Be inspired to give bo-ho inspired art a try for sketchbook pages showing an eclectic mixture of colour, pattern and texture.
What is Boho art?
Boho style art incorporates an eclectic mix of colours, patterns, and textures all on the one canvas. Warm earthy colours are often used. I first came across boho style art in July 2022 and discovered that is also used to describe a type of interior design: a style my friend pulls off effortlessly with her home decor and I happen to love!
This blog post shows my artwork that came from my first Boho art experiment. If you give it a try make sure you've decided what your focal point is going to be. The paper can get quite crowded with all the detail and colour and the viewer's eye needs to rest on something.
Materials needed:
Decoupage paper (floral pattern)
PVA glue
Textured paper (earthy colours)
Black acrylic pens (or any type of black thick nibbed pen)
Vintage musical notes paper (use your own or print free ones from Pinterest)
Method:
Lay strips of all the papers you're using in your chosen positions.
Use PVA glue (or decoupage glue if using thin patterned paper) to stick paper to sketchbook/canvas. Either soak papers beforehand or use brush with watery glue to place them in to position as you go.
Once dry, draw your background floral image and use acrylic pen for final lines.
Use black acrylic pen to draw main flower image (this will be main focal point).
Use paint/ink/medium of your choice to make your main flower image stand out loud and bold.
Steps 1-4:
Spreading on the PVA glue - I like to use my hands for the final sealing layer!
Note! Tear the paper. The soft edges blend much better than cut edges.
My finished Boho mixed media painting!
What I've learnt with this experiment
Positives: I like it and there is so much more to delve in to with this style. Perfect for mixed media sketchbook experiments and therefor good for finding your own art style.
Negatives: As it uses a combination of bold patterns, colours and detailed images, it is hard to know which aspect to zone in on the most. The painting will look cluttered if you don't get the balance right. I needed to go over the black pen lines for the smaller flowers as they didn't stand out as well.
