How to Use Leftover Acrylic Paint in Art Journal

I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand to let any paint go to waste!

This time, with the leftover paint I thought it would be fun to do a journal spread. I allowed myself to add more paint out of the tube as needed, but I kept in my mind my end goal of using up whatever was leftover. I find that although it can be scary - I often thrive when I give myself some creative guidelines. I know you’ve heard me say this before, but sometimes too many options can be overwhelming!

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I kept this session pretty simple - and I LOVE the result 😍

→ Gesso. This preps my surface, and helps minimize any appearance of color showing on the backside of my page.

→ Paint. Applied with a variety of techniques: paintbrush, palette knife, fingers.

→ Marks. Pencils scribbles and intentional mark-making tie this piece together. Asemic writing adds a nice text-like pattern.

My 10 favorite ways to use up leftover paint

Collage papers - paint repetitive marks or color fill small scraps of paper
Art Journal - work on a page in your journal
Journal Backgrounds - swipe extra paint on random pages, creates the perfect jumping-off point
Fabric - spray your paint with water and use it on fabric
Layered Painting - anytime you have leftover paint, add it to a canvas that becomes a truly random painting
Color Swatches - an easy way to document your colors
Color Mixing - practice mixing colors to see how many colors you can create
Wrapping Paper - build up your stash of wrapping paper, everyone will want a gift from you!
Small Projects - Artist trading cards, postcards, bookmarks
Gelli Plate - create prints on your gel printing plate