Simple Colored Pencil Blending – Bible Art Journaling Challenge Week 28
Hello Everyone! It is week 28 of the Bible Art Journaling Challenge!
I have lost track how many countless times people have asked me about how to use colored pencils in our Bibles. I am finally sharing an introductory to it all with a simple colored pencil blending tutorial while focusing on an ENTIRE book of the Bible. Yes. You read that right. Exciting stuff!
So, I want to be clear that I am not trying to answer ALL the wonderful questions I’ve had on colored pencil. I am starting super simple today. And I promise to share more about various colored pencil blending techniques and even about colored pencil generally.
This is just a great place to start, with regard to colored pencil use on bible pages, which are not designed for art products to be put on them. 🙂 Lets do this!
Proverbs
The whole, entire book of Proverbs was on my mind this past weekend. I read 8 chapters of another book and 4 of yet another and then lost count. I really couldn’t decide on a verse for this challenge and then it came to me. I was boxing things in. Wisdom calls to us in the streets. She is everywhere in our life. I decided to challenge you about the whole book of Proverbs and its influence in our life.
I LOVE how the Bible is an ancient book yet remains relevant to every generation and each individual in all seasons of our lives.
God is a master at providing us the tools to live well for Him. Proverbs is one of those books FULL of wise things to live by. While the book is not a promise for an awesome life in every season, it IS a guide to living well regardless of what life throws us. We can often have more opportunity for those awesome seasons, when we live by its truths to our best ability. 🙂
Proverbs is one of those books which has wisdom for all seasons of life in it. If you’re in need of an answer to a problem in your life, you’re likely to find an answer in it. The answer may not be the one we like to hear, but it will guide us to a life which we’ll ultimately be more happy with.
I’d like to challenge you to take time to consider what the book of proverbs means in your personal life and create something as a reminder of it. For me, what I created really is the heart of it all. I need to listen to the wisdom of Proverbs if I am to live well.
Bible reading
There was a time in my teenage years that I was so hungry to learn God’s ways that I began reading several chapters of Proverbs and Psalm each day after getting home from school. I couldn’t get enough of it. I did the same in the Kings and Chronicles. Then the whole Old Testament.
All of it was like a novel I couldn’t put down. I fit my school work around it. How did I have such a hunger? I prayed every day asking God to give me a hunger for His Word. He did. Simple.
I learned in that time, that the best way to understand a fuller picture of what the Bible is trying to say to us, it to just simply read more of it. Literally. I started reading whole books in one sitting. Or several chapters at once. Anything to put what I was reading, into fuller context.
It really paid off as I started to pay attention to different things while reading. I would try to learn who was writing and then figure out what was going on in their life at that time when they wrote what I was reading. This would help me understand what sort of perspective they could have been thinking from when they wrote. Which of course, meant I was more fully able to understand what they were trying to communicate.
I then moved on after a season of it, to jumping around the Old Testament following the life of each king mentioned. I would use a concordance to look up their name and find every Bible verse I could about them.
I’d check the surrounding text to be sure it was the correct king and then read all the verses together in one sitting until I felt I knew that king as an individual – nearly as a dear friend. The corky things about their personality. The way they made decisions in different types of seasons of their life, etc. etc…
I moved on to doing the same with other Biblical characters. I wanted to know the characters in the Bible like you would a film or novel. It really transformed my life over time. I read about our heroes of the faith, having success and failure, making hard choices and transforming communities. I read about the battles and hardships they endured. I learned the effects of one generation passing things on to another – or not doing so.
Scripture when read as a whole, can give us an amazing insight into our own actions and how they affect whole generations after us. They can show us how our actions affect others today and teach us to live abundantly full of life. I hugely recommend this sort of Bible reading practice in your life. Have you done anything similar? How has it impacted you?
If you find the stories boring – or rather, hard to be hungry for – try taking a character who is interesting to you and just searching through the whole Bible for their story, to learn ALL about them. It will ignite something in you which is beautiful and unstoppable. My first randomly chosen characters were Moses and king David. My favorite is king Josiah.
Alternative options
If you have already created in the first page of Proverbs or don’t want to create on your Bible page like I have done, you can add an insert or tip-in to create on, like I have in these previous Bible Art Journaling Challenge weeks. You can click on either image to go view tutorials for those if you’ve not seen them yet.
