We try to take some kind of family vacation every year and typically we drive so I end up bringing a small studio of art supplies with me to create while I relax. This year we flew so I had to limit my supplies as much as possible, fortunately stencils are super flat and light so I tossed in a few that I felt were perfect for the tropical local we were headed to! Below is a step out process for a spring break vacation art journal spread so lets get started!

Supplies:
TCW710 Endless Swirls
TCW709 Under the Sea by Rebekah Meier
TCW Heavy body acrylic paints in blue and white
TCW Matte Gel Medium
Neocolor II Aquarelle Artists’ Crayons
Small travel watercolor set
Micron .5 Artist Pen
Various sizes of Paintbrushes
Art Journal

To start your page do a quick sketch  using your Neocolor crayons or any water soluble medium you have, you can see my sketchy boats below. I also added a sketchy ocean with 2 different colors of blue. Once you have your base sketch down use TCW Matte Gel Medium and paint a thin layer over your sketch this will activate the Neocolor and seal it so you can add more medium to it later and not have to worry about the colors mixing.

Next apply a light layer of TCW Heavy body acrylic paints in blue and white to create the sky. I mixed my paint right on the page with a touch of water to get the mixed light and dark look that you can see below.

Next use your Neocolor crayons to add a layer of color. I added bright green to the ocean and orange and red to the larger of my 2 boats. I applied more TCW Matte Gel Medium over these areas to seal them and spread the color.

Stencil time! The clouds in the florida keys are beautiful and one of the reasons the sunsets there are so breathtaking. To start I applied some white acrylic paint with a dry brush to be the base of my clouds next I used TCW710 Endless Swirls and my Windsor and Newton travel watercolor set to add interesting texture and shape to them. I love the way the watercolor looks on the acrylic paint the variation of color makes it more interesting.

Next I used a pencil to add a bit of definition around my swirls, this creates a bit of structure and dimension to the stenciled bits but also allows it to still feel very free form.

After my watercolor was dry I used my light blue NeoColor crayon to add volume to the clouds. I loosely sketched around the white paint I dry brushed on to start as well as the stenciled areas. This helps define the clouds even further but keeps them light and a bit whimsical.

Next I used TCW709 Under the Sea by Rebekah Meier to add some pink seashells and “Under The Sea” stenciled lettering. I also added a bit of my own hand lettering by the seashells to draw interest to that area of the page and balance out the other words.

I finished the page with some water line type doodle marks (that I made with my .5 Micron) to mimmic the ocean as well as some blue hash marks. Both of these add interest and move your eye over the page. I also used my Neocolor white crayon to add a bit of scribble around my stenciled words to add a bit of interest.

I had my husband Chris hold my finished spread up outside so you could see where I took my inspiration from. Even with limited supplies I had so much fun documenting my memories and capturing the colors and shapes I saw on vacation!

Vacations can be so much fun and great inspiration for creating but you can find inspiration anywhere, get outside and find some sunshine and go for it! I love how this turned out and I would love to see your spring inspired art journal spreads so be sure to share your thoughts and pictures on The Crafter’s Workshop Facebook page or by tagging The Crafter’s Workshop on Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest! Also tag me @Drawriot if you share your creations on Instagram!

Until next time, keep creating! ?

Tori Weyers
The Crafter’s Workshop Design Team Member

The Crafter’s Workshop provided me with some product to create this project. This post also contains affiliate links. The opinions I share are solely my own.