How Great Thou Art

 

Hahahaha! You may be asking how this funny graphic goes with my title How Great Thou Art. The answer is simple. It doesn't. I just found it in my Facebook memories today and you know - it describes me perfectly. Hahahaha! And I love it! But it isn't why we are here today.  I want to show you how I made this piece of art I am calling scripture art. 

Scripture Art is a beautiful process of combining the scripture, music, praise, memorization, meditation, drawing, painting and appreciating all in one simple project. (And maybe some snacks and coffee.)

I began by taping off two 'pages' on one sheet in my Agave watercolor pad from Hahnemühle. My song choices were easy. How Great Thou Art was my Dad's favorite hymn and I had it sung at his funeral. I knew this had to be my first scripture art. Not a scripture per se but based on the scriptures. On the right hand side are the lyrics to the song Praise You In This Storm.

I knew I was going to watercolor over the top of the wording so I used a grey Sharpie ultra-fine point to write the lyrics. Sharpies do not run when they come in contact with wet media. 

Let's focus on the How Great Thou Art piece on the left. For color I used Schmincke watercolors. I pre wet the entire section and dropped color into the water, letting it run and helping it here and there with a brush. 

You may have noticed my handwriting is not that great since I was so sick. Don't worry about your handwriting if you try this. A lot of it will be covered with paint and drawing. 

This is my page after it dried. You can still read every word now. The beauty in this method is you know what is under the painting and drawing. You know it in your heart and you can carry that with you. This completed painting is hanging in my house now. When I look at it I remember my Dad and I think about the power in these words. Do I need to be able to see them to appreciate them? No, because I have them in my heart. No one can take that away from me. 

See those boo boos? Those shaky lines? Those uneven and running into each other letters? No problemo. No one will ever notice those once this is done. And they won't notice them in your art either. I promise. 

Once the page was totally and completely dry I used a black Sharpie to draw my flowers. I wanted most of the page to be covered so I used those little flowers to fill in.

The center of that large, flowing flower called for some tangled printemps. I always begin with that tangle and bury my chop somewhere in the midst of it. 

Typically I finish each flower by double lining the petals. This helps cover up any uneven lines and problems I may have had along the way. 

Then I use a white Posca Paint Pen to add white highlight/defining lines. Sloppy and not perfect. No flower in nature is perfect and neither are mine. 

In the large flower at the top I added a bit of stippling in black and white around the center of the flower. Posca Paint Pens make this step easy and quick. Just use a small size tip. My favorite is the 0.7 mm. Then I added lines, imperfect outlining and white highlights to the petals. 

I love Tim Holtz' Distress Inks. I use them several different ways including making sponged backgrounds, dotting, map tangling and dip and dab backgrounds. Hahaha! For this piece of art I grabbed Salty Ocean. I thought it would work well with the colors on my background. Using this stencil/stipple brush I just dabbed some salty ocean color all around the edges butting right up next to the blue painter's tape. Tracy Weinzapfel taught me this. It gives a completed border to your art. 

Can you see it in this shot? Subtle but it is there. 

Maybe you can see it better here. Without the glare of my desk lamp (which has since died and is currently taking up residency in our local dump.)

Love the color I got when I stippled the salty ocean blue over the yellow area of my art. 

The last step is to remove the painter's tape. Here are the two pieces I made using one sheet of the Agave paper. The Praise You in This Storm piece was sent to a former police officer Mark and I used to work with. He and his wife have it framed and hanging in their entryway. See what I mean about your handwriting? No one will be looking at your crooked lines, misspells or shaky handwriting. They will first admire and appreciate your artwork. And one day down the road they will take time to try to read what you wrote underneath. And maybe a word or two will touch their heart like they did yours. 

I prefer the term scripture art but no matter what you call it, make it meaningful. Even if it can't be read word for word. Your work will not come back to you void. I learned that in the scriptures. 

Hahnemühle's Agave Watercolor paper can be purchased here