I personally think adding a super thin insert to the beginning of each Bible book, would be a really neat place to illustrate things that speak to us about each book. It could get bulky but it could be neat. Or even doing it for the sections/divisions of the Bible books. Such as Law, Poetry, Gospels, Letters, etc. Could be neat. What do you think?
Colored pencil history
You might be wondering why I’ve not talked about colored pencil on my blog before today. Especially as it is such a widely loved product. The truth is a little deep but I’ll take you there so you can know something random about me.
I was given some colored pencils in Kindergarden as a 6 year old. They were a cheap brand and it made plenty of adult sense to not buy expensive art supplies for a six year old. But, I had a bad experience. It led me to believe colored pencils were not nice and I didn’t like them for years after that.
My colored pencils were cheap, thus lacking in pigment. I had to nearly scrape my paper to get the color to transfer from the pencil lead, onto my paper. And finally, nobody taught me that I could do anything interesting with them.
So, I believed them to be boring and uninspiring. Not to mention a real pain to use. In honesty, it wasn’t until several months ago, that I forced myself to spend from our small pockets, to buy a set of 48 Prismacolor Premier colored pencils. After they arrived, I spent a ridiculous amount of time testing and practicing various colored pencil techniques, in order to force my beliefs about them to change. I am always happy to embrace change. I just wasn’t happy to share my thoughts on them until I had tested the techniques to a point of exhausting them and their capabilities in our Bibles.
My beliefs did change and I will never recommend cheap colored pencils. I seriously love colored pencils and only those with a better quality. Others are similar to the Prismacolor brand but most will agree, Prismacolor are among the best. I do believe you could use cheaper brands for your Bible art but your experience may lead you to results you’re not pleased with and I’d rather not recommend that path to you. 🙂
Colored pencil blending
As I mentioned, I’m doing a super introductory tutorial on colored pencil today. I promise I’ll get in to more, but I have to start at the beginning I feel. The surface we use colored pencil on traditionally, is something that has been a key part of all tutorials we see out on the internet and taught widely.
As is the case with many art supplies, we have to learn how to use them on thin Bible pages and that means starting at the beginning. Sometimes, throwing out all advise and teaching ourselves new things is the only answer. Colored pencil blending is straight forward and many of the traditional techniques can be used on Bible pages but they need a little tweaking and I’ll do my best to share my thoughts on them as I share more tutorials moving forward.
So, that’s my start today. Now that I’ve done that introduction in my video, shall we start a conversation? Will you pop into the comments below and help me (and others here!) by sharing…
- Your own tips for specifically using colored pencils in Bibles and colored pencil blending in Bibles.
- Questions or requests for further tutorial you hope I can address with colored pencil in Bible art.
I’ll look forward to seeing your tips and using your questions/feedback as a place to know which colored pencil techniques to get into next with you.
Lettering download and fonts
If you’re not confident in your own hand-lettering but want to do lettering in your Bible, the way I’ve shown you today is a great way to find your feet with it all. Just ensure you print your text in bold black so it will show through your Bible page for you.
As promised in my video today, below is my download for the “listen to her” image I put together. If you like the lettering fonts but not the wording, you could create your own thing using the same fonts I used.
For the word “listen” I used a font called Futura. The “to her” text is using a font called Marketing Script. Both are free online if your computer doesn’t already have them installed. Just search “free font font name” and it’ll come up lots of places. 🙂
Please freely use my downloads for personal and group use only, to get together with others and get into the Word!
Today’s Bible art journaling supplies
As promised, here are the supplies I featured in this weeks video which you can click on to view or purchase. I hope it helps you find anything you may want to try out.
I receive a small percentage of each purchase when anyone clicks on my art supply links, to go get supplies I use like you see below, or on my YouTube videos. This has no effect on you and makes a real difference for me! I am excited for you to get great deals on supplies anywhere, so you can join in on your budget.
When you find deals which I’ve searched for and recommended below, I get supported. Thank you, I so appreciate your support which helps me provide these free tutorials for you! Be sure to also view my Bible Art Supplies page for Bibles, art journals and other art supplies I recommend for Bible art journaling.
Click images to view art supply details or to purchase.
Bibles ideal for Bible art journaling
There are several wide-margin Bibles I’ve seen recommended for art journaling, including large print versions. I’ve created a linked collection here to make your choice easier when looking for a Bible to art journal in. If you click on any of the Bibles, you will often be able to look inside to see the pages for yourself before purchasing!
