Bible Journaling - Genesis 35

Genesis 35 is a short chapter which is packed with information. W bury no less than three people in its few verses, along with some pagan idols. Most of the chapter is devoted to a commitment renewal from Jacob towards God, but a small section also deals with how his own family starts to crumble, to the point where one of his own sons sleeps with one of his concubines and the mother of his half-brothers. We are once again confronted with the challenge of depicting these events in illustrations. This time we are also required to confine ourselves to a very limited space. I share my approach with you in today's blog.

Genesis 35 looks like this in the Inspire Praise Bible.

I treat the pages with Zellen Clear Gesso before I start.

When I return to these pages, I have already journaled the preceding chapter and my pages now look like this.

At the start of the chapter, Jacob is instructed to move to, and settle in, Bethel. He cleans house first, telling his wives and family members to get rid of all pagan idols. From now on their family will only worship the God Who met Jacob at Bethel. God meets Jacob a second time and confirms his change of name to Israel. He also reaffirms His promises to Jacob and introduces Himself as El-Shaddai/God Almighty. Jacob builds an altar here. In the meantime Deborah, Rebekah's old nurse, had passed away. I draw an altar and a grave stone to depict these events. I use a pencil to start with. I also draw a large tree. Both the pagan idols, as well as Deborah were buried beneath trees and it seems fitting to have a tree on the page to represent both of these two trees.

I use Faber-Castell Artist's Pitt Pens, a Micron Pen and a black fountain pen to colour these illustrations. I also add a heap of soil at the foot of the tree to mark that it is a burial place.

In the last section of the chapter, we see that Rachel gives birth to Benjamin, but passes away in the process. We also learn about Isaac's death at the ripe old age of 180. In the same passage we also learn that Reuben, Jacob's firstborn son, defiles his father's bed, by sleeping with his concubine, Bilhah. I draw a baby to prepresent Benjamin, two gravestones for the two deceased and a heart to indicate the affair between Reuben and Bilhah.

I use a combination of Sharpie Markers, Micron Pen, ProMarker, and Pitt Pens to colour the illustrations.

I add detail with a black fountain pen, a Sharpie Marker and a ProMarker.

That concludes this chapter.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/3TcrHZHDa9c

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.

Bible Journaling - Genesis 33 & 34

We continue our journey through Genesis today. We approach Esau with the same trepidation that Jacob must have experienced and find him a loving and welcoming brother. We then witness Jacob/Israel settling down in Shechem, only to see his only daughter dreadfully abused by one of the young princes of the region. The rape of their sister angers Jacob's sons and they plot their revenge. If Jacob means deceiver, we see that this is a character trait that he had taught his sons as well. What follows is a cruel and bloodthirsty scene of deception and retribution. We are challenged to find a way to illustrate these events in today's Bible Journaling venture.

We once again are dealing with two chapters that continue on the overleaf pages.

Genesis 33 and 34 look like this in the Inspire Praise Bible.

I treat the pages with Zellen Clear Gesso before I start.

This is what the pages look like once the gesso has dried.

I use a combination of Mont Marte Adult Colouring Duo Markers and Derwent Coloursoft pencils to colour the illustration in the left margin.

I move on to the second square and use a diffrent colour scheme here.

The third square sees me introducing a third colour scheme.

The colour scheme in the fourth square reminds somewhat of that of the second square, but the intensity of the two schemes differ from each other.

I then move on to the last square and a colour scheme that once again reminds us of that used in the first square.

The pages now look like this.

When I return to these pages, I have already journaled the previous chapter and my pages now look like this.

At the start of chapter 33 we see how Esau and Jacob meet up with each other. It is a heartfelt and warm reunion with no apparent hard feelings. I opt to depict this as two brothers embracing each other. I start my illustration in pencil.

I colour the drawing with a combination of Sharpie Markers, Faber-Castell Artist's Pitt Pens and Micron pens.

As these are two twins reconnecting with each other, I opt to draw a broken heart that has been united. In one half, I write Jacob's name and in the other that of Esau. I use Sharpie markers and a black fountain pen.

Chapter 34 opens with the very sad tale of Leah's rape. I continue the theme of hearts to illustrate this. This time I draw a weeping heart to represent this horrible act and the attempted cover-up. I exaggerate the amount of tears spent in an attempt to acknowledge all women who have suffered the same fate since. I was once accosted by someone who adamantly declared that he could not believe in the Bible because it was filled with fairy tales and refused to acknowledge the hard realities of life. When I pressed him for an example, he settled on rape, stating that the Bible did not deal with this topic. Leah's story proves him wrong. Sadly this is not the only account of rape in the Bible, but we will restrict our discussion to this single instance today.

We have now reached the end of these two pages and need to turn a leaf to continue with the chapter.

I have already treated these pages with Clear Gesso and can simply continue journaling.

When we turn the page, we learn that Jacob's sons deceived the men of Shechem. Believing that they would be open to trade and intermarriage, if they agreed to being circumcised, the men of Shechem complied to the demand. When the men were all in pain and vulnerable, Leah's brothers struck and killed them all, looting the city and carting off it's women and children. I choose to depict this deception as two hands. One hand indicates that all is well, while the other has it's fingers crossed in deception. I draw the hands in pencil.

