Watercolor Words Project

Most of you have seen my home library. What you don’t see is the boxes of books in storage waiting for space on those shelves. One of those boxes is full of mini sized book and the box behind that is full of broken books.

Books too cool to throw out but too damaged to display on a shelf. It’s kinda sad.

One of those books is a French/English Dictionary. Some pages are torn or missing. The binding is loose. By all accounts this book should be in the trash. However, I’m thrifty, crafty, and a book lover so I can’t throw it out. I’ve been looking for a way to re-purpose it.

I bought a watercolor kit. I can kick but at pictionary but by no means am I an artist. Watercolor is a paint form I feel is beautiful, forgiving, and soothing. What I didn’t buy was watercolor paper to go with it. Watercolor needs a heavy gauge paper in order to not fall apart.

The paper of old books is much different from today’s book paper. It’s actually thick and made from wood product (which is why they smell incredible). Thick enough to withstand a few coats of watercolor without bleeding through or tearing.

Now each day I open up my old French & English Dictionary and read through a page of words. Reading the dictionary is a great way to improve your writing vocabulary. One of those words on the page I use as a prompt for my painting. Can you find the words I used in the paintings below?

This project feeds my vocabulary, fills my creative well, and will result in a one of a kind book of word inspired art.

What do you do to fill your creative well? It can be as simple as a walk in the park. Let’s share some ideas below.

Happy Questing!