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

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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

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

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

2022 Christmas Watercolor Wishlist

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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

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Whimsical Watercolor Space Bullet Journal Theme – February 2022 Plan With Me

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Whimsical watercolor space bullet journal theme - easy and colorful! | ChocolateMusings.com

I love this loose, whimsical watercolor space theme in my bullet journal! I love it so much that I’ve used this whimsical watercolor space theme before in different variations – twice. Do you ever have a theme in your bullet journal that you love and want to revisit? I don’t think this will be the end for space themes for me.

Here are my previous space themes if you want to check them out, too.

April 2018 – Inspiration

2018 April Welcome Page (Part 1) - Painted with Crayola Markers in a Loose, Whimsical Watercolor Space Theme | ChocolateMusings.com
2018 April Welcome Page (Part 2) - Painted with Crayola Markers in a Loose, Whimsical Watercolor Space Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

May 2020 – Inspiration

Whimsical Planet Bullet Journal Theme - Monthly Log - Bright watercolors and loose lines make a fantastical whimsical space bullet journal theme | ChocolateMusings.com

If you’d like to ignite a little space-creativity, check out my creative universe drawing/lettering prompts – for those times you don’t know what to letter or draw, here is a great way to score some space-related inspiration.

Table of contents

Plan With Me on YouTube

Watch how I set up this whimsical watercolor space theme in my bullet journal. Hit subscribe if you’d like more content from me!

  • 00:00 Plan With me
  • 00:36 Welcome Page – Theme Introduction
  • 00:50 Welcome Page Inspiration #1
  • 01:26 Welcome Page Inspiration #2
  • 01:42 Welcome Page Painting
  • 04:30 Monthly Calendar
  • 05:44 Inserting black pages with washi tape – Habit Tracker & Brain Dump
  • 07:37 Brain Dump Inspiration page – “Out of this world Thoughts”
  • 09:15 Habit Tracker
  • 11:20 Weeklies #1
  • 13:20 Weeklies #2
  • 14:00 Weeklies #3
  • 14:55 Weeklies #4
  • 15:50 Journal Page
  • 16:53 Filling out the Calendars – Monthly & Weeklies
  • 19:26 Final Flip Through

Whimsical Watercolor Space Cover Page

The cover page for February is a recreation of my April 2018 welcome page, but this month is also heavily inspired by my May 2020 space theme. I don’t know what it is, but I find myself painting a lot of galaxies and space-related items outside my bullet journal.

I brightened the colors on this cover page from the original one I created in 2018. Plus, I added a few more elements – primarily stars.

Planet & thick outline details - whimsical watercolor planet space bullet journal theme | ChocolateMusings.com
Welcome page whimsical watercolor details - Bullet Journaling | ChocolateMusings.com
February Bullet Journal Welcome Page - Fun Planet Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

Adding Black Page Inserts

This month, I decided to add some black pages into my journal with washi tape for some of the weeklies and the habit trackers. I love using black paper because the color-shifting watercolors show so differently on black paper versus white paper. The real key to adding pages to your bullet journal is to use tape on both sides of the sheet. In this case, the sheet was not as wide as the width of my bullet journal. So I used the washi tape to extend the sheet just a little bit.

Page inserts - easily add pages to your bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Washi Tape Roll - Perfect for inserting pages into your bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Easy way to add pages to your bullet journal - use washi tape on both sides of the new sheet | ChocolateMusings.com
Add pages to your bullet journal using washi tape | ChocolateMusings.com

Brain Dump Page – Out of This World Thoughts

Keeping with the whimsical watercolor space theme this month, I added a fun brain dump page called “Out of This World Thoughts.” I also used this one before in my May 2020 bullet journal. I scaled down the size of the earth since the brain dump page covered the left side instead of a full spread. Find more alternative brain dump page name ideas in this post.

Out of this world thoughts - space/planet page - different name for brain dump in my bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Out of this world - brain dump page for my bullet journal - use different name for brain dump | ChocolateMusings.com

Circular Habit Tracker

What goes better with a space theme than a circular habit tracker? Seriously. I’d love to know. It’s been a while since I’ve made a circular habit tracker, and it gave me the chance to dust off my favorite circle-making tool.

One of my favorite journaling tools - Helix Circle Maker Tool - great for making circles in your bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Using the Circle Maker Tool for the Habit Tracker on a Black Page in my Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Drawing the circular habit tracker in my bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Adding lines and circles for a circle monthly habit tracker in my bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com
Adding habits to my circle habit tracker for the month on a black page journal sheet | ChocolateMusings.com

Weeklies – Fun & Easy Whimsical Watercolor Space Theme

All weeklies are similar but different enough to have their own look. I added another set of black paper inserts for part of the weeklies for extra fun. I didn’t think through the weeks that had half the week on white pages and half the week on black pages. It did make it challenging to write the tasks for the week. I’ll probably use gel pens or acrylographs from Archer and Olive for the month so that the writing will show up on both white and black pages.

