The Mismatch: What to Do When Your Art Journal Quote Doesn’t Match Your Page
There are some art journal pages that just come together beautifully, and this one is definitely up there for me. The soft washes of colour, delicate stencilling, and flowing Celtic Circles give it such a gentle, luminous feel. It’s one of those spreads that made me smile as it took shape on the page.
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A gentle background meets a "Bold Quote"
This spread layers translucent watercolour washes in soft greens, blues, and yellows, paired with interlaced Celtic circle stamps, delicate pink flowers, and coloured pencil shading. I also loved the contrast between the inky, flowing background and the crisp pencil colouring on the stamped images.
But… here’s the thing. I used a quote that I love for its wit:
“Light travels faster than sound.
That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.”
It’s a clever line — and it always makes me laugh — but in hindsight, it doesn’t quite fit the softness of the background. The mood of the page and the tone of the quote were pulling in different directions, and that was a great reminder: words can completely shift the feel of a design.
It wasn’t until I started editing the photos that the mismatch really struck me!
When design elements don’t quite match!
Normally, I’d pair a quote like this with a much bolder, more graphic background — maybe something with sharp contrasts, collage layers, or a more urban mixed-media vibe. Instead, it landed on this soft, serene spread… and the result is, well, interesting (the only polite word I could think of at the time!).
The beauty of art journaling is that not everything has to be perfect. Some pages surprise you. Some become gentle reminders for the next project. And some — like this one — make you smile and shake your head in equal measure.
This page actually began as a mop-up background from a previous project — I’d used too much ink and needed to tone it down, so I pressed a clean page over the excess and got this lovely soft wash.
I stamped the Celtic circles and, for a change, decided to colour them with pencils. (Top tip: pencils are brilliant for adding detail over watercolour — they won’t reactivate the paint once it’s dry.) The flowers and leaves were pre-stamped and sitting in my “bit box”, waiting for their moment. They, too, were coloured with Bruynzeel pencils.
When I started layering everything, the circles looked like they were just floating, so I added extra background stamping from the same Celtic set to ground them. Finally, I added some crisp white highlights with a Sakura gel pen to pull it all together.
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✨ Want to Learn Techniques Like This?
I regularly run creative workshops where we explore art journaling, stamping, layering, and playful mixed media techniques — just like the ones in this post.
You’ll find my latest workshop dates and booking info on the Workshop Page
My next one is coming up soon, and I’d love to see you there!
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Final thoughts ...
Not every page turns out the way you imagine, but that’s part of the creative journey. Sometimes the ‘mismatch’ pages are the ones that teach you the most… even if you do wince a little when you look at them later!
And honestly? I still love this one for its soft colours, gentle background, and the cheeky contrast of that quote.
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