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Chocolate Musings

Set your goals - make the plans - artfully create your life - live it beautifully. Grab the good chocolate and find your muse.

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    • Product & Book Reviews
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    • Get Creative
    • Start Handlettering
    • Handlettering Fun Styles
    • Tutorials & How-To
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    • Start Planning Here
    • Planner Spreads & Themes
    • Plan With Me Archives
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Home » Get Creative » Creating Art - Watercolor, Painting & Drawing

Project: Creating Contrast in a White Door Subject – Watercolor Portrait Painting

February 20, 2024 Leave a Comment

Watercolor Project - White Door Portrait - How to create contrast and interest with White Subject Matter in Watercolor | ChocolateMusings.com

Project Details: White Door Portrait

In this post, you’ll learn how to create contrast when watercolor painting a white door.

I love painting doors. There’s something magical about entryways. Some doors could be the portal to a whole new world. I love to paint colorful doors with contrasting colors of flowers framing the door frame. But what do you do if you want to paint a white door? How do you create enough contrast in the painting?

When someone near and dear to my heart came to me and asked me to paint their grandmother’s door – which they called their happy place – I knew I was in for a challenge since the door was white. Not only was the door white, but so was the siding, the railing, and the front stoop.

How in the world do you paint white on white with watercolor? By using shadows and other contrasting elements. Challenge accepted.

White Front Door Portrait - Create Contrast with Shadows when white is the main color in your painting | ChocolateMusings.com

Table of contents

  • Project Details: White Door Portrait
  • The Challenge: White Door Painting
  • Project Details
  • Shoppable Product Links
  • YouTube Paint With Me Video
  • How I Created Contrast in this White Door Watercolor Painting
    • Base Color
    • Keep Your Shadows Consistent
  • Fixing Watercolor Mistakes: When You Add Too Much Color
  • Tips for Painting While the Layers Dry
    • How To Know If an Area is Completely Dry
  • Use a Good Brush
  • Removing the Tape & Finishing the Painting

The Challenge: White Door Painting

The challenge with this painting is that this door is white, the house is white, the railing is white, and the stairs are white. Creating contrast is difficult when everything is white. If you stop and look at the photo for a minute, you’ll start to notice shadows and variations of color. This wasn’t going to be a painting of a white door. No, instead, this painting would emphasize the shadows and colors to frame the door to make this door stand out.

I used several reference photos and combined them to create a whole new photo. One where I could see the welcome mat, another photo featured the bushes in the front, and a third photo featured the door details.

Project Details

(See Below for Shoppable Product Links)

5×7 Arches Watercolor Paper – Trimmed from a bigger sheet
Daniel Smith Paints
#4 & #6 Round Brushes
Flat 1″ Wash Brush
Masking Tape
Art Board

Believe it or not – despite this project being a white door with white siding, here are all the colors I used.

  • Buff Titanium
  • Paynes Gray
  • Raw Umber
  • Indigo
  • Quinacridone Rose
  • Sap Green
  • Deep Sap green
  • Amethyst Genuine
  • Rose of Ultramarine
  • Imperial Purple
  • Raw Sienna
  • Raw Sienna Light
  • Yellow Ochre
  • Cobalt Blue
  • Phthalo Blue – Green Shade
  • Dr. Ph Martin’s Iridescent Copperplate Gold

Shoppable Product Links

White Door Portrait
Arches Cold Press Paper Pad – 10×14Arches Cold Press Paper Pad – 10×14 This size trims to 5x7 perfectly!

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith – Amethyst GenuineDaniel Smith – Amethyst Genuine

>> Link to Product Amazon
Daniel Smith – Buff Titanium 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Buff Titanium 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith – Deep Sap GreenDaniel Smith – Deep Sap Green

>> Link to Product Amazon
Daniel Smith – Imperial PurpleDaniel Smith – Imperial Purple

>> Link to Product Amazon
Daniel Smith – Indigo 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Indigo 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith – Payne’s Gray 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Payne’s Gray 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Rose 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Quinacridone Rose 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product
>> Link to Product
Daniel Smith – Raw Sienna 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Raw Sienna 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith – Raw Sienna Light 15ml TubeDaniel Smith – Raw Sienna Light 15ml Tube

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith – Raw Umber 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Raw Umber 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product
>> Link to Product
Daniel Smith – Rose of Ultramarine 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Rose of Ultramarine 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith – Sap Green 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Sap Green 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product
>> Link to Product
Daniel Smith – Yellow Ochre 5 ml TubeDaniel Smith – Yellow Ochre 5 ml Tube

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Dr. Ph Martin’s Iridescent Copperplate GoldDr. Ph Martin’s Iridescent Copperplate Gold My go-to favorite gold paint!

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Masking TapeMasking Tape

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com
Princeton Heritage Pro 4050 Synthetic Sable Brushes Round 2, Round 6, Round 12, and Angle Wash 1/2″Princeton Heritage Pro 4050 Synthetic Sable Brushes Round 2, Round 6, Round 12, and Angle Wash 1/2″

>> Link to Product Blick.com
Princeton Heritage Pro 4050 Synthetic Sable Brushes Round 3/0, Round 3, Round 10, and Wash 3/4″Princeton Heritage Pro 4050 Synthetic Sable Brushes Round 3/0, Round 3, Round 10, and Wash 3/4″

>> Link to Product Amazon
>> Link to Product Blick.com

Do you know someone who wants to start watercoloring? Check out my Christmas Watercolor Wish List!

Colors in this watercolor project - is it a garden? a tree in full bloom? No. Believe it or not, it's a door portrait painting. A white door portrait painting with white siding. What did I do with all these colors? Find out more. |  ChocolateMusings.com

YouTube Paint With Me Video

Watch the YouTube Video here. I’ll show you all the techniques I used to create contrast while painting this white door and give you even more tips and tricks.

How I Created Contrast in this White Door Watercolor Painting

The trick to watercolor painting anything white is to paint the contrast in the shadows but not let the shadows take over. In the case of painting this white door, I used the shadows from both the door frame and under the siding to break up large blocks of color.

The other trick is to find and emphasize any color in the frame – use it to contrast the white. In this case, I used the flowers upfront, the doormat, the little decorations hanging outside the door, and many-layered shadows to emphasize the door frame and siding.

Door Portrait Line Drawing #beforethepaint - How to Create Contrast with a white door and white siding - watercolor tips & techniques | ChocolateMusings.com
Door Portrait - Finished - Lots of Color, Lots of Contrast in What Could Have Been a Boring Painting | ChocolateMusings.com

Base Color

Instead of pure white, I used watered-down buff titanium for the base color. It’s very soft and warm – a perfect undertone for this door. The more water you use, the softer the color – but the more color you will need to build up to create contrast.

Painting deeper tones such as (very) watered-down Indigo, Payne’s Gray, or Neutral Tint around the door frame adds more contrast and helps the door stand out from the background.

The idea is not to be too dramatic with the colors but to create layers of varying contrast as you watercolor this white door.

Adding the first layer of shadows surrounding the door for this door portrait. It's important to build up the color when the colors are soft and muted | ChocolateMusings.com
More layers of shadow to create more contrast with a light color palette | ChocolateMusings.com

Keep Your Shadows Consistent

Painting in shadows is one of the best ways to create a distinction of color in this painting. Build up watercolor layers to create the right contrast around the white door and frame.

To keep your shadows consistent, decide where your light source is before you start painting. In this case, I chose the light source from the left.

TIP: If you struggle with remembering and creating consistency in your light source, add a reminder dot or sticky note to reference while painting. You could even cut out a cute little sun or light bulb and tape it to your painting board to remind you where the light is coming from.