These weeklies are very easy to create and look so fun. The whimsy is enhanced with thick, bold outlines surrounding the circles. When creating a whimsical watercolor space theme, you don’t have to spend much time recreating known planets. Use whatever colors suit your fancy, and that look good when blended. I didn’t spend much time recreating Jupiter’s lines or specific colors. Honestly, with this type of whimsical design, you don’t need to follow anything from reality if you don’t want to.

I love the addition of the black pages in my bullet journal this month. It shows the contrast of the colors and the pages.

Color shift watercolor painting - planets bullet journal theme | ChocolateMusings.com
Color shift whimsical watercolor planets - easy weekly bullet journal set up | ChocoalteMusings.com
Black page bullet journal - easy & colorful circular watercolor planets | ChocolateMusings.com

Ways to Add Whimsy to Your Bullet Journal or Art

There are a few ways to make your bullet journal themes whimsical. One is by using bright colors – I tend to use a lot of jewel tones. Another way to make your theme whimsical is to add thick, dark outlines around your painting. Throughout my theme this month, I’ll doodle circles around all the watercolor planets, and they all look very whimsical and fun.

Welcome page whimsical watercolor details - Bullet Journaling | ChocolateMusings.com
Black page journal decoration - color shift watercolor easy planets - Bullet Journal themes | ChocolateMusings.com

Bright & Color Shifting Watercolors

I have to admit that I missed out on using watercolor for a long time in my life. I seriously thought that all watercolors were muted, pale, washed out, and only pastel. Not sure where I got that impression, but as you can see, that is anything but the truth.

When I paint on regular watercolor paper, I do a much better job of layering the colors. You still have to be careful with how much water and color you use in a bullet journal. I paint very differently from one medium to another, but it’s just a matter of adapting.

When Your Watercolor Bleeds Through the Pages

I have found that using this type of watercolor – the sparkly, color-shifting kind- always seep through the pages even when other watercolor does not, especially on the white sheets. The black pages don’t have that issue.

I found some watercolor ground, the kind I have is Daniel Smith’s transparent watercolor ground, but they do have white and black if you prefer those options. I painted that first on the white pages, and it worked! No bleed-through!

So if you are struggling with any bleed-through when using watercolor in regular notebooks, watercolor ground works excellent. You can also turn any other surface into a watercolor canvas. Like any other material, you might have to adjust to your techniques for blending colors, dry time, and paint absorption, but for my purposes this month, it worked great.

Supplies Used

Supplies used this month to create my bullet journal theme, watercolor, circle maker tool, watercolor ground, paint brushes | ChocolateMusings.com

Ease of Creating a Whimsical Watercolor Space Theme

Super easy. I would recommend creating this whimsical watercolor space theme if you are a beginner with watercolors, bullet journaling, or both. Unless you make a circular habit tracker, there’s no measuring or counting squares. You don’t need to worry about an exact look. The thick lines around the planets allow for plenty of mistakes. None of my planets are perfectly circular, and sometimes these space objects glow around them anyway. This space theme is perfect for adding a bit of whimsy to your bullet journal, plus you can play with watercolor without feeling like it has to be perfect.

I would only point out to be cautious with how much water you use in a regular journal – even those with thick pages. But I solved that issue by using watercolor ground on the parts of my pages where I added watercolor.

Whimsical watercolor space bullet journal theme - easy and colorful! | ChocolateMusings.com

Watercolor Tape Tips (for Easy Removal Later!)

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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

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
Make Time To Create! Motivation to Get You Creating | ChocolateMusings.com #create #motivation #creativity

Easy Watercolor Wash Background – Plan With Me

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Plan With Me - July Background Watercolor Wash Techniques + Video | ChocolateMusings.com #watercolor #watercolorwash #bulletjournal #planwithme

I had a TON of fun creating this watercolor wash background in my bullet journal for July’s monthly calendar page. From watercolors to Tombow markers, I tried many techniques and discovered a new one with the Tombow colorless blender marker + a gray marker. Now I’m obsessed.

This month, I didn’t start with a plan. Sounds silly for a plan-with-me post. But some of the best adventures in art and in life I’ve ever had weren’t planned. I wanted to recreate a watercolor wash background for my monthly page, but that’s all I knew.

Upcoming:

I’m excited to start a new book in August, so watch for some fun plan with me videos. I’m going to try the Scribbles that Matter Covers + removable inserts and see how they compare to the bound book I use regularly. Since I was running out of pages, it’s also why I didn’t include a cover page. I had just enough pages to skip the welcome page & journal page and complete the month.