I really like my ESV Journaling Bible (used today) with faint lines in the 2 inch wide margin and cream paper color. I love my imitation leather, NASB Note-Taker’s Bible, which is free of lines in the wide and bottom margin with white paper. All give extra room for creativity.
You can also join in with a Bible you already have, or even an art journal like the art journals I recommend.
Click images to view art supply details or to purchase.
Your turn to create!
I would love you to try any of the techniques I’ve shared in my process with you today if you’re interested in them. I also want you to feel free to gather inspiration in other places. I’m looking forward to seeing what you Bible art journal for this weeks challenge!
You can find answers to most any question you may have about the Bible Art Journaling Challenge over on my Bible Art page found in the top navigation. It also has a full archive! Be sure to head over to our Facebook group and/or Google+ Community, to chat about this weeks Bible Art Journaling Challenge and get started on your own page!
If you have not done so yet, be sure to join my newsletter on the right-hand side of this page, so you can be notified when I release new Challenges and other exciting creative things. And, don’t forget to share this with any friends you think might want to know about it.
You are loved. x
UPDATE: I’ve been asked which colors I used from my set of 48 Prismacolor Premier colored pencils for this Bible art. For the word “listen”, I used Aquamarine on the top left and finished with Light Aqua on the bottom right. For the words “to her”, I used True Blue on the top left and finished with Light Cerulean Blue on the bottom right.
Scripture is from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cheryl
Jul 14, 2015 @ 4:32 pm
Rebekah …… I really liked this lesson. Thanks for another one using color pencils. I just do NOT like the way other mediums cause the pages to wrinkle and have been able to express myself with the prisma color pencils just fine. Mine are the soft blend ones and lay down plenty of color. We are so blessed that you share your journaling techniques with us.
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 4:39 pm
Thanks for your comment Cheryl. I know so many struggle with that wrinkly feel. For me, I love the added texture it gives to my well loved Bible but I am also always looking for ways to make things less wrinkly. I will do a series of colored pencil tutorials so I hope you’ll stick around. 🙂
Nancy Varga
Jul 15, 2015 @ 3:37 pm
You have truly inspired me, I can’t wait to get my art supplies and dig in.. I love the bible lessons too. What a wonderful way to express.. Thank you for sharing your gift from our Father in Heaven …
Sarah Miller
Jul 14, 2015 @ 4:55 pm
Who doesn’t love Proverbs and colored pencils? Don’t you think it is “nice” that the Lord gave us 31 Proverbs? One for each day on how to live each day. Rebekah, keep up the good work, you are a servant to the living God. I look forward to your ministry each week.
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 4:58 pm
Thanks Sarah. You are sweet. And, exactly! Who doesn’t love Proverbs and colored pencils? 🙂
Kathy
Jul 14, 2015 @ 5:14 pm
Great video, great blog post. So excited to begin this journey! Thank you for sharing your experiences – art and life.
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 5:37 pm
Welcome to the journey! 🙂
Sheryl Utterback
Jul 14, 2015 @ 5:43 pm
Hi Rebekah! Greetings from a VERY hot Las Vegas, Nevada! Thanks for explaining the difference in the two types of Prismacolor Pencils.I would have purchased and surely regretted what my choice was before watching this video. I so enjoy Tuesdays!!
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 5:48 pm
I’m glad I could help! I love Vegas. I have family there. I’m sure it is hotter than it should be, as usual this time of year! 🙂
Diane Marra
Jul 14, 2015 @ 6:19 pm
Thanks for the great post. I really enjoyed learning more about colored pencils, I have used cheap ones and now I know why I didn’t like colored pencils. Will buy the ones your recomend soon. Love the idea of a title page faithart for Proverbs. Thanks for your ministry.
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 9:11 pm
Thanks Diane. You’ll have to let me know how you like the Prismacolor Premier colored pencils once you try them. 🙂
Debby
Jul 14, 2015 @ 6:47 pm
Thanks so much – I love colored pencils and I’m looking forward to more tutorials. Does the Prismacolor tend to smear onto the facing page?
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 9:16 pm
I find that as long as I blow hard as I am going along, to remove crumbs and then do a little swipe across the surface to remove anything else, there is no trouble with smearing at all.