Fixing Watercolor Mistakes: When You Add Too Much Color

One struggle throughout this process was that I kept adding too much color to the siding. I used a paper towel to dab the still-wet color away to fix the mistake.

Don’t forget that you can lift watercolor off the page if you make a mistake or need to lighten the tone slightly. This works best if the paint is non-staining. But even with staining paint, you can lift a lot of the color off the paper when the paint is still wet.

Added too much color? Blot it out with a dry paper towel before the paint dries. It's much easier to remove wet paint than to try to remove paint once it's dried. | Watercolor tips & tricks | ChocolateMusings.com

Tips for Painting While the Layers Dry

Sometimes I get too impatient with watercolor – but if you don’t let it dry between layers, you’ll end up with a muddy mess or watercolor blooms. So that’s why I flit about the painting and work on different areas at different times.

In this door painting, I used the door frame as a buffer between the areas of wet-on-wet painting so I could paint one area (like the door) and work on a different area (like the siding) while the different areas dried.

How To Know If an Area is Completely Dry

You will know if an area is completely dry if it is no longer cool to the touch. If it’s cool when you touch it, the paper isn’t yet entirely dry.

Use a Good Brush

Use a good paintbrush. Except for a wash in one place, I painted nearly everything with a #4 or #6 size brush. What’s nice with these size brushes is that you can get a pointy, fine tip to the end of the brush. You can hold so much water in the brush and get amazing blends and washes when needed.

Adding Shadows to the Railing - Build up your color base and add layers of watered down color to create more contrast in your watercolor paintings | ChocolateMusings.com
Shadows to the siding - add color diluted with gray for more shadows, then blend it out with water to create soft shadows | ChocolateMusings.com
Adding more color with plants - creates interest and contrast in your color scheme | ChocolateMusings.com

Removing the Tape & Finishing the Painting

For the oh-so-satisfying part of removing your tape, ensure the page is 100% dry before removing the tape. If you don’t, it will tear. Remove the tape at an angle and watch those satisfying, clean lines reveal crisp edges.

I’m glad for the opportunity to paint this client’s happy place. It was such a great exercise in balancing contrast and tone for this white door portrait. I’m sorry I didn’t take better pictures of the final result. I sent off the final painting too quickly to its new owner. And I didn’t photograph it very well.

Satisfying Tape Peel from Completed Watercolor House Portrait Painting | ChocolateMusings.com
Satisfying Tape Peel from Completed Watercolor House Portrait Painting | ChocolateMusings.com
Door Portrait - Finished - Lots of Color, Lots of Contrast in What Could Have Been a Boring Painting | ChocolateMusings.com
White Front Door Portrait - Create Contrast with Shadows when white is the main color in your painting | ChocolateMusings.com
How to Create Interest and Contrast with White Doors and White Siding - Watercolor House Portrait - Watercolor Door  - Watercolor Tutorial | ChocolateMusings.com

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Filed Under: Blog, Creating Art - Watercolor, Painting & Drawing, Get Creative, Paint Tutorial / Paint With Me Tagged: how to, paint with me, tips and tricks, watercolor

2022 Christmas Watercolor Wishlist

October 18, 2022 Leave a Comment

Watercolor Christmas Wishlist - build your list - get ideas - celebrate | ChocolateMusings.com

Here is my 2022 Christmas Watercolor Wishlist! Each year for Christmas, my husband likes me to send him a list of items I’d love. He doesn’t like me to send a small list because then I’d know what’s under the tree (I’m really good at guessing). This year, I decided to share my wishlist with you and include items that a budding watercolor artist would enjoy. I’ll also add a Bullet Journal Christmas wishlist as well. I hope some of these products inspire you – either for yourself or someone who likes to watercolor paint or bullet journal (or both!).

I don’t consider myself a beginner when it comes to watercolor. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t like to study techniques. I’m a self-taught artist with a few art classes scattered throughout high school and college, so there are LOTS of things I don’t know.

No matter where you (or your loved one) fall on the progression scale, I’m sure you’ll find something that suits your skill level or desire to improve in my 2021 Christmas Watercolor Wishlist. Whether you are an observer, an absolute beginner, a beginning dabbler, or someone with intermediate skills, I’m excited to share this wishlist with you and think you’ll find some fantastic products to add to your Christmas Watercolor Wishlist as well.

Looking For a Particular Item? Skip to it Here

  • Fineliner Pens (Waterproof)
  • Watercolor Tutorial Books – Perfect for your 2021 Christmas Wish list
    • A Little Summary About the Artists From This List – My Opinion, Of Course
      • Jeannie Dickson
      • Anna Victory Calderon
      • Jenna Rainey
      • Anna Koladych
      • Marina Bakasova
      • Mako
      • Adelene Fletcher
  • Step-By-Step Floral Drawing Books & Flower Reference Books
  • What’s on Your Watercolor Christmas List this Year?

Watercolor Paint – Christmas Wishlist Tips

Watercolor Paint - explore my favorites and add some to your Watercolor Christmas Wishlist! | ChocolateMusings.com

When shopping for paint, if the person you’re shopping for already has some supplies, get a list of what they already have OR what paint colors they want. Maybe they’ve had their eye on a particular Daniel Smith paint tube. Paint tubes are pricey (they last a long time, especially if you can fill half-pans with the tubes) but pricey upfront nonetheless.

I love my Daniel Smith paints, but it all depends on what they have already. In general, the more expensive paints, the better they will be. If you can opt for artists’ grade or professional grade paints. Believe me. The paint tubes go farther than you imagined.

If you’d like to start with just a few colors, opt for a mixing set or start with pre-filled pans. Don’t try to get all the colors all at once.

By the way, you’d also be surprised at how much paint you can get from a dot card sampler set. The dot cards are a very good way to test colors and see which ones are your favorites. It’s how I determined which paints to add to my wishlist and which ones I don’t care much for.

Watercolor Paints
  • Dr. Ph Martin’s Iridescent Copperplate Gold My go-to favorite gold paint!
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Coliro Finetec Iridescent Pearlcolors Watercolor Paints
  • Daniel Smith – 15 Half Pans Ultimate Mixing Set
  • Daniel Smith – 238 Watercolor Dot Color Chart
  • Daniel Smith – Essentials Mixing Watercolor Set
  • Daniel Smith – Introductory Essentials Watercolors with 6 Tubes
  • Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints
  • Daniel Smith – Payne’s Gray 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Daniel Smith – Raw Umber 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product
    >> Link to Product
  • Daniel Smith – Rose of Ultramarine 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Dr PH Martin’s Bleed Proof White
  • Marie’s Travel Paint Set – 18 Colors
  • Marie’s Watercolor Paint Set – 48 Half Pans
  • Meeden Travel Fold Out Watercolor Paint Set
  • MeiLiang Watercolor Paints – 36 Colors – Fun Beginner Paints
  • Paul Reuben Glitter Metallic Watercolor 48 Colors
  • Paul Reubens Watercolor Paint Metallic Glitter – 24 Color
Daniel Smith Individual Paint Tubes (5ml)
  • Daniel Smith – Amethyst Genuine
    >> Link to Product Amazon
  • Daniel Smith – Buff Titanium 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Daniel Smith – Deep Sap Green
    >> Link to Product Amazon
  • Daniel Smith – Imperial Purple
    >> Link to Product Amazon
  • Daniel Smith – Cobalt Blue 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Daniel Smith – Indigo 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Daniel Smith – Payne’s Gray 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Daniel Smith – Quinacridone Rose 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product
    >> Link to Product
  • Daniel Smith – Raw Sienna 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Daniel Smith – Raw Umber 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product
    >> Link to Product
  • Daniel Smith – Rose of Ultramarine 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Daniel Smith – Sap Green 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product
    >> Link to Product
  • Daniel Smith – Yellow Ochre 5 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith Individual Tube Paints (15ml)
  • Daniel Smith – Phthalo Blue Green Shade 15 ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Daniel Smith – Raw Sienna Light 15ml Tube
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
Daniel Smith Sets
  • Daniel Smith – 15 Half Pans Ultimate Mixing Set
  • Daniel Smith – 238 Watercolor Dot Color Chart
  • Daniel Smith – Essentials Mixing Watercolor Set
  • Daniel Smith – Introductory Essentials Watercolors with 6 Tubes
  • Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints
Liquid Watercolor
  • Dr. Ph Martin’s Iridescent Copperplate Gold My go-to favorite gold paint!
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com

Watercolor Paper

Watercolor Paper - which is your favorite? What would make it on a christmas wishlist? | ChocolateMusings.com

Paper is something you’ll probably develop your own preference for. However, getting started can be somewhat daunting. First of all, yes. It needs to be paper specifically designed to handle watercolor.

