Easy Watercolor Art Journal Pages You Can Do in 20 Mins or Less (2024)

Even if you’re a complete beginner in art journaling and using watercolors, you can still create amazing watercolor art journal pages.

There are so many things to do with watercolors and so many different techniques, but let’s start simple today, and not overwhelm ourselves.

I’m going to share a few easy watercolor art journal pages you can do in 20 minutes or less. They require no special skills, and above all, they are fun to make!

For each page, I’ll list the supplies you’ll need and possible replacements. Then I’ll explain the process step by step so you can easily follow and recreate those pages in your art journal.

Disclaimer: Some links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something through that link, I get a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

A QUICK NOTE: I did these pages in two art journals: Marabu Mixed Media Journal and Jane Davenport Watercolor Art Journal. Both of these journals have thick paper that can handle water, especially Jane Davenport’s journal, which has watercolor paper inside. If you try using watercolor on a regular printing paper or regular notebook, you might be disappointed because these think papers can’t handle water at all.

The supplies I’m using for these tutorials:

1.Jane Davenport Watercolor Art Journal

2. Marabu Mixed Media Art Journal

3. Mitsubishi black fine liner – waterproof

4. Black waterproof ink pad by Ranger

5. Jane Davenport Eye Stamps

6. Jane Davenport watercolor sets: the bright set & the neutral set

7. Posca pens: Metallic green and Metallic red

8. Pilot Choose Gold pen

You can use any supplies that you have. Just go through your stash and see what you can use for doodling and journaling, what stamps to choose and which watercolors to use.

The supplies I’m using are only suggestions.

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Easy watercolor art journal page – tutorial 1

Supplies you’ll need:

1. Watercolor paint
2. Stamp (any stamp, but if you have a text or abstract stamp, they’ll work the best)
3. Black ink pad
4. Waterproof black pen
5. A magazine image of a girl
6. Paper scraps (optional)

Step 1.

Choose two of your favorite watercolor paints and paint an abstract, horizontal shape. Mix those two colors while they’re still wet, and add some dimension by letting the paint flow down freely. Check the photo below.

This is how it looks finished. I used blue and pink and a lot of water. That’s why you can see these dots in the watercolor. This journal doesn’t have actual watercolor pages, but it’s still thick enough that it can handle some water.

To be honest, I love those dots. At first, I was shocked because I didn’t see this coming, but in a matter of seconds, I realized how lovely these dots look. They make a wonderful texture.

Step 2.

I used a text stamp that I love so much. I’ve had it for such a long time that I forgot the name and the brand. But if you don’t have a stamp like this, use any other stamp you think would fit nicely here.

Tip: Don’t use the whole stamp on the page. Press just some bits of it. This way, it’ll look more distressed and more interesting.

Here’s how I did it:

Step 3.

Choose a magazine image or a photo, or even a stamped image. It’s up to you.

I found a lovely image in a magazine of a girl in a yellow shirt. This instantly drew my attention because I knew yellow would work well with blue and pink.

As you can see, I also added a piece of scrap paper that had a lovely cut out. I used it to frame the girl.

Step 4.

Take a black pen and do some doodling and journaling.

I drew stars and dots and later added more dots with a yellow marker because of her yellow shirt.

Tip: Try to use your main object’s colors (in this case it’s the yellow from the shirt) on the rest of the page as well. This unites the page and gives more interest to it.

Easy watercolor page – tutorial 2

Supplies you’ll need:

1. Masking tape
2. Watercolor paint
3. Stamps
4. Black ink pad
5. Black pen

Step 1.

Glue the masking tape to create rectangular or square shapes.

Do this any way you like and don’t forget to tape the edges, too.

I didn’t measure anything here. Don’t worry about your shapes being the same size, just do it intuitively.

Step 2.

Start painting in the shapes with different watercolors.

I choose blue and pink again but used different shades.

It should look something like this:

And when you take the tape off:

Step 3.

Choose your stamps and think about what you want to journal on the page.

I picked two girl stamps and a Jane Davenport eye stamp.

On other squares, I wrote positive affirmations, stars, and some doodles.

If you don’t have any stamps that could go here, you can draw some doodles in the shapes.

