Letting Colour Lead in a Layered Wreath Art Journal Page

This art journal page started as an experiment in using colour differently — not overly blended, but strong, noticeable circular blocks to work with a wreath design — allowing stamped elements to both stand out and quietly support the background.

Full art journal page featuring a layered floral wreath with circular blocks of pink, purple and neutral tones, showing flexible stamping as both focal and background elements.

I love creating designs that can be used in more than one way, and this page is a good example of how the same stamps can become bold focal points or subtle background texture, depending on how they’re coloured and layered.

How I Built the Page

I began with the wreath, stamping it in a soft grey to be my “place marker” and guide the overall composition. From there, I could then see how far I wanted to blend out the blocks of colour.

Cropped view of art journal page showing bold colour blocks and repeated stamping used to build a layered wreath design.

I chose a limited colour palette, starting with darker shades and moving to lighter tones, and repeated those colours across:

  • The main floral elements

  • Smaller stamped embellishments

  • Soft background stamping

Rather than treating everything as a feature, I let some images fade back while others came forward. This creates depth without the page feeling too busy.

Close-up of the centre of a stamped floral wreath showing layered focal elements and detailed stamping.

I also made the decision to give the illusion of a split page, with the colours predominantly on one side of the page and leaving the other side white (or white-ish!).

Did you notice… I’ve added a wee bit of purple! Those of you that know me will know I have a love-hate relationship with purple, but every now and then I’m trying to be a bit braver with using the colour.

Close-up of purple stamped elements added to the wreath design to bring contrast and a pop of colour.

Designing for Flexible Use

When I design stamps, one of my key aims is to make them as flexible as possible. Not everyone feels confident with complex layered stamping, so I love creating designs that can:

  • Work as focal images

  • Break apart into background details

  • Create the feel of layered texture

  • Help build confidence through repetition and overlap

This page uses stamps from my Wild & Free collection for Shady Designs, along with coordinating elements from the same range, to show how a single design style can play different roles within one project.

When I use the term flexible, I also think about how you craft. Although I’m probably known more for my art journal pages, it’s important to me that my designs can cross over into all styles of crafting.

Carrying These Ideas Forward

Although these designs are from an earlier chapter of my creative work, the ideas behind them still guide how I approach stamp design today — creating tools that support both bold focal work and softer, layered backgrounds.

I truly want every crafter to feel that they can achieve the look that’s in their head on to the paper — sorry if that sounds corny or mushy, but I really do!

It’s a design approach I continue to carry forward into new projects and new collaborations.

Side detail of art journal page showing stamping fading into lighter colours for a softer, layered background effect.

Final Thoughts

There’s no single “right” way to use stamps. Colour, placement, and layering can completely change how a design behaves on the page. With a new idea, work with colours that you feel confident using — that’s half the battle won.

Whether you love bold focal points or subtle background texture, the most important thing is giving yourself permission to experiment and make the designs work for you.

Until next time, take care,

Lou
xxx



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