Here are two types to try:

Canson Cold Pressed paper & Arches Cold Pressed paper. Those are my selections for getting started. But if you want to give (or get!) something different than you might buy for yourself – consider a watercolor block with a cover or an art journal. Similar to the Paul Rubens Watercolor Paper Block or the Strathmore Watercolor Art Journal. For some reason, these two products feel…special. Which is what’s intended in a gift, right?

Arches paper can seem a bit intimidating because of its cost. But it accepts paints beautifully, in my opinion. There is a different feel switching from cotton paper to pulp paper (not cotton). Give your inner artist a chance to try the ‘expensive’ paper.

Side note: I was also surprised at the good quality of the Arteza cotton paper.

The difference between a watercolor pad and a watercolor block is that the block is glued together on all sides, so only the top page is accessible at once. It creates a better surface to use a lot more water since the pages don’t buckle. Keep in mind that there are ways or alternatives when using a paper pad.

Watercolor Paper
  • Arches Cold Press Paper Pad – 10×14 This size trims to 5x7 perfectly!
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Arches Watercolor Block 140lb 9×12
  • Arches Watercolor Paper Pad 140lb 9×12″
  • Arteza Watercolor Paper Pad 9×12″ 140lb
  • Canson XL Watercolor Pads 140 lb Watercolor Paper (9×12) – other sizes avail. in the link
  • Paul Rubens Watercolor Journal – Travel Art Journal – Field Notebook Style 7.6×5.3
  • Paul Rubens Watercolor Paper Block 15.4×10.6″ 140 lb
  • Strathmore Softcover Watercolor Art Journal
  • Strathmore Watercolor Journal – Wire Bound 5.5×8

Watercolor Brushes

What Watercolor Paintbrushes would make your Christmas Wishlist? | ChocolateMusings.com

Just like your paper, your paintbrushes can make or break your painting. I love my Princeton brushes. I also have a set from The Pigeon Letters that I love to use as well. There are a few other types that I’ve enjoyed listed below, too.

Whichever set you settle on, take care of your brushes. Please don’t leave them in the water or smash them on the bottom of your water cups. Take care of them!

I don’t often use water pain pens anymore, but they are fun for travel and other situations.

Watercolor Paintbrushes
  • Disposable Masking Fluid Paint Brushes
  • Princeton Heritage Series 4050 Synthetic Sable Watercolor Brushes
  • Princeton Heritage Synthetic Sable Paint Brushes
  • Silicone Tipped Paint Brushes for Masking Fluid
  • The Pigeon Letters Paint Brushes
  • Watercolor Water Pens
  • ZenArt Eatercolor Synthetic Paint Brushes

Other Watercolor Supplies – a Perfect Addition to a 2021 Christmas Wishlist

Additional {essential} (and fun!) supplies for watercoloring enthusiasts - Christmas Watercolor Wishlists should include supplies you might not buy for yourself | ChocolateMusings.com

I love to use watercolor pencils for my base sketches before watercolor painting. The watercolor pencil marks fade away with water, so no annoying pencil lines are showing through my finished painting, making them worthwhile. I wouldn’t say I like to use watercolor pencils exclusively – so having a few pencils is all I need.

Of course, if the artist you are shopping for wants to try watercolor pencils, who am I to tell them no? Here are some great watercolor pencils that would go great under someone’s Christmas tree or add to your wishlist.

I’ve also included some other watercolor supplies that make me very happy. Empty tins for making your own palettes and empty half-pans for pouring your own paint and making a customized watercolor paint palette. Yes, these are some of my favorite things.

If empty watercolor half-pan wells end up on your watercolor Christmas wishlist this year, get the kind with magnets. That way, you can choose if you want to use the brackets in the tin or if you’d rather arrange them as you please.

Watercolor Pencils
  • Art Graf – Pack of 2 Pencils with Soft Lead
  • Arteza Pack of 3 Watercolor Pencils
  • Faber-Castel Watercolor Pencil Tin (24-Pack)
  • Kimberly Watercolor Pencils – 4 Neutral Colors
  • Watercolor Pencils – 72 Count
Watercolor Supplies
  • Ceramic Paint Palette – Large 17 Wells + 2 Large Mixing Areas
  • Ceramic Paint Palette – Large Square – 32 Wells + Mixing Area
  • Ceramic Paint Palette – Medium
  • Ceramic Paint Palette with 7 Wells 9.5″
  • Empty Watercolor Half Pans
  • Empty Watercolor Tins – With and Without Half-Pans
  • Kimberly Watercolor Pencil Neutral
  • Masking Tape
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • Watercolor Ground – Transparent
  • Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid

Drawing Pencils & Erasers – Essentials for a Watercolor Christmas Wishlist

Pencils & Erasers - Watercolor isn't just about slapping paint on the paper. It's about planning and composition etc. That's why a good pencil and eraser set makes my Christmas Watercolor Wishlist! | ChocolateMusings.com

Watercolor is more than just slapping paint on paper. Many times you have to plan out your piece, which means sketching, measuring, and other things. Of course, these are just preparation before using your paints. But depending on your subject matter, preparation makes all the difference.

Erasers
  • Dust Catch Eraser – Black
  • Paper mate White Pearl Eraser (Latex Free)
  • Pentel Hi-Polymer Erasers
  • Sand Eraser – to Remove Colored Pencil & Pen Marks
Pencils
  • Pentel Sharp Mechanical Pencil .7mm Metallic

Fineliner Pens (Waterproof)

Waterproof Fineliner Pens - which make my list of favorites? There's more than just Micron pens on my favorites list. | ChocolateMusings.com

You may wonder why I listed fine liner pens in my Watercolor Christmas Wishlist. You can use waterproof pens for lots of techniques in a watercolor painting. For one, draw a line drawing directly on the paper and then do watercolor washes over the top. Another way is to paint abstract colors/shapes in the background, and then once the paint is dry, draw over them with a fine-liner pen. Adding details to a nearly-finished painting or outlines to the edges of your painting to your drawings are also fun techniques.

Inking Pens - Fineliners (Waterproof)
  • Copic Markers – Multiline Inking Pen Set – Waterproof – 9 Tip Sizes
  • Sakura Pigma Micron Fineliner Pens – Waterproof – 10 Sizes
  • Winsor & Newton Fineliner Pens – Pack of 5 – Waterproof (Assorted Sizes)
  • Zebra Zensations Technical Drawing Fineliner – Waterproof – 6 Pens

Rulers/Measuring

Rulers and Measuring - what devices do you love and which would you love to get? | ChocolateMusings.com

The Helix circle maker tool is hands down one of my top favorite tools. This circle maker tool is both for bullet journals & watercolor painting – this simple yet amazing tool is always a favorite. Yet, having a good ruler is always necessary. I’m partial to the metal rulers with cork backers.

