This theme was created by my sister. We bullet journal together every day, although we have totally different styles. So Learn how to draw peony flowers and you too can create this stunning black and gold theme.
Batoul's May theme consists of beautifully drawn detailed florals. She paints a watercolor gold moon and adds little golden details, which adds a luxurious feel to this spread. The gold paint gives an effect like no other and makes her ink floral illustrations pop out from the page.
Her inspiration came from floral tattoo's she searches on Pinterest!
So let’s see what Batool creates this month in her Bujo...
1. With a pencil, start by drawing 5 petals, with the front petal larger. Then draw a petal on each side smaller in width and slightly higher than the center petal. Finally add the last two petals above the other petals only resembling the top of the petal, to complete an irregular circular shape.
2. Layer petals slightly under, each overlapping and not-so-perfect shapes. Remember to keep the size larger in the center and less narrow on the sides. The back petals should be drawn wider at this point.
3. Keep adding layers in the same way, changing the shapes and drawing the back petals slightly wider with each layer. Some petals are drawn like they're folded to resemble a realistic flower.
4. Now her Last layer, the petals are drawn larger and the front petals are drawn downwards to complete the drawing of an open flower. You can go over your drawing in a fine liner tip (0.4mm).
5. Using the smallest sized fine liner (0.05mm), we want to start adding all the details to give depth and shadowing. Draw different sized lines, starting from the center of each petal. Some can be a line of tiny dots.
And draw shorter lines from the end of the petals and a cluster of lines and tiny circles in the center to resemble the bud.
1. With a pencil, draw a circle in the center of the flower. With 3 irregular buds roughly the same size with one missing on the left side. Draw the fourth petal half the size and partially overlapping the top petal.
2. Add three more circular half-sized petals on the left side overlapping each other and some extra lines on the other petals.
3. Add some more circular petals and other pedals surrounding the first three petals. Leaving the bottom left side empty.
4. add some large open petals on the bottom left side resembling some open petals and some other outer petals. Once you are happy with the shape, go over your pencil sketch with a fine tip liner (0.4mm).
5. Now get your smallest size fine liner (preferably 0.05mm) and draw clusters of tiny liners in the center of the flower and add little circles at the end of those lines. Start adding lines from the inside of each bud extending outwards at all different lengths but notice how the folded buds, the lines are darker to give more shadow.
This is simply a guide, it doesn't have to be the same. Simply because each flower should turn out a little different so keep going because it won't look right till you finish the whole illustration.
May Monthly cover spread
Batool goes for a 2-page May cover because her moon floral illustration takes up a whole page and she letters May with a little calendar hanging from the ‘y’. Firstly she draws her whole illustration in pencil and then goes over it in fine liners. Using different size fine liners is key to achieving such a detailed drawing and we have been loving this set. Mainly because of the smallest size fine liners that are usually not included in smaller sets.
She then paints her moon. The reason she does this after is because if you try and paint first, you are going to have a hard time drawing where the paint is and it will damage your pens.
She uses the red gold color (no. 902) and it's her favorite out of the whole set.
Finally, Batoul finishes the spread by dipping her brush in the gold paint and flicking it all over the page, adds some random detailed stars with her brush, and she's DONE!
Want to know more about our favorite Bujo supplies, don't forget to read this next...
Bullet Journal Supplies. On the hunt for something new?
May monthly calendar spread
Her calendar spread is a cluster of peonies, with splatters of red gold all over her page. Although, she placed a paper covering her flowers because she didn't want the gold splatter to interfere with her ink illustrations.
Want more monthly cover ideas, read this next:
Bullet Journal Monthly Cover – The Most Exciting Epic Spread
Monthly Content Planner
Batoul tried a content planner for Instagram this month. She found it so useful because when you put all your plans on paper, you don't waste time deciding what to post each day. In addition, it allows us to plan ahead what spreads we want to make and what we want to try each month.
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, if you don't want to miss any of our spreads!
How to draw Peony flowers to create weekly spreads
Her weekly spreads are so aesthetically pleasing, the gold against the black ink illustration makes every spread jump out of the page and adds depth and dimension. Also, her third weekly is a Dutch Door (Dutch doors are great to have 2 weeks of planning using the one background layout).
How to draw peony flowers and make this Habit tracker
Her habit tracker is more minimal compared to her other spreads, but practical. You just can't go wrong with this kind of layout because it's just so easy to fill in during the month.
Habit trackers are so beneficial to staying consistent during the month... this post covers it all!
Ultimate Habit Tracker Guide You Need To Be More Productive
bullet journal mood tracker
This mood tracker is the center of attention. I love that instead of using colors to fill in each leaf, she draws in different leaves each resembling a certain mood. Mood trackers are a great way to track your mental health during the month, this way you know if your spending enough time taking care of yourself. Self-care is without a doubt, one of the most important things you NEED to prioritize, want to know how?
Bullet Journal Self-Care. Easy Steps To A Healthier Mind
Bullet Journal Quote Page Idea
Can't finish the month without adding a meaningful quote page. These spreads are just lovely when you flip through your bujo and another great way to practice self-care. Add what makes you happy and brightens up your day!
Bullet Journaling makes you more creative, month after month and you really don't know what you're capable of until you start and stay consistent.
New to Bullet Journaling? Read this guide next...
Ultimate Bullet Journal Guide-Free Templates You Need To Start
We have a ton of layout ideas with printable resources, so head to this section next:
Bullet Journal Layouts
That's it for this months theme! It turned out to be one of our favorites and we hope you liked it too, we are so excited to start next month's themes.
Above all, I hope this theme provided some inspiration and if you decide to give it a try, please don't forget to share. We would love to see what you come up with :)
'Happy Journaling everyone and don't forget to stay safe'