I had this idea and thought, what the heck, let me try it. I wanted to create watercolor bookmarks, but I didn’t want to paint them individually. This is an 8.5″ x 5.5″ (21.59 x 13.97 cm) piece of watercolor paper from a padlet. I drew three interior lines with a ruler, but I freestyled this, so the individual bookmarks will not be exactly the same size. That’s okay.
Inspired by the book “Wildflower Watercolor” by Sushma Hegde, I decided to try and paint a bouquet. I’m not the best at painting flowers, but I liked this book’s style. The flowers in the demonstrations are not super realistic looking, and I’d rather try to represent a feeling than a portrait.
Here I started to paint purple coneflower, black eye Susan, and some type of accent grass.
I kept going, adding flowers here and there. I also added stems and leaves.
Lastly, I completed the look with flower centers and a touch of highlight with a white gel pen.
I carefully cut them, and voila, four homemade bookmarks.
I’ve made bookmarks before, but I laminated them before punching a hole for the ribbon. Lamination is great, it protects the watercolor for a long time, but it covers the rough texture of the paper. I want people to feel it. I want them to run their fingers up and down the bookmark to experience the bumps and know that this is truly homemade…not printed…not made by AI… but human-made from the heart.
In this picture, I wanted to fasten the bookmark with a grommet to protect the hole. To do this, I needed to add some brown cardstock to reinforce the watercolor paper because the grommet, as small as it is, is rather thick.
This brown cardstock is folded and protects both sides.
Here I had fun adding various colored ribbons and some glass seed beads to one. These touches make each bookmark look unique. I may write a personal message on the back or perhaps a scripture verse before giving them as gifts. Of course, I may keep one as my favorite!
Here is the book that inspired this project. The author has a relaxed style and great how-to photos. I would love a girls’ get-together where we practice making wildflower bookmarks while drinking tea. That sounds like so much fun!
Go ahead, try it. It’s not too difficult.
Happy painting and Happy New Year!
Christine
Let's Paint Nature! 