When I started this blog, I wanted to give my bullet journal an Indian touch. I thought why not I try different Indian art forms in my #BuJo as #monthlythemes. This would not only help me in learning different Indian art styles, but also be able to inspire others to try these beautiful art forms. With this in mind, I planned my April #BuJotheme to be Madhubani Fish Art.
About Madhubani Art
Madhubani is a famous Indian art form. It is also known as Mithila art as it has originated from the Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal. Geometrical patterns, borders, and vibrant colours are few of the characteristics of Madhubani art. People in the Mithila region usually paint Madhubani designs on their houses, which became the inspiration for my cover page. I came across a photograph on Pinterest (uploaded by Indian Artisans Online) in which there were three giant fishes drawn on the house, and I chose it to be my April BuJo cover page.
Twin fishes drawings with bulging fish eyes is one style of Madhubani art. Fish symbolise fertility and prosperity in Madhubani paintings. I’ve used watercolour for all the pages. I enjoyed creating these spreads and hope you will enjoy the process too. Do let me know if you try any of the spread.
What I've included
My April 2020 bullet journal theme comprises of the following:
Cover page
Level 10 life tracker
Baby tracker
Gratitude
Monthly log
Daily logs
Let me walk you through each one by one. If you are interested in watching the process video of this theme then check out the YouTube video below:
Supplies I've used
For this month's theme I've mainly used Brustro watercolors, my favourite Pigma micron pens and my Archer & Olive journal. All the supplies are listed below:
Please note that all the products are available in India. Only the amazon links are affiliated, which means I will receive a small commission with no extra cost to you, if you choose to purchase by using these links.
Journal: Archer & Olive - Fleur de blu from https://www.biggerdreams.in
Sakura Pigma Micron Fine Line Pens 01, 05, 08: https://amzn.to/32xIM2S
Sakura Pigma Micron Fine line pens - Assorted Colors: https://amzn.to/2SH8fCy
Sakura Gelly Roll white Gel Pens: https://amzn.to/32B7Upx
BRUSTRO Artists’ Watercolour Set: https://amzn.to/2T6Pji1
Faber-Castell Tri-Grip Brush – Round: https://amzn.to/2wacij8
Palette Dappen Dish: https://amzn.to/399LjCR
Masking tape: https://amzn.to/32wSBhF
Washi tapes from https://www.biggerdreams.in/washi-tape
Cover Page
While scrolling down Pinterest, I came across a photograph of a house with three giant fishes mural drawn on its main wall. I got so much fascinated with it that I decided to make it my #coverpage. The cover page took the maximum time to draw as compared to other spreads. It looks easy but the detailing in the fishes, takes time. For the detailing I've used watercolours and blue and brown fine line pens. I think I like the full two page cover more than the single page one. This allows, in my opinion, more space for creativity.
The inspiration of this page came from a photograph uploaded by Indian Artisans Online.
Level 10 life tracker
So this month's level 10 life tracker is pretty much the same. I've divided my 10 goals into 3 tasks each which I can track to measure my progress. This tracker has really helped me a lot. However, I still struggle with some of the tasks as they remain unchecked throughout the month, but still more or less this tracker is working for me. Every month before making this tracker, I first check the previous month's tracker. Analyse what is working and what I am struggling with and is there anything which is irrelevant or intangible, if so I take it out or replace it with more tangible item. For example, in my March I was tracking "eat healthy for 3 days in a week" but that was hard to measure. This month, I have added "no sweets for 3 days in a week". Hmmm... this I think is measurable. Second thing which I do is to read all my level 10 life goals. This helps to keep up my motivation and makes me more goal oriented. Well, I can keep talking about this tracker as I am so much obsessed with this. I am planning to write a blog post on this topic as this method is really helpful.
For this page I made two fishes and then tried to depict some water and sand. This month the tracker layout is without boundaries and very minimal. I tried to show that the tracker is in front and the fishes are behind. Therefore, if you notice the left fish's tail, you can say that it is hiding behind the tracker. Again the supplies I have used are watercolours and blue, brown and black fine line pens.
Baby tracker
Well this month's baby tracker is same as my March baby tracker. The notes section is where I write anything new for the month like any new activity, any new liking or disliking, any new growth related changes, and so on.
I drew six fishes, as I need more space in the notes section. To fill the blank areas, I have added a fish border. The borders are a very important part of Madhubani paintings. Again, I have used watercolours and blue and brown fine line pens for this spread.
Gratitude
When I started using gratitude logs in my journal, I used to stare the page with a blank mind. I was most of the times clueless as to what to write here. "What am I grateful for today?"
But now, it has become a habit for me to write an entry of the day here.
These spreads, every month, holds a special place in my heart. I think, if I could connect with the look of the page then having a look at it automatically cheers me up and I write my gratitude log more effectively.
Again I've done a twin fishes pattern here. This time in a proper Madhubani style. The twin fishes are in a circle with a border. I have also added an outer border for both the pages. To add some extra elements I've added this blue wave pattern washi tape.
Monthly log
This spread is simple yet very beautiful. I have first masked the three white areas and edges with a masking tape and then painted the background with blue watercolour. After that with my white gelly roll pen I made this shoal of fish. This spread was easy to make but the overall look is very bright and vibrant. I loved the blue and white combination of this spread.
Daily log
So for April, I made five weekly logs. All the logs are in Madhubani style and have fishes.
Week 1
For the first week I made a rectangular framed twin-fishes pattern. I like the golden-green fish more than the red-blue one. What are your thoughts on this? Supplies used: watercolours and brown fine line pen.
Week 2
For week 2, I made four fishes in a vertical strip. Supplies used were: blue watercolour, white gelly roll pen and blue, green and brown fine line pens.
Week 3
This week, I made circular fish patterns to write my daily logs. For this spread I used Miniso brush marker pens which I bought from the store.
Week 4
I didn't get much time for making the fourth weekly spread. I just draw the layout using blue fine line pen, added some washi tapes, and then drew two fishes again using the blue and brown fine line pens.
Week 5
I made this spread just like my monthly log spread. Painted the vertical strip with blue watercolour and then drew the fishes with my white gelly roll pen. I made fishes in a way as if they are leaving my bujo and wrote "Bye April" to emphasise what I have drawn.
I hope you like this Madhubani fish theme. Please tag me if you try any of the pages. I have also added few images from where I have taken my inspiration for these pages.
Inspirations for Madhubani Fish Art
There are so many beautiful Madhubani patterns available on Pinterest and Instagram to inspire you. Please let me know your thoughts about the whole theme and tag me if you try any of these spreads. I make bullet journal spreads in Indian style including folk art, festivals, day to day life and other art forms. Do not hesitate to comment on this post. Your comments are valuable. `
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