I use Pitt Pens to colour the hands.

This brings us to the end of chapter 34 and today's journaling section.

I page back to get an overview of what I have done and read today.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/9wgtxAf3P4M

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.

Bible Journaling - Genesis 32

In the last chapter, we saw that Jacob's relationship with his in-laws had soured and it had become necessary for him to move away. It was time for Jacob to return home to the land God had promised him and his descendants. The problem was that he had burned his bridges back home and had left in a hurry to escape a twin brother who had wanted to kill him. In his mind, simply pitching up, is not an option. In Genesis 32 we see how Jacob strategizes his return home, while we learn how he prioritizes the things and people in his life. It is also the chapter in which he wrestles with God - physically! While exploring all of these events, I need to decide how to depict this in pictures. I walk you through these processes, step by step in today's blog.

The chapter once again runs over onto a next page.

Genesis 32 look like this in the Inspire Praise Bible.

I treat the pages with Zellen Clear Gesso before I start.

When I return to the pages, I have already decorated the previous chapter and my pages now look like this.

Jacob starts off by sending messengers to Esau to inform Esau that he is on his way home, with a large group of people and lots of possessions. I draw an envelope to represent the message that was sent.

The messengers return to Jacob with the news that Esau is already on his way with accompanied by an army of 400 men. This terrifies Jacob. He divided his family and possessions and starts praying. I colour the envelope with Faber-Castell Artist's Pitt Pens.

I use a Sharpie marker to seal the envelope and a black fountain pen to write Jacob's name on the seal.

I am now done with the first page of this chapter.

I have already sealed the pages when I turn the page. I have also coloured the illustration in the margin, but I will tell you more about this in the upcoming blog.

Jacob now attempts to buy Esau's good will by sending him gifts of animals. I decide to depict this as a gift-wrapped box, rather than simply drawing animals.

I again use the Pitt pens to colour the image.

That night, when Jacob was alone in the camp, a man came into his camp and he wrestled with the man. When day was about to break, the man hit Jacob on his hip in order to free himself.  Jacob demanded a blessing from the man. He then realizes that the man was God. It was this 'man' who changed Jacob's name to Israel. Henceforth, he would be called Israel, the forefather after whom the nation of Israel was called. His twelve sons (Benjamin would be born soon) would carry the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.

I use the Pitt pens to draw and colour two male figures wrestling. I decide to obscure the details of the figures a little. I also write the name Jacob on the page, but cross it out and write the name Israel directly below it.

I finally deicide to add a little more detail to the figures and provide a little bit of an outline with a black fountain pen.

I have now illustrated the whole of the chapter.

I page back to get an overview of what I have done.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/P7JjoEE-hGI

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.

Bible Journaling - Genesis 31

The relationship between Laban and Jacob, had deteriorated so much that at the entry of Genesis 31, we see that Jacob packs up his family and his possessions and flees from Paddan-Aram when Laban is away from home. He motivates his actions by telling his wives of a dream he had where an angel appeared to him and gave him certain instructions to follow. I figure out how to illustrate this chapter of Genesis in today's Bible Journal entry and invite you along on the journey.

The chapter once again rolls over onto two more pages.

Genesis 31 look like this in the Inspire Praise Bible.

I treat the pages with Zellen Clear Gesso before I start.

When I return to these pages, I had already journaled the preceding chapter and the pages now look like this.

I draw the angel of Jacob's dreams with a huge speech bubble in which I illustrate the instructions and advice the angel had given Jacob. I start the illustration in pencil.

I colour and pain the angel with Derwent Metallic Aquarelle pencils.

I colour and paint the speech bubble with its contents with Derwent Inktense pencils. The sheep are simply grey pencil painted with water.

Once the illustration is dry, I add detail with a fountain pen.

These pages are now finished and take a moment to look at the completed pages.

The story continues on the following two pages. I have already sealed these two pages with Zellen Clear Gesso.

Laban pursued Jacob and the two had a heated argument with accusations thrown in both directions. I use a pencil to draw two men arguing. They finally reach an agreement to stay out of each others' territories and mark the boundary line with a heap of stones. I draw the heap of stones, but add a fence to show more clearly the division that had entered these family relations.

I use Derwent Inktense pencils to paint and colour the two arguing figures.

I also paint and colour the illustration on the opposite page.

I add brown to the ground and blue to the air to add some background to the drawings.

Once the paintings are dry, I add detail with a fountain pen. Especially the faces get very dark and hard lines to illustrate the men's anger.

The chapter is now complete.

Paging back to look at the starting point.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/e3vIh2h9GjI

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
You can follow Miekie's daily Bible Study blog, Bybel Legkaart, here in English & Afrikaans.
You may prefer to follow the traveling blog, A Pretty Tourist.
For more crafty ideas and great product reviews, visit A Pretty Talent on Facebook.
If you are in a literary mood, follow Miekie's musings, stories and poetry on A Pretty Author - Miekie.
Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making life PRETTY.
You can subscribe to any of these blogs and receive regular updates by email. Simply register your email address at the top of the applicable blog.