Nostalgic Willow Welcome Page

If you’ve ever sat underneath a willow tree in the summer, this bullet journal welcome page brings the nostalgia of those draping vines. I lived my youth in the arms of our willow tree branches. Climbing as high as I could, building hammocks and singing at the top of my lungs from the top of that beloved tree. This welcome page brings me back to those times. I would love to share a bit of my childhood with you through this willow branch Bullet Journal welcome page.

Supplies

• Paper or Notebook (here is the notebook I used in this Plan With Me – see below for paper recommendations if you’re using a brush tip marker)
• Pencil (my favorites are either this style or this one in 5 mm)
• Eraser (I like this plastic eraser or this pearl eraser)
• Drawing Pen (or you can use whatever pen you have on hand – if you watercolor over the ink, make sure it is waterproof)
• Water pen
• Crayola Markers or Watercolors (these are what I used)
• Tombow Dual Brush Pens #228 Gray Green & #249 Hunter Green (if you want to match my colors)

Paper

• 32 Lb Printer Paper (I like the HP brand)
• Tracing paper
• Rhodia Paper A5 Dot Pad | Rhodia Blank Notebook | Rhodia Size Varieties
• Marker Paper Varieties | 6×8 Pad Size
• Bristol Smooth Paper (the best Tombow Marker blending paper I’ve tried so far!)

So You Think You Can’t Draw

So many people say that they cannot draw and so they don’t try. If you feel that way, try creating this willow branch cover page in your bullet journal. The shapes are loose, the leaves aren’t exact, and the color is optional. The effect is purely whimsical & oh-so-summery.

Watch How I Created this Willow Branch Welcome Page

In August’s plan with me video – I show you how I created this willow branch welcome page – and how you can do it, too. Start at 5:07.

• August Plan With Me Part I
• August Plan With Me Part II (creating the weeklies)

Willow Welcome Page – Sketch

To create the willow branches, I lightly sketched some wavy lines in varying lengths in pencil. Remember, it’s just a sketch and your final willow branch version in ink doesn’t have to follow the sketch exactly. I wanted an outline to follow, but in the end, I didn’t follow all the lines.

Lettering the Title

Since I wanted the text to appear in front of the branches, I wrote the title first, using Tombow #228 & #249. After creating the title letters start inking in the branches. All illustrations on this page are very loose and not realistic, so don’t stress too much about making it perfect.

You can add leaves to each branch as you go or come back and add leaves. I quickly drew leaves in basic oval shapes. But none of mine are perfect. You can include as much detail as you want. My leaves don’t include any details other than the form.

Note: You can choose to have the text appear behind the willow branches rather than in front of them like I did. For the letters in the back, it doesn’t matter if you draw in the letters or the branches first.

Erase your pencil marks, especially before adding color. If you want to leave this page ‘as is’ – then you’re finished!

Adding Color

Color in all the leaves or choose a few random leaves to color. I used a water pen with Crayola markers, which caused the page to bleed a little. But if I use watercolor or markers, the color won’t show through as long as I don’t press down hard with the markers or use a lot of water with the watercolors.

If you want to try some florals with your vines, add a few swirls near your vines and dot the swirls with a rosy pink or another color. Blue, purple, red, yellow would all look great! 

Try It Out!

You don’t have to be ‘artsy’ to make something fun and whimsical. This willow branch welcome page proves it. Even though your drawings might not be perfect, that’s ok, this page isn’t geared for perfection. If you’re just starting out, try something that doesn’t require precise lines or crazy amounts of detail. 

Here are some other posts & categories you might enjoy:

• Favorite Bullet Journal Supplies for Beginners
• Lettering Supplies for Beginners
• Start Planning Here & Bullet Journal Plan With Me Archives
• Get Creative (tutorials, art & doodles & handlettering)
• How to watercolor paint with markers in your bullet journal