Angela Vincent
Jul 14, 2015 @ 6:54 pm
Thanks, Rebekah! I, too, had bad experiences with coloured pencils, then found Prismalo Aquarelles, that can be used as pencils or watercolours…..but they’re now so worn and tiny from many years’ use that I’d just about given up using them at all, and inertia set in. So here’s the little kick I need to get some more!
PS Clicked on your US Amazon link and discovered that they’re way cheaper than buying through Amazon UK! I think I may be waiting til Christmas, though….
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 9:19 pm
Hi Angela! Just make sure you don’t confuse Aquarelles (water based) with colored pencil which is waxed based. 🙂 And, anything you buy from the US and ship over, will get a customs tax and handling fee requiring an extra £12 to get it off Royal Mail on delivery, only if the USD package total value is greater than $15. Just a tip to keep you from sad surprises. 🙂 I’m sure whatever you get will be worth the wait!
Lucinde | Lucilight
Jul 14, 2015 @ 7:36 pm
I love working with colored pencils in my bible. It’s just a carefree way to journal for me ;). No need to think about preparing the pages etc. I’m using Derwent Coloursoft, I think they’re a lot like the prismacolors. Beautiful soft pencils.
Thanks for making this new challenge, I’m going to think about the book Proverbs this week :).
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 9:21 pm
Hi Lucinde! Great to hear from you. yeah, Derwent Coloursoft are similar. I hear that Prismacolor Premier seem to allow you to add more color before the surface rejects extra color layers which is worthwhile mentioning but probably not worth you buying a different set just because of that. 🙂
Lucinde | Lucilight
Jul 15, 2015 @ 3:26 pm
That’s definitly something to consider. I don’t have any problems with the Derwents yet so I won’t buy a new set for it, no haha. I think the preferences can be related to your country too, when I want the Prismacolors I need to import them but I can buy the Derwent at most craft stores here.
Jessica
Jul 14, 2015 @ 9:08 pm
This tutorial was right on time for me! I have been searching for this exactly! Thank you so much. ALL of your tutorials are fantastic and I really appreciate them! 🙂
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 9:22 pm
That is great! So glad. 🙂
Carolynn Wagler
Jul 14, 2015 @ 11:45 pm
Really enjoy your journal/videos. Thanks for the inspiration
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 14, 2015 @ 11:58 pm
Thanks Carolynn. I’m so happy to hear that. 🙂
Cindy
Jul 15, 2015 @ 1:16 am
Love this video! I just bought a few of those pencils from open stock today to try. Do you find there is a difference in paper thickness between the two bibles that you are using?
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 15, 2015 @ 12:34 pm
Thanks! That is great. Hope you enjoy them! 🙂 I find that the thickness of the paper in both Bibles is really similar. The difference in the paper is the color and actual feel of them. Both do great with all the techniques I’ve shared so far. 🙂
Jeanine
Jul 15, 2015 @ 2:21 am
Thank you so much for this! So often my Bible study is not what I expect it to be or hope it to be. I think choosing a person and immersing myself in them, who they were, how they lived for God, is a great way to study. Your videos are wonderful but I’m glad I finally came over to your blog.
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 15, 2015 @ 12:35 pm
That is great. Hope you’ll enjoy your new study time! And thanks for joining me here on my blog. Hope to see you soon. 🙂
Karen
Jul 15, 2015 @ 3:41 pm
Love your challenges and lessons! I often use my white Prismacolor pencil as a finishing touch on top of my other colors to create an even more smooth, blended finish.
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 16, 2015 @ 12:28 pm
Thanks! Yes, that white pencil is great for smoothing things out. 🙂
Lisa Montgomery
Jul 15, 2015 @ 9:56 pm
Great blog Rebekah! I cannot believe how much the cheap pencil experience effected you that much. I’d probably get my kids cheap ones too at that age until I knew they were serious. This really made me laugh though. LOL. (Honestly though, I can’t buy the Crayola Twistables that everyone loves because I feel like you WITHOUT trying them!) Maybe I’ll spend the $5 to see. 😉
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 16, 2015 @ 12:31 pm
Haha! You are too fun. I did think you’d find my post funny. lol I think this whole thing has made me more mindful to give children experiences with good quality supplies like my grandma did with me, so they can aspire to do quality work if it is in their heart. I would rather not admit that I’ve tried the Crayola Twistables. It’s my job to be informed. They’re okay for the money but leave much to be desired in comparison. ha Essentially, in the end, we get what we pay for. 🙂
Melanie Lewis
Jul 20, 2015 @ 12:00 pm
I LOVE the basic simplicity of this page and the crisp cleanness of it! GREAT idea to use the pre-printed page behind! Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful technique!!