Question:

Which pages (like a cover page) do you like to include in your planner, but aren’t necessary for day-to-day plans? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to know!

The Inspiration for the Watercolor Wash Background

Background Watercolor Wash Inspiration Purple to Pink with Block-Out Areas Inspiration for July Plan With me | ChocolateMusings.com #watercolorwas #backgroundwash #bulletjournal

Here’s what I wanted to experiment with and recreate in a sense from July 2018. Funny that I tend to repeat myself every couple of years. But the technique is so fun, and the variety is endless.

In this case, I chose to do a fade ombre watercolor wash effect on the background, starting at purple on the top and fading to pinkish. Then I outlined each of the date squares with a thick outline using the same colors.

Supplies:

Calendar Page Watercolor Wash Quick Process:

  • Cut Sticky Notes to Size - and use to block off Background Areas Before Painting | Chocolatemusings.com #tipsandtricks #tricks #watercolor
  • Background Watercolor Wash Tips & Tricks - Use as little water as possible in your Bullet Journal to avoid page bleed | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #tipsandtricks #watercolor
  • Remove the Sticky Notes after Painting the Watercolor Wash in your Bullet Journal - the effect is fun & unique - add shadows to make it look 3D | ChocolateMusings.com #watercolorwash #bulletjournal #background

Using sticky notes to block out portions of the page, then painting to the edge of the page and around the sticky notes, it created a mottled underwater look. I also tried the Tombow + bag trick. But I over watered the bag, so the paint seeped through to the opposite page.  

Lesson learned: don’t try to cover a whole page using the Tombow Bag background watercolor wash technique. I used way to much water and made the ink bleed through to the opposite page.

Watercolor Wash Background Tip:

One quick tip: when you use watercolor, especially over a large area like a background wash, sometimes it can add a texture (almost feels grainy sometimes) to the paper that some pens don’t like to write on. But if you use markers, either Tombow or Crayola or another kind of marker, you won’t get the watercolor texture. Your page may buckle a little from the water itself, but you won’t add additional watercolor paint texture to the paper.

Adding Shadows Under the Blocked Out Areas of the Watercolor Wash

Easily Create a 3D Effect with Faded Shadows using Gray + the Clear Blender | ChocolateMusings.com #tombow #markers #howto

Here’s a classic case of making lemonade from a botched paint job. This watercolor wash didn’t go as expected. The paint sneaked all around the sticky note. The color combination made it feel like it was underwater, which I thought was great. So I had an idea of adding shadows to make the watercolor wash look like it was punched out of the page. 

Pressing the tip of a gray marker & the colorless blender, then using the colorless blender to create the shadows along the edge of the squares, it makes an amazing 3D effect.

I have to tell you something. This method is now my new favorite way to create shadows. I used it behind the letters on most of the weekly pages I did this month.

With the shadows’ additions, it looks like I completely meant to have the ink seep through into the boxes. I love it when you can convert a catastrophe into a win.

Watch the Plan With Me Here:

More Videos

Fitting in Essentials for the Month

Since I ran out of pages this month, I added a small habit tracker on the bottom of the page where I can track five habits for the month. To the left, I’ll add notes or maybe keep it for a journaling page since I also had to skip the journal page to conserve the page count.

Brain Dump Page: Shadowy Thoughts & Reflections

Alternate names for brain dump - Shadowy Thoughts & Reflections | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #braindump
Shadow Thoughts & Reflections - Alternate Names for Brain Dump | ChocolateMusings.com #braindump

Continuing on the watercolor wash theme, and since the colors, I used to look like the Caribbean ocean to me, and I was using shadows, it was fun to name the page Shadowy Thoughts & Reflections.

Want some other names for a brain dump page? Check out my blog post here, with 150+ different names for brain dump.

Weeklies + Watercolor Wash

I decided to try several different styles for weeklies this month. That’s one thing I love about bullet journaling. I can change it up and try new layouts or styles every turn of the page. Each of them follows the same color scheme and includes shadows that make them cohesive.

Looking Forward

Despite the level of apocalyptic bad the year has been, this notebook has been good to me. I’m excited to move into a new notebook and make new, pretty spreads and try new ideas. I hope you’ll try some of these techniques, whether it’s the watercolor wash, naming your brain dump page, or adding shadows with the markers like I discovered this month.

Good luck with your plans, and I wish you a prosperous and productive month.

Wishing you joy and creativity every day - Tricia

Want More Planner & Bullet Journal Inspiration?

Find more plan with me ideas | ChocolateMusings.com #planwithme #ideas