Easy watercolor art journal page – tutorial 3

Supplies you’ll need:

1. Watercolor
2. Stamps (I used flower stamps)
3. Black ink pad
4. Black pen
5. Washi tape

Step 1.

First, start adding some water on top of the page with a bigger brush.

Step 2.

Then, start adding watercolor on top while also adding more water where necessary.

The goal is to get enough water and paint so they can flow down easily.

Next, lift your journal horizontally to let the paint go down.

Here’s how it looks:

See Also

How to create art: Easy art journal ideas for beginners

Step 3.

You can continue while the first layer is still wet, but you don’t have to.

Start with the second color on the top right and let it flow in the same way as with the first color.

Step 4.

I pulled out a few of my flower stamps and stamped them a bit left from the center.

If you don’t have flower stamps, just doodle your own. You can use my page as a reference for doodling.

Step 5.

Later, I just added the stems with my black pen and doodled some leaves.

Then I painted the leaves with watercolor.

Tip: You don’t have to paint within lines, even better if you paint outside the lines. This gives a looser look.

Step 6.

Next, I painted the flowers, too. I chose blue here because blue and orange are complementary colors so I wanted to see how that would look.

Step 7.

Now, let’s do a few finishing touches.

Put some washi tape at the bottom of the flowers, to unite them.

Then, scribble a line across the page with a black pen.

Finally, add some journaling on the right. It could be a quote, and affirmation, or just your thoughts.

Easy watercolor art journal page – tutorial 4

Supplies you’ll need:

1. Watercolor
2. Black waterproof pen
3. Stamp
4. Black ink pad

Step 1.

Start by choosing two colors and adding them to the page with a big brush and a lot of water. The goal is to make a big blob of soft watercolor.

You’ll have more success if you paint both colors while they’re still wet.

This way, they’ll blend better and create a softer look.

Tip: Leave some white space, like small portions of white throughout the watercolor blob. This creates depth and interest.

You can also soften the edges by using a wet brush after the paint is a bit dry but not entirely, and push the paint out, as in the photo below.

Step 2.

I like to add one more color: yellow.

Remember that I had the same color combo in the first tutorial? I definitely feel those colors today!

So, choose the third color and add a bit here and there.

Step 3.

Continue by doodling flowers.

Here’s how I do this.

I look at the page for a few moments to notice any shapes that could be transformed into flowers. I found a few and started doodling petals inside the shapes.

Step 4.

If you want to, you can add black watercolor in the flowers and let the paint flow down the page. If you don’t have black watercolor, just use any other darker shade.

Step 5.

I also stamped a bit at the bottom of the flowers. I love this text stamp!

You can put a sticker on there, add some journaling around. Whatever feels right to you.

Easy watercolor page – tutorial 5

Supplies you’ll need:

1. Watercolors
2. Black waterproof pen
3. Gold/green/red pen or marker

Step 1.

Choose three different colors and paint shapes like rectangles, circles, and half-circles.

The goal is to enjoy, and there’s no right or wrong way fo doing this.

I chose blue, orange and yellow. (No pink this time.)

You can draw other things like lines, dots, small circles, etc.

Step 2.

Take your pens and start doodling minimalistic flowers and leaves.

I chose the black Mitsubishi pen, green and red metallic Posca pens, and a gold pen.

You can also doodle lines and other small shapes to give more interest to the whole image.

Step 3.

Finally, add some journaling. I used a quote that I found on Pinterest.

Painting with watercolor can be easy and fun!

I was afraid of using watercolor before because it seemed so intimidating.

Then, after a long time of trial and error, I realized that perfection is overrated and actually doesn’t exist. The time spent experimenting with your supplies and not worrying about the rights or wrongs is time best spent.

My point is that you can paint with watercolors, too, and create amazing pages. Just start simple like these tutorials and build from there.

Watercolors are amazing and once you relax with the brush in your hand and paint intuitively, you’ll discover how satisfying it is.

So, I hope I inspired you with these simple tutorials and that you’ll try at least one of them and continue to experiment and learn.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE ART JOURNAL STARTER KIT

Get instant access to your free Art Journal Starter Kit packed with art journal tips and ideas so you can start creating freely even if you’re a beginner.

YES, I NEED THIS!

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If you love these watercolor art journal pages, save them to your favorite Pinterest board!