I’m going to show you how to sketch the American flag quickly and confidently—without overthinking it!
You probably already know the basics: the flag has 50 stars and 13 stripes—7 red and 6 white. What’s less obvious is that the stripes aren’t simply alternating all the way down… and once you understand the pattern, drawing it becomes much easier.
🇺🇸 Start by sketching the rectangle where the stars will live—the familiar blue field. From there, you’ll assign the red stripes, letting the white of your watercolor paper serve as the white stripes.
🇺🇸 Along the right side of that star-filled rectangle, draw one red stripe extending from the top of the rectangle and another extending from the bottom. Then add two more red stripes between those, giving you four of the seven red stripes right away.
🇺🇸 Beneath the rectangle, leave the first long stripe white. Then draw three more red stripes below that, with the final red stripe forming the bottom edge of the flag.
It sounds much more complicated when written out—but once you see it in the video, it clicks right into place. Promise. 😉
Enjoy this TidBit, and Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸✨
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
🔗Helpful Links & Resources:
I always recommend Prismacolor Colored Pencils. Purchase them in any kind of set at any local or online retailer!
When you really stop and think about it, people are just shapes!
In this TidBit, I’ll show you a quick and approachable way to sketch a person in your journal—perfect for travel journaling and everyday scenes.
The basic steps are simple:
1️⃣ Paint an upside-down U
2️⃣ Paint a trapezoid and give it arms
3️⃣ Paint a circle
Optional additions:
👉 Add a horizon line
👉 Paint in shadows
👉 Use a 005 Micron to draw in details once the paint is completely dry
When we’re travel journaling, we want to spend most of our time exploring—but inevitably, we find ourselves sitting on a park bench or at a café. Those quiet moments are the perfect time to update our journals and capture the people around us.
I painted this page in just 7 minutes. Practice this technique now, and on your next adventure you’ll have it tucked away—ready to pull out whenever the moment calls for it. After all, you never know who you’re going to meet when traveling!
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
Do you remember that one meal?
The one you still talk about years later—the one that refuses to be forgotten.
Maybe it was home-cooked.
Maybe it came from a tiny hole-in-the-wall.
Or maybe it was exactly what you hoped for from a five-star restaurant.
That was my experience.
A long time ago, while traveling through Florida, I celebrated my birthday with friends at the Chart House in Coconut Grove—tucked between a local dive once known as Scotty’s Landing and a high-and-dry boat storage facility, right on the marina. An unexpected place for a fine dining restaurant, yet perfectly at home on the water.
That night, deep into a saffron phase, I ordered the dish that spoke to me most: bacon-wrapped, pan-seared sea scallops with garlic-basted grilled asparagus and saffron risotto. The menu didn’t mention it, but the presentation was stunning—finished with a delicate balsamic reduction, applied in concentric circles and tiny dots around the plate. The chef was clearly an artist.
Until now, this meal lived only in memory and conversation. But by commemorating it in my journal, it’s found a permanent home. I don’t have to keep retelling the story for it to remain part of my life—it’s right here, waiting whenever I turn the page.
👆 This journal page was created using the playful wet-on-wet watercolor technique. Simply pre-wet your page, then start dropping in watercolor and watch the colors expand, mingle, and surprise you. Experiment with color theory, switch brushes to see how each one behaves on a wet surface, and enjoy the process. Once everything is completely dry, finish the page with Sharpies or Microns—adding drawings, lettering, or memories right on top. 😃
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
Two steps!
Using Derwent Inktense Blocks, paint yourself a lovely sunrise gradient and let it dry. When you're ready for the second step, simply use a small round brush to depict a nice palm tree silhouetted over that gorgeous sunrise.
PRO TIPS:
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?! SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
🔗 Helpful Links & Resources:
🎨 You can purchase a set of Derwent Inktense Blocks on Amazon HERE.
☝️ Believe it or not, creating a cool-looking compass rose can be done entirely free-hand—no ruler, no circle stencil required. I’m going to show you how to draw one in just 60 seconds!
