varied pattern across the page. I prefer to use Kosher salt because of the larger crystal structure. If you have any pooling on the page, adding the salt to these areas will make interesting patterns as the paper dries. Set aside and allow to dry fully.

Stamping on Vellum

Stamping Heartfelt Creations Heart Stamp on Vellum

Using Archival Jet Black ink and a heart stamp, stamp the image onto vellum. When stamping on vellum, use an ink that will dry on a less absorbent surface. Set aside to dry.

Removing Salt from Watercolor Surface

Removing Salt from Watercolor Background once Dry

Once the watercolor surface is fully dry, gently rub the salt off the surface. In some areas the salt will have absorbed into the surface leaving a glittery crystalline structure. The key is to remove the large pieces of salt that are bumpy and will get in the way of adding other layers to the page.

Blending Ink Through a Stencil

Adding Tim Holtz Distress Ink through a Stencil

To add subtle variation in colors and textures, blend ink through a stencil with large spaces to add variation to the background. I used TCW stencil Poppy Field with Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry Distress Ink. By blending the colors together through the stencil, we create variation to the pink background.

To add an additional layer and a contrasting color, use Mermaid Lagoon Distress Ink through a fine detailed stencil. By changing the placement of the stencil and the amount of area inked as movement and variation to the background.

Stamping Flourish Images

Adding Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Baroque Stamp to Valentine Art Journal Page

Stamp the Baroque flourish images onto the art journal page. By stamping off the page and layering the images for this step we add a focal point to the background.

Adding Blending Ink to Stamped Heart

To complete the focal images for this page, blend ink onto the surface of the stamped heart using Picked Raspberry Distress Ink. Color in details on the stamp with a blue Pitt Pen. Fussy cut the image out.

Adding the Focal Images

Adhere the heart and the word love (you can use stickers or die cut out your own words) to the page using glue dots. For a strong composition, use the rule of thirds when arranging your focal images.

Adding Gel Pen to the Words

Adding Gelly Roll Pen Dots to Die Cut Letters

I like to add additional texture to the words on the journal page. Using a Sakura Gelli Pen, add dots around the border of the words. This not only adds texture to the words, but this also ties the colors into the rest of the journal page.

Adding Journaling

The final step is to add journaling to the page. This can be added anywhere on the page, but I prefer adding journaling around the images on the art journal page.

What Do You Think?

What do you think about this Valentines art journal page? Did you find the prompt questions helpful as a place to start thinking about the topic of love? I would love to hear what you think about the techniques shown and would love to see what you create. Please leave a comment below, contact me directly, or share your work on Instagram with the hashtag #hopalongstudio. I would love to see your work and start a conversation!

Art Journal Project Supply List

Koh-I-Noor Bristol Journal
Winsor and Newton Cotman Watercolors: Permanent Rose, Alizarin Crimson Hue, Purple Lake
Mission Watercolor Permanent Deep Red
Princeton Elite Quill Watercolor Brush Size 6
Ranger Jet Black Archival Ink
Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Mermaid Lagoon, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry
Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous Baroque CMS400
Stencils: The Crafter’s Workshop Poppy Field and Studio Calico Chevron Mask
Paper: Staples 90lb Black Cardstock, Vellum
Letters: LOVE Die Cut from Brother Scan N’ Cut
Pens: Faber-Castell Pitt Pen Phthalo Blue Blue, Sakura Gelly Roll Gold Shadow Pink-Gold, Krazy Pop Iridescent Metallic Velvet Stardust Gel Pen
Adhesive: Thermoweb Zots
Other Materials: Board, Drafting Tape, Water, Water Container, Stamping Block, Kosher Salt, Scissors, Ranger Mini Blending Tool and Foam