Acrylic Paint & Baby Wipe Process Tutorial

A fresh, new Book of Mormon calls for a little mess and a whole lot of heart.  After a simple prayer and some time for reflection, I came to the realization that my very first entry needed to start off with “the most powerful knowledge [we] possess.  We are children of God. With continued meditation and a close study of Elder Brian K. Taylor’s talk, “Am I a Child of God?” 

Because the Saints were faithful and made a covenant with the Father to be obedient to His commandments, King Benjamin reminded them of their own noble birthright.  Like King Benjamin, I want my own children to know that they are more than just pajama-clad superheroes (though my heart smiles each time they run though my house with their masks and capes).  My boys are special because they are children of God. And what better way to record my prayers and testimony for them with my knowledge of their divine inheritance than to begin scripture journaling this simple truth.  Elder Brian K. Taylor taught, “Coming to know these truths with certainty helps us overcome trials, troubles, and afflictions of every kind.” It is our duty to teach our children to know their identity and identify their purpose.  And by doing so, we are helping them prevail.

President Boyd K. Packer’s plain and precious words should be written on the fleshy tablets of our hearts (yes, your heart), “You are a child of God.  He is the father of your spirit. Spiritually you are of noble birth, the offspring of the King of Heaven. Fix that truth in your mind and hold to it!”       

I invite each of you to boldly proclaim your identity: We are Children of a Heavenly Father who loves us!  And friends, because He knows us, seek to know Him. President Nelson directed us to open the pages of the Book of Mormon to learn of the characteristics of the Father and His Beloved Son.

Mixed Media Tutorial

Supplies Needed:

I began putting color on the page right away (no looking back, friends; just go for it).  I dipped a small section of a baby wipe directly into my pot of paint (I went with superhero colors to honor my boys, even though red, yellow, and blue aren’t the first colors I usually grab).  Without any rhyme or reason, I swiped the baby wipe across the page. I did apply more paint to the top of my page because I knew I would use alphas to adhere my title: I am a Child of God. I do try to work in threes in my painting because our eyes are drawn to a visual triangle.  First went blue and then a lucious goldenrod yellow.

For a different sort of look, I used my pinkie finger to spread some Superman red on the page in little smudges. I wanted the pinkie smudges to have more of a smeared look, so I rubbed a baby wipe over them. The entire page was dry in less than two minutes and no bleed through with thinly applied acrylic paint (saving you the step of using gesso).

At this point, I grabbed one of my go-to black and white rolls of washi tape.  This time, it was the polka dot (perhaps adding a touch of femininity to an otherwise masculine page). Because the paint has a bit of a messy look (which I like), I tore the washi tape in long, thin strips-- embracing the torn look.  I stuck it down here, there, and everywhere.

The most time-consuming part of this entire journal entry was placing the alphas.  I knew I wanted my header to read I am a Child of God, but how exactly did I want to place it?  I applied and tore off and reapplied the stickers at least half a dozen times to get the exact look I was going for.  Next came the star stickers and the hand-drawn, school-girl stars. Just gives a nice finished look to the page.

To create a visual reminder that this page will serve as a prayer to my children, I included a picture of my children (and my husband) in their best superhero attire.  Actually it was this super cute photo that served as the inspiration for my entire page. The colors. The stars. The simplicity. Awe, love them. And of course, the meat of my entry was my journaling.  A hidden prayer behind their picture and a quote from Elder Taylor’s talk.

Lastly, I threw together a simple tab and used some of the Faith-fetti to leave a lasting impression.

After a little date stamping, verse highlighting, and black watercolor splatters, I feel like I am ready to take on the rest of the margins in this beautiful journaling Book of Mormon. I pray you fellow scripture journalers will find strength in our community and comfort in the words of the scriptures.  

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