Brenda Latham
Nov 4, 2015 @ 11:25 pm
I would like your input on a set of colored pencils I have. They were given to me as a gift but I haven’t used them much. It’s a 72 piece set of LYRA Rembrandt Polycolor pencils from Germany. The led seems soft to me.
Thanks
Rebekah R Jones
Nov 6, 2015 @ 5:02 pm
I have not used them but have heard of them. If they feel soft and the color applies with a rather buttery smooth feel that has good amounts of color, they’ll be nice for your Bible. The harder core colored pencils can damage Bible pages with too much pressure so you might enjoy what you have. 🙂
Donna
Jan 25, 2016 @ 10:53 pm
Rebekah…newbie…first two pages partially done. And very glad that I tested on title pages. I have used crayola pencils. They are not bleeding, but are very heavy shadows on back side. To the extent that I really don’t like them. Would it be better to prep pages and invest time/money for that or use prisma or fibercastel pencils? I want to be able to read text, so really want to limit shadow. Thanks for the recommendations. Love your videos
Charl
Jan 26, 2016 @ 2:16 pm
I have recently found your blog and love it. I am spending so much time doing the art journaling on the dining table that my husband wonders if Idont need an art room.
Angel
Mar 21, 2016 @ 1:50 am
Hi Rebekah,
In the video and pictures you cannot tell this bible is lined in the margins; however, when I click the link to purchase the bible it shows it is lined. I would like to know if this affects your art at all? I am really struggling over the bible to use for this, I want the largest margins I can get but I would prefer that they not be lined….however, those bibles seem to be $200.
Linda
Jul 7, 2016 @ 3:31 pm
Rebekah could you please explain the process of printing out fonts from your computer? I have never done this and would love to learn how as it would really benefit my journaling. thanks so much Linda
Rebekah R Jones
Jul 9, 2016 @ 10:34 am
Sure! Thought, it is different for every computer. What you need to do, is open a new word document, (where you type a letter, for example), and type out the words you want to use. Then, look in the menu area for a way to change the font. If you select all of the text so it is highlighted, and then start changing the font using that menu, you’ll see the text change to the selected font. You can find one you like and then even play around with highlighting sections of text to make bigger or smaller too. Just get in your word application software, type out a bit of text and play around. You’ll get the hang of it. Once done, print as usual. 🙂
Maurice
Aug 14, 2017 @ 3:58 am
Rebekah your advice would be very much appreciated, in my bible study I enjoy highlighting verses that are powerful and my aim is now to have a colourcode verses in a theme. What sort of pencil would be best for that? No smudging no damage to the paper minimal show through. Many thanks.
Liane Hampton
Oct 14, 2017 @ 4:14 am
Rebekah,
Thank you so much for the valuable journaling information and video tutorials. I have signed up for your 12-week tutorial and have been enjoying them very much. My Bible is still untouched, but with each video I become more confident and will soon put pencil to paper. Writing Scripture helps me to memorize it and recall it more easily when needed. Creative Bible journaling will be a fun way to augment writing Scripture. Again, thank you, your time and talent are very appreciated.
Dean
Jan 12, 2018 @ 9:55 pm
I would like to use colored pencils to underline favorite passages in my Bible. Is it ok to use Prismacolor Scholar Colored Pencils? They have a harder core but the lead is still soft. I don’t know if they will damage thin Bible paper or not. Or do you think I should still use Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils, Soft Core?
linda Mcneely
Jul 15, 2018 @ 9:55 pm
Rebekah I absolutely love those pencils but have stopped buying them because they break on me every time I sharpen them. they are expensive and to have them break all the time has been very disappointing. will keep looking for a pencil that has good color but does not break so easily.
Rebekah Jones
Aug 20, 2018 @ 12:08 pm
I’m sorry that happened to you. Once in an odd while, you can buy a set which has already been dropped by someone in transit which means they are already shattered. But the big culprit, is often the sharpener used, which breaks the lead as you attempt to sharpen. I have my recommended sharpener in my Supplies Guide: https://rebekahrjones.com/bible-journaling-supplies/
Debbie Reed
Jun 14, 2019 @ 11:32 pm
Really like the blending effect. Thanks for sharing this.