Free-floating bubbles is one of the designs I created for my book, Raw Art Journaling. It’s easy and fun. You have room for writing, if you want. You can expand the size of the bubbles to write in them or not. No wonder I like it–big results for not a lot of rules.
The lines you draw can be simple, which is a good place to start.
Ink pen on paper. © Quinn McDonald, all rights reserved.
Make some of the lines more complicated. Make them intersect, cross, avoid each other. You can fill a page or you can leave white space to write in. You can write along the lines, or make them big enough to write in them, leave them blank and fill them in later. You can use the lines to journal what you experienced, or use them for quotes. There are a lot of choices here, and that’s an excellent thing if you write in your journal every day.
From "Raw Art Journaling: Making Meaning, Making Art," © Quinn McDonald, All rights reserved.
You can also add color, before or after you draw the lines and bubbles. You can pick one color and use variations of that color, a simple palette, or a riot of color. Here is an example of a simple color scheme. If you use two colors in a large area, as in the center leaf, continue using them in the line detail. It creates a piece that looks connected.
Pitt pen, Copic Marker on hot press watercolor paper. © Quinn McDonald, All rights reserved.
Here is an example of a largely monochromatic color scheme. This was done with Copic markers in shades of warm gray, putty, light gray, and olive green. You’ll notice that I didn’t color in all the surfaces. Leaving some blanks creates an airy look that’s easy to write in at a later date.
Pitt Pen, Copic markers on hot press watercolor paper. © Quinn McDonald, All rghts reserved.
If you want to try more designs, please join me at Barnes + Noble at Desert Ridge (Tatum and the 101, Phoenix, AZ) October 6, 2011 (Thursday) at 7 p.m. to try a different technique. This one is in the book, and I’ll be happy to sign it for you!
—Quinn McDonald is doing book signings in Sedona (October 15), Los Angeles (October 21), Seattle (October 25) and Port Angeles, WA (October 26). She hopes to see you at one of them. She’ll also be happy to come to a bookstore or teach a class to your group. Contact her for details at QuinnCreative [at] yahoo [dot]com.
QuinnCreative 
We did those also! We also did them where we colored them in with crayon very heavily and then washed black paint over the whole paper and then scraped off another design into the paint with a popcicle stick so that the colors popped through! I loved those art classes!!
Aren’t art classes just wonderful? We remember them for the rest of our lives.
I remember doing big swirly scribbles in elementary school like this.. they we’d color in all the sections. One of my fondest memories of art class as a wee one. Thank you, Quinn.
I like this updated version, because the crossing of lines can become quite complicated. I remember those scribbles, too. They were fun.
These look very cool…I love the effect. Taps into my love of Zentangle designs. I will definitely try this in my journal.
These can be kept simple or made really complex. I love complex ones, but they take fun.
Is that a really great slip, Quinn? Did you mean to write “they take time,” but wrote “they take fun” instead? That’s great!!
I can’t find the phrase, and I’m a terrible proofreader of my own work. I do make mistakes, though, particularly when I edit by adding a sentence, and then forget to take out the old one.
Reminds me of nitrogen-fixing root nodules! http://www.sciencephoto.com/image/13073/350wm/B2380003-Nitrogen-fixing_root_nodules_on_pea_plant-SPL.jpg
It feels weird that I remembered this; the life sciences were never my favorites.
Your memory is amazing. Or scary. But it’s true!
I love these, especially the blue one! I really like the light blue circle with the darker lines and leaves. I think I’ll do some of these today in my sketchbook! I just might have to give in and try using some copics also!
How fun that you are going to be in beautiful locations for your upcoming book signings! And, away from this heat!!
Using Copics on these is really fun. I’m loving them a lot. Can’t wait to see your book!
I like your organic lines and resting bubbles a lot, and I need to try this in my art journal too! Thanks for leaving a comment on the confetti lines I did from your book, I enjoyed them a lot too. 🙂
These can become quite complicated and interwoven, which I love. And, of course, they can stay simple. I love your blog, Hanna, it’s such an inspiration!