Simple Art Journal Prompt with Circles

Today I have a fun and simple art journaling sketchbook prompt for you.

Circles and Watercolor Paint | A Simple Sketchbook Prompt | TinkerLab

I’ve been building a habit of getting up before the kids so that I can have a little time to breathe before the day begins.

A few weeks ago I picked up these new Canson Mixed Media journals (Amazon affiliate link) and I was eager to give them a try.

I gave it a go, had some fun, then invited the kids and Scott to join me later in the day.

Here’s where we ended up…

Materials:

Pencil – Blackwings are my favorite and a gorgeous splurge
Paintbrushes
Your art journal (my hardcover favorite) or the Canson Mixed Media art journal shown here, or any heavy paper suitable for watercolor – – see one of my favorites below)
Watercolor Paint – Prang brand shown here (the colors are bright and they’re great for kids)
Micron Pen or other waterproof pen
Tape roll or something round to trace
Rag and water bowl

Step 1: Make Circles on the Paper

Trace your tape roll or other round object to make circles on the paper. These can overlap or go side-by-side. You could also create an assortment of sizes.

I started with a random assortment of circles on my paper by tracing the inside of a tape roll.

So easy, right?

I used my favorite Micron pen for the task.

If you like drawing with pen, Microns are the BEST. They’re waterproof, so after all of that drawing you can paint right over them without any fear of smearing the ink.

Step 2: Fill the Circles

Next, fill the circles with patterns and paint.

I set out to fill them with tiny patterns and paint.

I decided to limit my palette to purple and red just to keep it clean and simple.

Try this with family or friends

After working on this for a while, I cleared the table and set up an invitation to paint for my family.

When my kids sat down to it, I started another page.

This one was much more loose and fun for me.

I used the blank paint from the watercolor set and a super-thin brush to make those thin inky lines.

My husband and 3-year old got in on the action and we added a few more supplies like markers and more brushes.

I love how my little one interpreted this prompt. So free-form and light.

And then, even better, she got down to paint what she wanted.

The whole point of this, after all, is to get some marks on paper.

In case you’re wondering, the Canson sketchbooks art journals are fantastic!

The size of ours (7″ x 10″) was just right: big enough to work freely, but small enough that it’s not an overwhelming amount of space to fill.

They absorb water beautifully without curling too much, and they have perforated edges so you can cleanly remove anything worth hanging or sharing with a friend.