This week marked the end of summer and the beginning of the school year for most folks. Because we homeschool, school doesn’t have to begin on someone else’s timeline. We modify our lesson plans to coordinate with the life we live, rather than the other way around. Lots of short getaways throughout the year break up the monotony that can settle into any homeschool room. This post is about one trip that was especially memorable.
A couple of years ago, when Peanut turned 12, we went on a mother/daughter trip to talk about becoming a woman. In case you’re wondering, we used Passport to Purity for our curriculum. I can’t say enough positive things about it. It was an incredibly special trip. I wanted to capture the highlights in an art piece that would hold as a keepsake for her to remember our time together. This project would be great for a journal, scrapbook or as wall art.
This post will highlight the process I used to put this memory map together in case you would like to try your hand at one of your own.
Tools needed:
· computer (for info & pictures)
· printer (optional)
· copy paper or tracing paper (for design draft)
· light table or bright window
· 140 lb watercolor paper (cold-press = rough texture or hot-press = smooth texture)
· pencil
· ruler (optional)
· waterproof pen (I like Sakura Pigma Micron) or calligraphy ink (I like Dr Ph Martin's India Ink) & dip pen
· watercolor paints (I like Sennelier or Windsor & Newton) or colored pencils (I like Polychromos or Caran d'Ache)
· paint brushes (detail brushes sizes 4, 1 & 000) (if using watercolor)
· colored pencil blender (if using colored pencils)
· water jar (if using watercolor)
· paper towel (if using watercolor)
· lint free cloth (if using calligraphy dip pen)
Outline of map:
Either using brochures from your trip or a computer, find a general shape of the area that you want to focus on for your map. For us, our getaway was to Door County, including Washington Island.
You can print the outline and transfer to your draft paper or hand draw it to your draft paper. (If you have design software such as Adobe InDesign or Affinity Designer, you can create your entire draft by inserting all of your images onto your map and printing the draft before tracing onto the watercolor paper. This is what I usually do, but I wanted to make this tutorial for anyone, even if you do not have fancy software.)
With the basic outline of the map, it’s time to locate special landmarks to include on your map. These can be found looking through photos of your trip or a quick online search of places you visited. Actual images are helpful for making sure of details or to see different angles of landmarks. It’s fun to reminisce about the trip and relive each moment.
If there were any special mementos you may want to include those as well. For instance, Peanut received a compass to represent Jesus, her “guide” as she grows into a young woman.
Retracing your steps through the trip will not only be a delight, but it will help you recall special moments of your trip that you want to capture in your artwork. For instance, before we even arrived at our destination we made a couple of stops. We ate lunch at PC Junction, which is a well-known spot where the food is delivered to you on a train that travels the length of the counter. Not sure if this still happens since covid, but it was fun when we went.
We also went to the Hands-On Art Studio in Fish Creek, where she painted a dragon piggy bank. Anyone who knows Peanut would have guessed it had to be a dragon.
Then, we needed to get moving in order to board the Washington Ferry before the last one left the mainland.
Select several “moments” to capture on your memory map and draw them onto your draft. If it is a specific location, try to place it where it is actually located on the map. Add flourishes and other drawings to accent your map and make it visually artful. A ruler can be used to draw guidelines to make lettering straight.
Now, that your draft is completed, transfer the draft onto your watercolor paper. Using a light table or a well-lit window is ideal for this part. I wanted to adjust some parts of the draft, for instance, the Washington Island banner is too far right. So in my transfer onto art paper I moved this as you will see in the picture below.
Once the transfer is complete, be sure the pencil lines are fairly light. Use a kneadable eraser to lighten up the lines if needed.
If you are pleased with the pencil draft on your watercolor paper, begin applying the ink layer with either a fine liner pen or calligraphy ink and nib. Whichever you choose, be sure that it is waterproof so that when you add the watercolor layer, the ink will not bleed into the colors.
After the ink dries completely, apply the watercolor washes to the larger areas and the initial layers to the objects and buildings. All of your paper should be covered with this first layer of paint, except for areas that you want to remain white. Allow the paint to dry completely between each additional layer.
This is the point in the project where I would add finishing touches with paint details and shadowing, but if you notice in the photo, I’m not very happy with how the watercolor is behaving. It accumulated in some areas causing blotchiness. I tried re-working it, but it wasn’t going well. Instead of scratching the piece, I attempted to add a fix. I figured it wouldn’t hurt anything since I was planning on starting over anyway. In the process, I learned of a new method of adding color. I used colored pencils to go over the water areas that I didn’t like.
Then, I used a blender pen to soften the pencil marks. Had I planned on using colored pencil from the beginning I would have used a paper with less texture.
The effect pleased me so much that I ended up reworking the entire piece with a layer of colored pencil. Notice the vibrancy of the colors. I love the soft subtle way that watercolor looks, but the boldness of this piece actually reminded me of my daughter’s personality even more. I love when a mistake turns into a beautiful expression of truth.
I hope this tutorial has inspired you to capture your memories in a creative and special way. It’s my goal to help you build your legacy one project at a time, even when it’s riddled with mistakes, because isn’t that the way life is anyway?
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