He Loved Us First! ~ Bible Art Journaling Challenge: John 3:16

He Loved Us First!

The verse for this week's Bible Art Journaling Challenge is John 3:16.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

This verse is one of the first I memorized as a child. It is probably one of the most if not the most well known verse in the Bible. I'm amazed at how that Scripture has changed for me as I've grown older. The meaning is the same, but the way I reflect on it has changed.

I'm a momma of two sons. I love those two boys fiercely. I can imagine laying down my life for them but it is completely out of my comprehension as to how I would give either of them up for a sinful, ungrateful group of people. Yet the Heavenly Father did just that for you and me. What a humbling prospect. 

The even more amazing thing about it is that He did it because He loved us first. He didn't wait to send His Son after we fell in love with Him. He did it when we were at our worst. Unrepentant. Unaccepting. Ungrateful. Such amazing love!

The Process

This was an experimenting and learning week for me. Since the challenge project was a pair of hands holding the world I wanted to replicate that. I also wanted to use watercolor pencils again to gain more confidence with them. So let me share with you what I learned . . . the good and the not so great.

The first thing that I did was go onto the internet and find a simple sketch of what I wanted to put on my page. The next thing I did was prep my page. I have been using DecoArt Multi Purpose Sealer on my pages but it just doesn't seem to work really well with the watercolor pencils so I decided to try Krylon Matte Finish.

I just gave the page a light spritz and then blew it dry. (Caution: this stuff is kind of fumey. Be sure to do it with lots of ventilation.) I'm going to jump ahead and say that I really like how it worked. The page wasn't wrinkly and it didn't have too much tooth. I'm going to try it a few more times to decide if it is what I will stick with. I always use it over my ink but I've never used it before as my page prep.

My next step was to put the outline of the design on the page. I simply put the pattern under the page and traced the outline with the watercolor pencils that I planned on using. After my outline was on I then proceeded to color in the design and add a bit of water to smooth out my work.

Here's where I ran into some hiccups. The first thing I ran into is an easy fix. I couldn't come up with the right color that I wanted. I wasn't sure that I was really interested in using watercolor pencils so I originally purchased a very small set. I need a larger set for a bigger variety in colors.

My next problem was that the silly pencil tip kept breaking off every time I tried to sharpen it. Just by accident I stumbled upon this tutorial on how to properly sharpen a colored pencil. What an easy fix!



While I was on YouTube I also found this other tutorial on using watercolor pencils and I thought it gave some great tips on how to use them. I tried the blending marker that is shown in the video and I loved it. I had no idea that I could use it on the watercolor pencils as well as the regular colored pencils. 
I also didn't really consider using regular colored pencils over the top of watercolor pencils. I tried that especially on the hands to see if I could help the skin tone. Again . . . I really just need a larger assortment of pencils.

I have several things that I want to work on but the exciting part is that I am slowly learning more about this new medium every time I use it. That is one of my favorite aspects of this challenge. I feel like I've finally settled into not being consumed with the work being perfect but more of it being part of a process. 

Products Used

NKJV Note-Takers Bible
Loew Cornell
     Watercolor Pencils
Prismacolor Colored Pencils
Krylon Matte Finish

Want To Join The Fun?

Rebekah R Jones has put together a wonderful group of fellow Bible doodlers. If you are interested you are welcome to join in the fun. A new challenge is posted each Tuesday. Check out her introduction to the Bible Art Journaling Challenge on her blog and join the Facebook group and/or the Google+ Community.

Don't forget that we have teamed up with Family Christian and Zondervan to give away a Note-Takers Bible, Prismacolor Colored Pencils and a set of Pigma Micron Pens. Just pop on over to our giveaway page and enter for your chance at the prize.