Have you ever tried a rolling ruler? They’re magical.

Rulers & Measuring
  • 12″ Helix Circle Ruler One of my favorite circle maker tools!
    >> Link to Product Amazon
    >> Link to Product Blick.com
  • 12″ Metal Ruler with Cork Base
  • 12″ Rolling Ruler
  • 6″ Metal Ruler with Cork Base
  • 6″ Rolling Ruler
  • Circle Maker – Helix Angle Maker (one of my favorite tools ever!)

Skillshare – Learn all the Skills

My favorite learning platform - you get so much more than YouTube | ChocolateMusings.com

Although YouTube is great, I LOVE Skillshare and feel like I get so much more out of the Skillshare lessons I take. I try to take at least one lesson per week. And it’s not just watercoloring. I love Procreate Art lessons on the iPad, time management, creative practice, and so many more.

Skillshare is a great option if you’re looking for a great gift for a creative loved one – no matter their skill level.

Watercolor Tutorial Books – Perfect for your 2021 Christmas Wish list

Tutorial Books - step by step - do you prefer books or videos? I like a little of both! | ChocolateMusings.com

I also love watercolor books. Even though I have several watercolor books already, there are a few more that make my 2021 Christmas Wishlist.

Watercolor Books
  • 15-Minute Watercolor Masterpieces
    >> Link to Product Amazon
  • Adeline Fletcher – Watercolor Books from A to Z
  • Ana Victoria Calderon – Watercolor Books
  • Hello Watercolor! Watercolor Book – Creative Techniques and Inspiring Projects for the Beginning Artist
  • Jenna Rainey – Watercolor Books
  • Marina Bakasova – Watercolor Books
  • No-Fail Watercolor: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Painting with Confidence

A Little Summary About the Artists From This List – My Opinion, Of Course

Jeannie Dickson

Jeannie Dickson is one of my favorite watercolor artists. She’s fascinating to watch and very inspiring. Any of her products would be a great gift.

Anna Victory Calderon

Ana Victoria Calderon is another one of my favorite watercolor artists, and she has so many amazing watercolor technique books available. I purchased a class from her on Domestika. In this class, she spoke in Spanish, and the subtitles were in English, so I had to pay extra attention to the class; otherwise, I’d miss everything. It was one of the most difficult classes I’ve seen simply because I had to read everything quickly (I even slowed it down a little!). But it’s also one of the classes that I learned the most.

Jenna Rainey

Jenna Rainey’s books look interesting as well. I don’t know if I could purchase something from her, but if I got it as a gift, I might use it.

Side Note: You might be wondering why I’d say that I couldn’t purchase from her. She shared one time that she acquired a box of artist supplies through a mistake that her moving company made. She ended up with someone else’s prized art supplies. I don’t know the whole story; perhaps she tried to find the original owner through the moving company. But I know if I lost my box of art supplies when I moved, I would be devastated. I wouldn’t have an issue if she tried to find the original owner. The box of supplies changed her life. I’m all for life-changing moments but not at someone else’s expense.

Anna Koladych

Anna Koladych – I own her 15-minute watercolor masterpieces book. The easy approach to the varied techniques in her book makes watercolors approachable. I think if I got into Guache or Oil Pastels – I’m sure these books would be wonderful.

Marina Bakasova

Marina Bakasova – What a fun, whimsical style she has! Watercolor Success in Four Steps looks intriguing, and I certainly love the loose, whimsical style she shows.

Mako

No-Fail Watercolor: The ultimate beginner’s guide to painting with confidence – By Mako. Mako is absolutely one of my favorite YouTube artists. She has this way of making you feel at ease while explaining her techniques. You best believe that I will be on the lookout for more books and resources from this artist.

Adelene Fletcher

After stumbling upon Adelene Fletcher’s watercolor books, I knew I needed to add some of these to my 2021 Christmas Watercolor wishlist. With a series of various paintings from A to Z and another series using pocket palettes, I would be excited to explore the watercolor world through her books.

Step-By-Step Floral Drawing Books & Flower Reference Books

Beyond painting tutorial books - Floral Tutorial Books are some of my favorites. I love painting florals - so why not learn how to draw them better? | ChocolateMusings.com

I think that step-by-step books are a great place to start. Especially when the subject matter is flowers. So if you’re shopping for a budding artist or you are a budding artist, add some step-by-step drawing books to your Christmas watercolor wishlist.

I already own several floral drawing and reference books. In fact, here’s a post with my top favorite flower books. I’ve expanded my list of flower reference books below, and I’m excited to share them.

Beyond step-by-step flower drawing books, I love floral reference books. My favorite books provide photographs and artist’s drawing of the books. I find that the artists’ drawings help me see the most important parts of the flowers, making drawing each flower easier.

Floral Drawing Books Step-by-Step
  • Draw Like an Artist: 100 Flowers and Plants
  • How to Draw Modern Florals
  • In Bloom: A Step-By-Step Guide to Drawing Lush Florals
Flower Reference Books
  • An Illustrated Guide to Garden Flowers
  • National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers
  • The Watercolor Flower Painter’s A to Z
  • Wild Flowers by Colour

What’s on Your Watercolor Christmas List this Year?

So now that I’ve shared my wishlist and favorite watercolor supplies. I’d love to know… what’s on your watercolor Christmas wishlist for this year? Be sure to pin the image for later. You know, you don’t have to make a wishlist ONLY at Christmas, right?

2021 Watercolor Christmas Wishlist - build your list - get ideas - celebrate | ChocolateMusings.com

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Filed Under: Blog, Creating Art - Watercolor, Painting & Drawing, Get Creative, Get Inspired, My Muses (My Favorites & Inspiration) Tagged: Christmas, products, watercolor, wishlist

Watercolor Tape Tips (for Easy Removal Later!)

December 7, 2021 Leave a Comment

Tape Tricks for Watercolor Painting and Bullet Journals - for when you want to remove it later! | ChocolateMusings.com

Whether you paint exclusively on watercolor paper or dabble with painting in your bullet journal, these tips will help you get those clean lines and avoid tearing the paper. Here are some of my favorite watercolor tape tips.

Table of contents

  • Watercolor Tape Tips
  • How to Make Washi Tape Less Sticky (So You Can Remove it Later)
  • Other Suggestions to Easily Remove Sticky Tape
    • More Tape Tips:
  • My Favorite Tapes (for Journals & Painting)

Watercolor Tape Tips

Here’s a watercolor tip I discovered early on – how to make the tape less sticky (so you can remove it later). Sounds weird, right? Why would you want to make the tape less sticky? If you’ve ever used tape for the border of your painting and tried to remove it later only to tear your painting, you know the frustration.

Tips to Avoid Tape Tears on your Watercolor Paintings | ChocolateMusings.com

I love washi tape for decorating select pages in my bullet journal. I especially love using painter’s tape to block off borders when I watercolor paint. Using tape as a permanent decoration is great, but removing it cleanly can be an issue. It’s especially frustrating when the tape rips the paper off of your hard work. There’s a trick to make washi tape (or painter’s tape) less sticky so you can remove it later. The best part? This watercolor tape trick is easy to do.

And who doesn’t love a good tape-peel reveal video? Sooooo satisfying.

How to Make Washi Tape Less Sticky (So You Can Remove it Later)

Washi tape or painter’s tape can ruin a painting or creation if it peels or shreds the paper as you peel it away. The trick is to make the tape less sticky before you apply it to your paper. It will still have enough tack to stick to the paper while painting your masterpiece but remove it cleanly when finished. Be sure to read the other painting tips below to help save your paintings!

