Bible Journaling INSPIRATION - Drawing vs Tracing Coloring Pages

As I've mentioned often, I really cannot draw well. That fact doesn't mean that I never draw in my Bible. In fact, a couple of months ago, I drew a serpent beside the story of The Fall in Genesis 3:1.

I also recently illustrated the beginning of Moses' story by drawing the "ark of bulrushes in the reeds by the river" (Exodus 2:3).

However drawing is rarely my first choice when adding an illustration. Tracing a picture someone else has created is a much better option; one made easier by the abundance of illustrations available online.

I've recently been working through the Amazing Power of Grace Bible Study hosted by the Time-Warp Wife website. This study comes with lots of free downloads - a study guide, week-at-a-glance pages, weekly study questions, scripture cards, and coloring pages! Here's a look at how I've used a couple of those coloring pages.

I printed, cut apart, and traced the Week 1 Part 1 coloring page to highlight the fact that grace is a gift as described in Ephesians 2:8.  For the scripture in the margin, I simply put the printed piece underneath the Bible page and traced the letters using a Micron pen. For the gifts, I placed a piece of graphite paper on top of my Bible page, then layered the gifts coloring piece on top (both pieces held in place with a small piece of washi tape) and traced over the picture with a pencil. After removing the coloring page and graphite paper, I traced over the graphite using a black Micron pen. Then I simply used some Crayola twistables to color in those beautifully wrapped presents. To complete this page, I added some handwritten journaling, three punched hearts, a tab, and a stamped date.

I cut apart the Week 1 Recap coloring page to use on two separate pages. I traced the picture as an illustration for Proverbs 3:5-6. Once again, I used graphite paper and traced over the picture with a pencil. Then I went over that with a Micron pen before coloring it all in with colored pencils.

I didn't trace the scripture from that coloring page, however I used it as INSPIRATION for writing out Ephesians 4:7 on the blank page before the book of Ephesians in my journaling Bible. First, I painted the background with Dylusions paint. After writing the scripture and a Ray Stedman quote (that our pastor had shared in a sermon), I used a white paint pen to add highlights. I also included some washi tape, stickers, a tab, and a stamped date on this page.

I'm so grateful for the wealth of resources available online, especially sites like the Time-Warp Wife that provide inspiration for diving into the Word and drawing closer to the Lord. (I don't have any affiliation with the Time-Warp Wife website; I simply found it through a link to one of the Bible studies that someone mentioned in a Facebook group, I think.)

As you can see from these pages, the traced illustrations are far superior to my own drawings. However, in each case I've spent time in the Word, which is the most important part of Bible journaling.

Have you done any tracing or coloring lately?