Whimsical Night Sky Illustration — Bullet Journal Setup

For my August 2020 monthly bullet journal spread, I decided to get whimsical. Check out my starry illustrated bullet journal set up for some celestial inspiration!

My Materials

• Archer & Olive Watercolor Dot Grid Journal
• Dr. Ph Martin’s Hydrus Liquid Watercolors
• Dr. Ph Martin’s Bleedproof White
• Grumbacher round paintbrushes
• Blue Duck Painter’s Tape
• Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen
• Sakura Micron Drawing Pen

The Process

The making of this night sky illustration was actually very simple. A little bit of patience and repetition can create a complex-looking page without a ton of effort.

First, I created a wet wash with some lovely dark sky colors, like Payne’s Grey, Alizarin Crimson, Cobalt Blue, and Black. Then, once it dried, I used the Bleedproof White and a fine paintbrush to letter out my headers and add stars, moons, constellations, and plants to the pages.

Finally, I used my Fudenosuke brush pen to outline my calendar boxes and then I filled in the dates with a fine drawing pen.

Watch the Set Up

Catch the full set up video on my IGTV — don’t forget to subscribe while you’re there!

A Little Extra

After creating the cover page and calendar on one spread, I flipped to the next spread to add a few extra things to my monthly set up.

On one page, I lettered a lovely quote that fit the theme and mood of the month. Then, on the next page, I created space for a gratitude log that I can fill out as the month goes on.

The Trick

You might think this page looks very complex, but it’s mostly just a bunch of dots and tiny stars. You don’t need to have high-level drawing skills to make a bunch of dots! Even if you mess up the shape of one star, create an imperfect constellation, or draw a wonky moon, it won’t stand out too much.

I’ve found that you can create a very cool design with a bunch of small, imperfect elements like in this celestial illustration. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself! It just takes some patience and you can make something just as cool as this August bullet journal set up.

Looking for More Inspiration?

If you’re still not sure what theme you want to create, make sure to check out these 120+ monthly theme ideas to help you find the perfect spread!