  1. Remove the tape you plan on using from the roll.
  2. Press it against a pair of jeans or cotton shorts or shirt, and remove and reapply it to the clothing if the tape is very tacky.
  3. Do this until the washi tape is not as sticky. You’ll gather a bit of fuzz, but remove a lot of the tack from the washi tape or artist’s tape so you can remove it from the sheet of paper without tearing apart the document.
Tape too sticky? Tearing your watercolor paintings? Apply the tape to your jeans to remove 'tack' for just the right amount of sticky. You're welcome | ChocolateMusings.com

Some people recommend doing this on carpet or other cloth surfaces. Sticking tape to a rug or carpet brings up an unwanted conversation about how much I need to replace my vacuum. (Try it; you might question your vacuum as well. If not, I’d love to know what brand you use and how often you vacuum.)

Sticking the tape to jeans work best, but if I’m arting around in leggings, those cotton/spandex material blend pants work almost as well as those hearty, hip-hugging jeans.

Now the washi tape or painter’s tape is less sticky, and you’re ready to use it in your bullet journal or on your artwork!

Important! Before removing the tape from your paper, ensure your painting is completely dry before trying to peel away any tape. If your painting is cool to the touch, even if it feels dry, it’s not *really* dry.

Note: If you forget to do this before sticking your beloved washi tape down or use artist’s tape to block off the edges of your painting, never fear! I have a couple of other suggestions below.

Make Perfect Borders on Your Watercolor Paintings - Love Tape Reveals | ChocolateMusings.com

Other Suggestions to Easily Remove Sticky Tape

Here are a couple of other excellent tips to note about removing artists’ tape or washi tape on paper:

First of all, I know I’ve said this before, but It’s worth repeating: Make sure your painting is completely dry. It won’t feel at all cool to the touch if it’s ready.

  • Peel your tape slowly. This is not a band-aid!
  • Slowly peel the tape at an angle away from your painting (see pictures below) – do not peel straight back or pull straight up. Peeling at an angle away from the painting will help avoid those annoying little tears along the edges.
  • Is your tape still too sticky? (Or let’s face it, you forgot the washi tape + jeans trick?) Blast it with a bit of hot air from a blow dryer (not too hot, of course). It will heat the glue on the tape and let you slowly peel it away (at an angle) without shredding your paper.
  • Don’t have a blow dryer handy? Use a slightly damp sponge and dab it on the tape directly (be careful not to get it on your painting!) **This is not my favorite method. If you apply too much water, you’re weakening the paper so that it might tear more. So I would test it out beforehand to see if it works for you.
Tape Tips for Perfect Tape Reveals | ChocolateMusings.com #watercolor #bulletjournal #washitape

More Tape Tips:

Here are some other tape tips to keep in mind while painting or to block off areas in your journal, on a canvas, or on watercolor paper.

  • Make sure the paper is 100% DRY. The painting may be dry, but the paper might not, especially if you’re using cotton-based paper. If the paper is cool AT ALL to the touch, it’s not dry.
  • Do not use Scotch Tape/Cello Tape (the kind you use for wrapping paper)
  • Test out your tape on scrap watercolor paper to see how tacky it is (and see how much tack from the tape you might need to remove)
  • Some of my bright washi tapes tend to bleed – especially the cheap but cute washi tape. You might want to do a colorfast test when using colored tape.
    • Place your washi tape on some scrap watercolor paper to do a colorfast test.
    • Paint over the washi tape with pure water to see if the color from the tape bleeds away.
    • Wait for the paper to dry, and peel the tape away.
    • Ensure the water didn’t push any color away from the top of the washi tape or bleed down into the paper.
  • I also love to cut out designs with my Cricut and paint around them in my journal and watercolor paintings. I always use removable vinyl and do the jeans trick to make the tape less sticky. Otherwise, I can’t get the vinyl to peel away without ripping the pages.
Use cut vinyl in place of tape in your journal or on watercolor paper for even more templates | ChocolateMusings.com
Use tape to block of areas of your artwork | ChocolateMusings.com
Perfect edge reveal on a watercolor painting - tape makes all the difference. Find Watercolor Tape Tips in this blog post. | ChocolateMusings.com
Taped Edges Preparing for Watercolor Painting | ChocolateMusings.com
Taped Edges on a Painting | ChocolateMusings.com
Blank bullet journal with washi tape | ChocolateMusings.com

My Favorite Tapes (for Journals & Painting)

In case you were wondering what I love to use, here are a few of my favorite washi tapes and painting tapes.

  • My all-time favorite washi tape: The Black and White Striped Scotch Expressions tape. I found one at Staples and wanted more when I ran out. They’re sold in 6-packs on Amazon – but they have more styles than just black and white. If you find a style you love, get a 6-pack!
  • Scott Expressions Multi-Pack – these are perfect compliments to the black and white tape & include the colors I like.
  • Find other Scott Expressions Options – I’ve also seen them at Target and Staples.
  • Ruler Tape – I think this is so fun in journals. It comes on a big roll, so I don’t feel guilty about using it for a watercolor project. If you need to mark the length (up to 12 inches) on something, this tape is super handy!
  • Recollections Crafting Tape at Michaels (or you can find sets on Amazon)
  • Delicate Surface Painter’s Masking Tape – tends to have less ‘tack’ than other painter’s tape intended for walls – but I still use the jeans trick.
  • Masking tape – the general masking tape you might think of – I always use the jeans trick 2-3 times because it is tackier than I like but makes great lines on paintings.

For the Recollections tape, I picked up the rolls in the picture with the journal at Michaels. I like their tape in the tubes (like this one at Amazon). The collections are color-coordinated and don’t bleed like other cheap tapes I’ve bought. Plus, if I limit my supply to a few, I don’t get so overwhelmed.

My favorite watercolor tape tips - for those perfect lines you see on tape reveals | ChocolateMusings.com

I know what it’s like to ruin art projects/bullet journal spreads with too-sticky tape. I hope these tidbits help you create art with less frustration and more happiness.

Wishing you joy and creativity every day - Tricia
  • Beginner Supplies for Bullet Journaling
  • Tutorial: How Watercolor Paint with Markers in Your Bullet Journal
  • September Set Up
  • January Week #4: My Bullet Journal Fails (so far) & What You Should Do if You Fail
Make Time To Create! Motivation to Get You Creating | ChocolateMusings.com #create #motivation #creativity

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Filed Under: Artsy Planner Spreads, Blog, Creating Art - Watercolor, Painting & Drawing, Get Creative, Tutorials & How To, Watercolor Quick Tips Tagged: how to, quick tip, tips, tutorials, washi tape, watercolor, watercolor painting

Chalkola Acrylic Marker Review (Bullet Journal Version)

October 19, 2021 Leave a Comment

Chalkola Acrylic Marker Review - for Bullet Jouranalists | ChocolateMusings.com
Chalkola Acrylic Markers in a Glass Jar | ChocolateMusings.com
Cover Lettering with Chalkola Acrylic Markers - the markers went 6 months untouched | ChocolateMusings.com

I’m excited to review these Chalkola Acrylic Markers. Just a heads up, I reviewed these markers for use in my bullet journal and on paper. I love to use a lot of art supplies when I bullet journal. Sometimes I branch out and use the supplies outside of a notebook (a few of which I’ll highlight, here) but in general, I tend to stick pretty close to my notebooks and paper. I hope I cover everything you’d like to know in this Chalkola Acrylic Marker review – especially when it comes to bullet journaling. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them in the comments below.

