Psalm 23 Bible Journaling Tutorial – Painting with Gelatos

Join me for this Psalm 23 Bible journaling tutorial! We’ll dig deeper into this popular Psalm, and talk about who God is as our “Good Shepherd”. Plus, we’ll paint with one of my favorite Bible journaling supplies: gelatos!

Psalm 23 Bible journaling tutorial

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I think Psalm 23 must be the most well-known of all the Psalms! If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you’ve probably heard it quoted, read it multiple times, and perhaps even memorized it.

I remember hearing and seeing it so many times in my life. But it wasn’t until the pandemic of 2020, that I made a point to memorize the whole Psalm. Fear was gripping the whole world, and no one knew exactly what would happen. Much of the U.S. was on lockdown, and it just felt SO strange and terrifying. (You probably remember the feeling too?)

So, I memorized Psalm 23 and recited it to myself every night before I fell asleep. I think this Psalm is so popular, just because it’s such a balm to a fearful soul! It reminds us that God is always watching over us, He is in control, and because of that we can rest easy.

But, as familiar as you may be with Psalm 23, have you ever thought to dig a little deeper into what is meant by “the Lord is my Shepherd”? What exactly does shepherd do, and why should that make us feel any better about going through the “valleys” of life?

For that, I looked into the duties of a shepherd, and I read Psalm 23 in a few other Bible translations (namely the Amplified version). And I came up with this list of qualities that describe God as our Good Shepherd: He’s our counselor, guide, mentor, friend, provider, and protector!

Basically, He keeps us on the right path, and makes sure that we have everything we need. As sheep, we may not understand where He’s leading us, or why things are the way they are, or what is happening, but we can trust God to guide us and provide for us.

Psalm 23 Bible journaling page

Painting with Gelatos in Bible Journaling

So, that’s the truth I wanted to record in this Bible journaling page! I had this adorable “Shepherd’s Voice” Sweet’n’Sassy Stamps set, and I knew I wanted to use some gelatos to paint the stamped images with.

If you’ve never worked with Faber-Castell Gelatos before, you’re in for a treat! They are so much fun, and so versatile. These genius little tubes of pigment are definitely among my favorite Bible journaling supplies. You can smear them on like pastels, or mix them with water and use them like paint.

I most often apply them like paint, either as a background wash for my whole page, or applied to a stencil. And in this tutorial, I’m applying them like paint, but in a much more detailed way, to color in the stamped images.

At the time I’m writing this, there are six different gelatos sets, everything from brights and pastels, to translucents. The ones I have are the metallics, iridescents I, and iridescents II sets (because I love shimmery things!).

The Psalm 23 Bible Journaling Tutorial

Okay, so let’s dive in! Check out the Psalm 23 Bible journaling tutorial video below, to see the whole process from start to finish. Also, I encourage you to do your own study of Psalm 23, and adapt these Bible journaling techniques to whatever supplies you have on hand.

SUPPLIES:

cute Bible journaling ideas - Psalm 23

INSTRUCTIONS:

Have fun Bible journaling with gelatos! They really are a blast to use (and easy too). That being said, you’re welcome to use whatever supplies and techniques you like. If you want to follow along step-by-step with what I did, here are the instructions (also be sure and watch the video above!).

  1. Start by applying the ‘Shepherd’s Voice’ stamps with Archival Ink. This type of ink is waterproof, so it’ll stay put and won’t bleed when you paint over/around it. (If you’re new to stamping, you might want to check out my stamping for beginners post too.)
  2. Take your ‘Flourish Sun’ stencil, and use a pencil to lightly trace it around your Shepherd heart image. If desired, you can go back and erase the pencil lines a little bit, so they’re very faint and won’t be visible after you’ve painted them in.
  3. Choose your gelatos colors, smear them on a paint palette or disposable plate, and use a wet paintbrush to pick up the pigment and paint it onto your Bible page. Add more pigment and/or water to the palette, as needed. Once you’re done with each color, you can wipe it off the palette and start in with your next color. Use the gelatos to paint in the details of your stamped images, and the stencil outlines.
  4. Bring in whatever pen or marker you like, to write in your “Good Shepherd” description. I used a pink glitter gel pen, but you could use a Pigma Micron pen or whatever pen you have on hand.
  5. Highlight any of the verses of Psalm 23 that you want to. I just used the gelatos, painting over each verse with one of the colors I used in the stamped images. But, you could use regular highlighters or even colored pencils to highlight the verses.

Bible art journaling ideas - Psalm 23

I just love how this Psalm 23 Bible journaling page turned out! It’s so precious, with the image of God shepherding the little sheep on the hillside, and the sweet sheep with hearts on its chest. We are like God’s sheep—His beloved children—and we can take comfort and confidence in knowing that He cares for us!

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