DIY Watercolor Journals

I've been trying to get better at watercoloring (wc), and the other day I read someone's words about how those gummed wc blocks can be intimidating because you are afraid of messing up and wasting the paper. I certainly feel that way. But if you separate the sheets, cut them to a smaller size and make your own wc journal, they  might just seem more accessible and more beginner-friendly.

oops, messy dogs not messy paper!

If you're like me, crafty things all mix together when you're internetting. Over the last few months, I've read about planners, disc bound journals and fauxdoris.
​So today I made some DIY wc journals.

This first journal has a variety of different wc papers and, yes, I did break down and get a disc paper punch. The TUL punch handled all the 140 pound papers beautifully. A YouTube by Sea Lemon inspired me to use laminated decorative paper for the cover. I used my corner punch to round the corners and used some discs from last year's planner. Yay! A pony tail elastic holds the journal closed; all neat and tidy.

This second journal is made from a large sheet of 300 pound wc paper that's been sitting around forever cause I'm afraid to use. That stuff is super thick and wouldn't fit in the TUL punch; but it did fit in my adjustable 3-hole-punch. I cut the paper down to 6" x 7.5" pieces, added a laminated cover and used 1" loose-leaf rings to hold everything together.

So the covers are pretty, they're super portable and they look friendly! Now, when I'm watching the pups get messy, I can mess with my watercoloring. I hope you'll try some creating too!