By the way, Chalkola sent me these acrylic markers, but with no pretense. They just said they liked my art on Instagram. So any opinions are mine & mine alone. You can learn more about my disclosures here. By the way, check me out on Instagram @ChocolateMusingsCreates

Table of contents

  • About the Acrylic Markers:
    • Colors in the 20-Color Pack
  • The Basics: How to Paint with Chalkola Acrylic Markers
  • Questions I Asked as I Reviewed the Acrylic Markers by Chalkola
  • Chalkola Acrylic Marker Review – Bullet Journal Cover:
    • What I Learned From the Notebook Cover Experiment
    • What I’d Do Differently
  • How Well Do They Clean-Up (After a Mistake)?
  • Inside the Notebook – Marker Review
  • Bleed Through Review
  • Reactivating the Markers Six-Months Later – Will They Still Work?
  • How Do Six-Month Old Markers Work?
  • Summary – Chalkola Acrylic Marker Review

About the Acrylic Markers:

The Chalkola Acrylic Markers I received came in a pack of 20 colors with an easily reversible 3mm bullet tip or chisel tip. They have a new 1mm extra-fine tip that I’m excited to try. But I used the 3mm tip markers equipped with the bullet tip for my test.

Find the Markers Here:

  • Amazon
  • Chalkola Website – Use this link for 10% off!

Colors in the 20-Color Pack

  • Candy Apple Red
  • Deep Cherise Pink
  • Electric Pink (?)
  • French Rose
  • Sherbet Orange
  • Warm Ivory
  • Orchid Purple
  • Taffy Pink (?)
  • Pineapple Yellow
  • Luminous Yellow
  • Lime Green
  • Royal Blue
  • Soft Blue
  • Turquoise
  • Emerald Green
  • Coffee Brown
  • Bright Gold
  • Metallic Silver
  • Pitch Black
  • Milky White (which is written there, I promise!)
Chalkola Acrylic Marker Swatches + Paint Marker Product Review | ChocolateMusings.com

The coffee looks more like a coffee diluted with a lot of creamers. I couldn’t tell the difference between taffy and electric pink. I’d love to see another shade of red or green instead of the selection of pinks. Overall, I like the quality and intensity of the colors. They’re semi-opaque, but you can add extra layers for a more opaque look.

Close up of acrylic markers in my bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Chalkola Acrylic Markers Color Swatch Bullet Journal Spread | ChocolateMusings.com

The Basics: How to Paint with Chalkola Acrylic Markers

Before starting, activate all of your markers.

To activate your markers, shake the marker with the capped side upright several times before removing the cap. The box recommends shaking for 30 seconds per pen. When finished, remove the lid and press the marker’s tip up and down quickly several times on a piece of paper to get the ink flowing.

The box recommends using these acrylic paint markers on rocks, wood, metal, plastic, glass, ceramics, porcelain, and fabric. But you know I’ll test on other materials including my faux leather bullet journal cover and, of course, paper. I’m excited to see how they work in my notebook as well.

When finished, recap tightly and store them in a horizontal position.

Box Front View of the Chalkola 3mm Acrylic Paint Markers | ChocolateMusings.com
Back view of the Chalkola 3mm Acrylic Markers - Instructions on How to Activate | ChocolateMusings.com
Colors in the Chalkola 20 count Acrylic Paint Marker Box - Marker Review | ChocolateMusings.com
Colors in the Chalkola 20 count Acrylic Paint Marker Box - Marker Review | ChocolateMusings.com

Questions I Asked as I Reviewed the Acrylic Markers by Chalkola

First of all, I wanted to see how Chalkola acrylic markers worked on all sorts of surfaces (including the faux leather bullet journal cover). I don’t do a whole lot of other crafting, so I am sure these markers have many other uses – more than what I tested.

With watercolors, I know how to blend colors and transition from one color to another. But I wasn’t so sure what would happen with these Chalkola acrylic markers, especially on my bullet journal cover. So that’s what I set out to do.

  • Which Materials are best for the Chalkola Acrylic Markers?
  • Are the markers easy to use?
  • Is the paint permanent after it dries?
  • Does it rub off or wear off easily?
  • Can I remove the Chalkola Acrylic Paint after it dried – even from my bullet journal cover?
  • Can I fix mistakes (remove paint) while wet?
  • How quickly do Chalkola Acrylic Paint Makers dry?
  • Could I easily blend the colors?
  • What blending technique should I use?
  • If I used the marker tips to blend, how easily do they clean afterward?
  • Do the marker tips stain? (Meaning does the tip of the Chalkola Acrylic Marker self-clean, or does the tip continue to look dirty from the other colors.)
  • How would the colors look on a dark surface?
  • How well do the markers work after 6 months of non-use?

Chalkola Acrylic Marker Review – Bullet Journal Cover:

Since I bullet journal, I of course want see what I can use in (or on) my notebook. So I decided to paint the cover of my faux leather notebook Tumbitri Meri. If you’d like to know more about the Tumbitri Meri notebook I’m currently using, you can read (or watch) the review here.

The company logo was debossed in gold on the front cover – which I figured would be a good test on different surface materials for these Chalkola Acrylic Paint Markers.

Tumbitri Meri Notebook in Purple 220 Pages, 160 GSM comes with gold ruler with templates - great for bullet journaling | ChocolateMusings.com

What I Learned From the Notebook Cover Experiment

Painting the cover of my new bullet journal with Chalkola Acrylic Markers would help me learn several things about them. In this experiment, using the Chalkola Acrylic Paint Markers on my bullet journal cover, I discovered in real life how the markers performed.

Here’s what I learned:

  • The ink dried quickly, so I had to work in small sections.
  • The colors blended easily if I pushed down on the marker to release a little more paint. Like combining other water-based markers (like Tombows), the shades blended easier if I used the lighter color to mix. I used darker colors over the top of the logo to hide it better.
  • After mixing colors, I’d scribble on a piece of paper off to the side and clean the marker’s tip. It worked like a dream, and even the white marker didn’t stain. So every time I colored, the color was pure instead of muddied with another color.
  • The colors are not entirely opaque but become less and less transparent with each additional layer.
  • I found that if you add a base layer, let it dry, you could color over it again and enhance the color. You could blend with other colors at that point as well.
  • The markers needed multiple coats to cover dark surfaces.
  • If they started streaking, you could wait for them to dry and go over the same area again without a problem.
  • After letting the acrylic paint dry for a couple of minutes, I gingerly touched the paint. It was not tacky in the least. There were no visible or textured raised areas like you might find when painting with acrylic paint from a tube.

Read more about the process I used to paint the notebook cover in this post.

What I’d Do Differently

  • Next time I won’t be as shy about blending colors. Knowing that I can quickly and efficiently clean the marker tips makes all the difference in confidently mixing colors without worrying that I’ll ruin the tip or permanently stain it.

If you want to decorate your bullet journal or planner cover, I’d say these acrylic paint markers are the way to go. Check out how I used these markers in my September Leaves Theme. I even blended small areas of color directly on the paper.

Step 9: Add finishing details - here I added wispy tendrils at the base of the feather in white acrylic marker | ChocolateMusings.com
Cover Lettering with Chalkola Acrylic Markers - the markers went 6 months untouched | ChocolateMusings.com
Step 7: If you used a template, remove the vinyl or tape to reveal your design. | ChocolateMusings.com
How I painted my bullet journal notebook cover with acrylic markers - step-by-step pictures | ChocolateMusings.com

How Well Do They Clean-Up (After a Mistake)?

I colored outside the template lines a few times (gasp!) but removed the color with water and a Q-tip while the paint was still wet. The paint didn’t bleed under the template as it was not overly wet, so it stayed where I put it. In my second experiment (6-months later), I pushed down too hard and got a big blob of paint on the notebook cover. It cleaned up nicely with a few swipes of a wet Q-Tip.

