In this Bible journaling tutorial, I’m excited to show you how to paint in the Illustrating Bible! We’ll be using Faber-Castell Gelatos and Finetec metallic watercolors, to bring Matthew 6:19-21 to life. And since the Illustrating Bible has nice, thick pages, there’s no need to use gesso. Win!
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I admit, I don’t very often use my Illustrating Bible. Yes, it has wonderful crisp white pages, a large 3.75″ margin, and the paper is much thicker than typical Bible pages. But, I’m very fond of my original journaling Bible, especially since it’s much easier to handle. The one downside to the Illustrating Bible is it’s heft and size—if you’re going to read from it/review your past journaling pages, you’ll have to lay it flat on a desk or table. It’s just much too big for holding in your hands or your lap to read.
BUT that being said, I do love that I don’t have to use gesso at all in the Illustrating Bible. And I’ve been thinking lately, that I should really take advantage of it more often.
So, today I’m going to be showing you how to paint in the Illustrating Bible! We’re studying Matthew 6:19-21, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven”. And I’ve often wondered, what exactly are treasures in heaven? I mean, it’s easy to understand what earthly treasures are, but heavenly ones are a bit less clear. So, I thought about this, and came up with a few things: LOVE, generosity, God’s Word, and relationship with Jesus. Of course, this is by no means an exhaustive list, but just those few things I thought of.
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)
Treasures in Heaven: Painting with Metallic Watercolors
Check out the video below for the full tutorial, from start to finish!
***I should also mention that, if you have a regular journaling Bible (not the Illustrating Bible), you can still do this in your Bible. Just consider using gesso to prep your page first, and definitely test the supplies on a back page of the Bible first, to see whether they’ll bleed through or wrinkle the page too much.
SUPPLIES USED:
- Faber-Castell Gelatos (in this tutorial, I’m using the metallics set)
- Ranger Mini Misters
- Treasure/gemstone stamps or stencils
- Archival Ink pad in black
- Finetec metallic watercolors
- Loew-Cornell detail paintbrush (as I mentioned in the video, mine is 15 years old…I wasn’t able to find a brush exactly like it, but this one is similar)
- Ranger Heat It drying tool
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
Of course, I encourage you to first pray over this verse, and ask God what he would like to show you about it (and, how to apply it in your life!). And then, once you’ve done that, follow your creativity! You don’t have to do this Bible journaling page exactly like I did, but if you want to, here are the steps I took…
- First, outline in pencil the areas that you want to shade in with gelatos (like I did with the treasure box and cloud). Mix your gelatos with water, and paint on as desired. You can also use the gelatos to highlight the verses if you like.
- Once you’re done with the gelatos, you’re ready to stamp on whatever stamps you like (treasure box, crown, gemstones, or whatever you have that can symbolize “treasures in heaven”). I recommend using Archival Ink or other waterproof ink—that way, it won’t bleed or run when you paint on it with the metallic watercolors.
- Sketch/trace on whatever words or designs you’d like to use.
- To use the Finetec metallic watercolors, dribble or spray them with water to activate. Then, use a detail brush to apply the paint wherever you want it on the page. Use them to color in a stamped image, create your own Bible verse lettering, or whatever you like.
I don’t know about you, but all this has me consciously thinking about how much emphasis I put on earthly treasure vs. the infinitely valuable heavenly treasure of God’s Word, his love and mercy, and relationships with God and people.
What comes to your mind, when you think of “treasures in heaven”? I would love to hear your thoughts on how we can store less earthly treasures, and more heavenly ones.
Hi! Thank you so much for visiting Divine Creative Love. I’m a Jesus-lovin’ girl, lettering artist, designer, and general creative-at-heart. And, I have narcolepsy. I blog about faith in God, overcoming challenges, and creative topics such as Bible journaling. If you’re new here, be sure and subscribe to my list so you won’t miss anything!