✍️ This is a simple pen-and-ink drawing that’s easy to tuck into your journal.
🗺️ I especially love using a compass rose on the very first page of a travel journal, but it also works beautifully when drawn smaller on a page where you plan to sketch a map of an area.
🎨 You may even choose to add color to your compass rose (which, admittedly, takes a bit longer than 60 seconds 😉). Colored pencils or different ink colors work great. If you plan to use any wet media—like watercolor or Derwent Inktense blocks—be sure to draw your compass rose first with pencil or a waterproof ink pen such as a Sharpie or Micron.
Enjoy—and have fun with it!
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
Grab your Sharpie, Prismacolor colored pencils, and a little Gamsol with a paper stump, and let’s have some fun sketching the iconic holiday character—the Grinch! 🎄💚
In this TidBit, I’ll walk you through a playful way to draw and color him using wax-based colored pencils. If you’re more comfortable sketching in pencil first, absolutely do that—just be sure to trace over your pencil lines with a Sharpie and erase all graphite before you begin coloring.
Why? Because when you blend wax-based colored pencils (like Prismacolors) with Gamsol, any leftover graphite can smear and create unwanted dark spots. That said… this knowledge can also be used intentionally. Pre-planned graphite can be a subtle and clever way to add shaded gradients if you want to experiment.
The paper stump is your best friend here—it helps blend color smoothly and evenly. Between colors (or as needed), simply clean and re-shape the stump by gently twisting it against a sandpaper paddle to keep a nice tapered point.
This TidBit is super fun for the holidays and great for all ages—even kids!
ENJOY! ✨
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
🔗Helpful Links & Resources:
You can find paper stumps and sandpaper paddles on Amazon HERE
We’re officially in Thanksgiving week, which means it’s the perfect time to pause and lean into gratitude. 🙏🍂
In this TidBit, I’m sharing a simple, approachable groundwork you can use as the foundation for a gratitude-themed journal page. It’s easy to accomplish, but intentionally open-ended—so you can choose to leave it just as it is, or elaborate and layer your page with words, sketches, memories, or meaning as the week unfolds.
I can’t wait to see how you make this one your own!
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
🪶 In this TidBit, you can use your Derwent Inktense Blocks or watercolors to paint a simple, fun, and kinda–real-looking turkey feather.
I’ve chosen to use the feather as a left-side border on a journal page I plan to finish after the Thanksgiving holiday—leaving space for words, sketches, or little memories from the day.
🎨 Feel free to paint more than one feather on your page. Use your imagination to decide how many, what orientation they should be in, and whether they’re all the same color—or not.
Have fun with it, and make it your own!
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
🔗 Helpful Links & Resources:
🎨 You can purchase a set of Derwent Inktense Blocks on Amazon HERE
In this TidBit, I’m using Derwent Inktense Blocks to paint a loose sketch of my house using an autumn-inspired color palette. It’s fun to see my home dressed up in warm, seasonal color—especially since, in real life, it’s mostly beige with brown and black accents.
Painting familiar subjects in colors that don’t exist in real life is a wonderful exercise. It frees you from trying to “get it right” and invites you to really see. Instead of focusing on my house’s beige-ness, I found myself paying attention to the facades, the shapes, the gentle non-symmetry, the pitch of the roofs, and even the surrounding foliage—reimagined through color rather than realism.
I hope you try this technique yourself sometime!
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
In this TidBit, I’m playing with my new Staedtler Dual Brush Watercolor Markers to paint a pumpkin. 🎃
These markers really love water when it comes to blending—and boy, do they blend! Almost too much at first. The more I play with them, the more I’m learning how to guide the water instead of fighting it. With practice, I know I’ll gain more control and confidence.
I hope you enjoy this technique and try it out for yourself some time!
🤗 Want more of these coming straight to your inbox?!
SUBSCRIBE HERE to get these TidBits and other awesome updates from Art Journal Avenue!
🔗 Helpful Links & Resources:
You can purchase a set of the same markers I'm using on Amazon HERE