If you mess up on an area where the paint’s already dried, use a bit of water or rubbing alcohol and a Q-Tip and rub at the mistake. The color will start to fade away. You might, however, see a different result based on the type of surface you’re painting.

Six months later, the paint looks great on the cover. I take my bullet journal everywhere in my purse. I would give the durability an A.

Inside the Notebook – Marker Review

Not only did I use the markers on the outside of my notebook but I also used them inside. Don’t worry, I’ll give you those details for this Chalkola Acrylic Marker Review.

In one case, I covered most of the page with paint (teal future log pages + argyle sweater cover page). If I colored slowly, I reduced the streaking. Probably because the paint was drying so quickly. One nice thing that I could cover the entire page in color and the page didn’t buckle as it does with watercolor. And for a layered design look like the argyle sweater cover page, just wait until the paint is dry and color over it. Since I use notebooks with thick pages, I had no trouble with bleeding.

I had trouble writing over the paint with my regular gel pens, but fineliners seemed to work just fine. I also used some lettering pens (Fudenosuke and Pentel Touch) which worked well over the markers (page with boxes & yellow box).

As far as testing on black paper, I did a pretty terrible job about documenting how the colors showed up on black paper vs. white paper, but I did notice quite a bit more streaks on dark paper. The dark paper required more layers just like the dark notebook covers. I think if I slowed down those streaks would go away and if you let the paint dry in between layers, the coverage would be better. When I get some 1mm pens, I’ll test it out better on black paper.

Blending and pen test with acrylic markers | ChocolateMusings.com
Argyle Sweater Bullet Journal Cover Page | ChocolateMusings.com
Fun painted future log page with full color paint | ChocolateMusings.com
Full Color Pages - No Wrinkles! | ChocolateMusings.com
Full page coverage using acrylic markers - without wrinkling | ChocolateMusings.com

Bleed Through Review

The markers didn’t bleed through in my regular notebook. It does have thicker pages (160gsm) than a Leuchtturm or Exceed notebook. So I also tried a notebook with super thin pages (the thinnest pages I could find!). As you can see from the first and second pictures, the markers ghosted but didn’t bleed through on this thin paper any worse than the regular pens I use on it.

Acrylic Marker Test vs. Thin Page Notebook - how did they do? | ChocolateMusings.com
Thin Paper vs. Acrylic Markers | ChocolateMusings.com
Acrylic Marker Test in a Thin-Paged Notebook - Still Fares Great! | ChocolateMusings.com
Ghosting vs Bleeding - What's the Difference? | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #ghosting #bleeding
Fading to fall leaves September Bullet Journal Plan with Me - Creative & Productive Bullet Journal Ideas & Spreads | ChocolateMusings.com

Find the Markers Here:

  • Amazon
  • Chalkola Website – Use this link for 10% off!

Reactivating the Markers Six-Months Later – Will They Still Work?

After an unexpected break from all things creativity (2020, am I right?!), I came back to this half-finished post and decided to dedicate a portion of the review to how well the Chalkola Acrylic Markers faired six months after opening them and activating them.

When I cracked open the box, I half expected each marker to be completely dry. After shaking them and ‘re-activating’ them, they seemed to work better than I expected. I think the markers laid horizontally (for the most part) during my six-month hiatus, which probably helped.

There was only one marker that I had issues reactivating. That was (I think) the electric pink. That was the only marker I switched the tip from round tip to chisel tip and left it that way. Not sure if that had anything to do with it, but that’s what I observed. I was able to coax the changeable tip out and could see that the paint had dried around where the tip met the reservoir.

I soaked the tip in a bit of water (hey! it was that or the trash can at this point) and stuck a pin down the marker tube to see if I could break up the dried paint. Amazingly, it worked. I could tell that the marker wanted to roll over and die, but it reactivated for my little experiment. I figure if I worked at it a little more, I could restore it further.

How Do Six-Month Old Markers Work?

All of the swatches below were done after the 6-month period. Certainly not like new, but I was surprised that they weren’t completely sealed over.

Chalkola Acrylic Markers Color Swatch Bullet Journal Spread | ChocolateMusings.com
Cover Lettering with Chalkola Acrylic Markers - the markers went 6 months untouched | ChocolateMusings.com

In good fashion, I created another cover with the markers to test blendability (is that a word?) and the flow of the markers. As you can see, I struggled a bit with the blue on the end. I had to make a pool of ink in a couple of instances and dip the markers into the pool to get the right amount of ink. Sometimes I pushed too long and hard to get more ink flowing and created ink blobs, but even these large blobs cleaned up with a Q-tip.

I would rather use these markers when they are fresh and newly activated, but what else can you expect from acrylic markers? In general, I was pleasantly surprised that they worked at all and were easy to reactivate for the most part.

Summary – Chalkola Acrylic Marker Review

Find the Markers Here:

  • Amazon
  • Chalkola Website – Use this link for 10% off!

The markers are straightforward and easy to use. Once they’re activated, there is not much effort to start creating. I haven’t tried extremely hard to remove the paint, but it doesn’t seem to scratch off or rub off easily. If you like a variety of supplies for your bullet journal, I would definitely add these to your list!

I’d love to know what you thought of this review and if you’ve tried acrylic markers in your bullet journal or notebook. Leave me a comment below!

  • Tutorial: How Watercolor Paint with Markers in Your Bullet Journal
  • Beginning Lettering Supplies
  • April Plan With Me 2019- Recipe Art Inspired
  • September Leaves with Acrylic Markers- Planner Set Up

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Filed Under: Blog, Bullet Journal, Creating Art - Watercolor, Painting & Drawing, Get Creative, Get Inspired, Get Organized & Start Planning, Pen & Marker Reviews, Product & Book Reviews, Tutorials & How To Tagged: acrylic markers, bullet journal cover, new bullet journal, product review

How I Painted My Notebook Cover with Acrylic Markers

October 12, 2021 Leave a Comment

How I painted my bullet journal notebook cover with acrylic markers - step-by-step pictures | ChocolateMusings.com

It’s time for new cover art for my bullet journal! In this post, I’ll show you how I painted this gorgeous & whimsical feather on the cover of my faux leather Tumbitri Meri notebook using Chalkola acrylic paint markers.

By the way, Chalkola sent me these acrylic markers, but with no pretense. They just said they liked my art on Instagram. So any opinions are mine & mine alone. You can learn more about my disclosures here. You can also check me out on Instagram @ChocolateMusingsCreates

Table of contents

  • New Bullet Journal Notebook Cover – Painted of Course
  • About the Acrylic Markers:
  • Bullet Journal Cover Art Inspiration
  • The Basics: How to Paint the Notebook Cover with Chalkola Acrylic Markers
  • The Process: Painting the Bullet Journal Cover With Chalkola Acrylic Markers
  • Coloring Outside the Lines (oops!)
  • Finishing Details
  • The Result
  • What I’d Do Differently Next Time I Paint My Notebook Cover
  • Summary

New Bullet Journal Notebook Cover – Painted of Course

When I moved to a new notebook by Tumbitri Meri I wasn’t sure what to do with the cover. I liked the smooth feel of the outside, but love to customize my books. With its 220 thick pages, I imagined I’d use it for a while. After receiving some acrylic markers, I decided to try painting the cover of this notebook.

The cover is faux leather and deep purple (their stock on Amazon seems to fluctuate between colors available – but I always get the thicker paper option no matter which color I choose). I wasn’t sure if the markers would rub off the debossed gold logo on the front or if the logo would stand out too much after I painted it. (Spoiler – the markers did great!)

If you’d like to know more about the Tumbitri Meri notebook I’m currently using, you can read (or watch) the review here.

For my last notebook cover, I created a lovely textured silver vinyl sticker with my Cricut using my word of the year to remind me of my goals every time I picked up the book. I love the idea of customizing my notebook to help me focus.

Bullet Journal Cricut Cut Cover Art + Word of the Year | ChocolateMusings.com

My word of the year was ‘consistency,’ and whew, was that a doozy to stay consistent in 2020. Although, I have to admit that having it as a constant reminder on the front cover of my bullet journal kept me on track more than I might have otherwise. Honestly, I think without that reminder, I would have derailed more than I did – which is saying a lot.

200+ Word of the year ideas to inspire and motivate you | ChocolateMusings.com #wordoftheyear #wty #words #motivation

Check out this post for ideas to choose your word of the year. Whether or not you display your word on your bullet journal cover is up to you.

About the Acrylic Markers:

The Chalkola Acrylic Markers I received came in a pack of 20 colors with an easily reversible 3mm bullet tip or chisel tip. They have a new 1mm extra-fine tip that I’m excited to try. But I used the 3mm tip markers equipped with the bullet tip in this tutorial.

Find the Markers Here:

  • Amazon
  • Chalkola Website – Use this link for 10% off!
Chalkola Acrylic Markers in a Glass Jar | ChocolateMusings.com
Chalkola Acrylic Markers - Marker Bouquet in a glass jar | ChocolateMusings.com
Chalkola Marker Swatches in my Tumbitri Meri Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com

Bullet Journal Cover Art Inspiration

I found inspiration from my Arrows & Feathers Board on Pinterest then created my own version in ProCreate on my iPad. Follow me on Pinterest and find more Bullet Journal Ideas & Creative Inspiration!

The Basics: How to Paint the Notebook Cover with Chalkola Acrylic Markers

Before starting to paint your notebook cover, activate all of your markers.

Using my Cricut machine, I cut non-permanent vinyl and applied it to my planner cover. Making sure to use the scraper tool (or a credit card) to scrape along all the edges to seal down the template and prevent any paint bleeds.

I had a vague idea of how I wanted to apply the paint, but my goal was to create a painting that felt whimsical and flowy (is that a word?) and not too rigid, so I didn’t plan too much.

  • Step 1: clean and apply the template (if you're using one) | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Step 2: Use a scraper tool or edge of a credit card to smooth out and adhere the design to your notebook cover. | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Step 3: Apply the design template to your notebook cover, after painting, you'll remove the template (unless you decide to keep it as an outline). If you decide to keep it, don't color over the outlines - Remove the sticky film after you apply the design to the cover. | ChocolateMusings.com

The Process: Painting the Bullet Journal Cover With Chalkola Acrylic Markers

The ink dried quickly, so I worked in small sections of the feather. The colors blended easily if I pushed down on the marker to release a little more paint. Like combining other water-based markers (like Tombows), the shades blended easier if I used the lighter color first and blended in with the darker color. But since these markers were (mostly) opaque, I could go back and lighten areas if I used too much dark paint on the notebook cover.

Continue to work in small sections and blend colors near each other on the color wheel to create blends instead of muddy colors. I used darker colors over top of the logo to hide it better. But I don’t think that was necessary. The colors are not entirely opaque but become less and less transparent with each additional layer.

After mixing colors, I’d scribble on a piece of paper off to the side and clean the marker’s tip. It worked like a dream, and even the white marker didn’t stain with the other colors I mixed with it.

  • Step 4: Choose a color and start painting your notebook cover | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Step 5: Paint the cover in small sections, blending colors two at a time. The paint will dry and you won't be able to blend if you try to cover too much area too fast | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Step 6: Continue blending colors on your notebook cover in small sections - the paint dries quickly, so work fast and in small areas | ChocolateMusings.com

Coloring Outside the Lines (oops!)

I colored outside the template lines a few times (gasp!) but removed the color with water and a Q-tip while the paint was still wet. The paint didn’t bleed under the template as it was not overly wet, so it stayed where I put it.

Finishing Details

After letting the acrylic paint dry for a couple of minutes, I gingerly touched the paint. It was not tacky in the least. There were no visible or textured raised areas like you might find when painting with acrylic paint from a tube.

I quickly removed the vinyl template. The result was a fun, colorful, whimsical piece of art on the cover of my bullet journal. Since I covered up a portion of the logo with the acrylic paint in the feather, I decided that this particular design needed an outline. The gold did just the trick. It comfortably covered the outside area and hid any mistakes I wanted to cover.

Once I let that dry (which didn’t take long at all), I added a few wispy tendrils at the bottom of the feather and outlined the spine in white using the white acrylic paint marker.

  • Step 7: If you used a template, remove the vinyl or tape to reveal your design. | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Step 8: Clean up any mistakes or fill in gaps - here, I chose to fill in the feather with gold paint | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Step 9: Add finishing details - here I added wispy tendrils at the base of the feather in white acrylic marker | ChocolateMusings.com

The Result

I’m thrilled with the result of my painted bullet journal cover. Even though I liked the vinyl sticker from last notebook (and could do that again for sure), I LOVE the look of the colorful feather.

Step 10: Done! Admire your work after painting your bullet journal cover | ChocolateMusings.com

What I’d Do Differently Next Time I Paint My Notebook Cover

There’s not a whole lot I think I do differently next time I paint my notebook. I think I’d go over the luminous yellow and lime green areas a second or third time if I were to do it all over since the dark background showed more from those colors than the other ones. The gold and white had no coverage issues.

Next time (and yes, there WILL be a next time I paint my bullet journal cover with acrylic markers), I won’t be as shy about blending colors. Knowing that I can quickly and efficiently clean the marker tips makes all the difference in confidently mixing colors without worrying that I’ll ruin the tip or permanently stain it.

If I painted more carefully, I could use the vinyl template as the outline for the feather instead of removing it.

Summary

If you want to decorate your bullet journal or planner cover, I’d say these acrylic paint markers are the way to go. Check out how I used these markers in my September Leaves Theme. I even blended small areas of color directly on the paper and was super impressed by how it turned out.

The markers are straightforward and easy to use. Once they’re activated, there is not much effort to start creating. I haven’t tried extremely hard to remove the paint, but it doesn’t seem to scratch off or rub off easily.

I carry my bullet journal everywhere in my purse. After using the book for six months, I’ve seen a little bit of wear on the paint, but nothing extreme.

  • Tutorial: How Watercolor Paint with Markers in Your Bullet Journal
  • Pirate Theme February 2019 Planner Preview
  • April Plan With Me 2019- Recipe Art Inspired
  • Fall Leaves with Acrylic Markers

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Filed Under: Blog, Bullet Journal, Cover Art, Creating Art - Watercolor, Painting & Drawing, Get Creative, Get Organized & Start Planning, Pen & Marker Reviews, Tutorials & How To Tagged: acrylic markers, bullet journal cover, cover art, new bullet journal, notebook cover art, product review

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About Me


Hi! I'm Tricia, the creative behind ChocolateMusings.com, I know how it feels to lose your inner muse. After years of darkness (which I call the dark ages of my life), I found my inner muse hiding in the forgotten corners of my soul, I vowed never to lose sight of her again.

Bullet journaling helped reignite the passion for art and living life again while organizing my days. I also discovered modern calligraphy and watercolor. Since then, my use of the bullet journal system has evlolved and I call it 'creative planning'. Here on the blog, I show you how to use your planner to ignite your inner muse and explore creativity and art while staying beautifully organized and living a joyful life.

I invite you to grab some good chocolate and dive into my musings. Let’s ignite your inner muse.

Read more on the about me page. You can also find my policies and disclosures here.

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