Brown Paper Bunny Studio

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DIY Planner Dashboard Using Tombow Dual Brush Pens

Please note: This blog post contains affiliate links, which help pay for the upkeep of this site. That being said, I will never, ever promote anything I am not 100% in love with!

You can make this watercolor-look planner dashboard in around five minutes, it's super easy! It's a great way to divide up your planner, add a new section, or store your sticky-notes or washi tape!

Supplies

  • Tombow Dual Brush Pens in your favorite colors
  • An image printed onto watercolor paper. You can use this one that I created, or draw your own.
  • A ruler
  • Cutting knife or scissors
  • Corner punch — optional
  • Water spray brush (or you can drip water from a paintbrush or your fingers)
  • Plastic cover for your page — optional (you can use one you already have in your planner, or make one from an transparent overhead projector sheet, or other thin plastic sheet)
  • Plastic freezer or sandwich bag (or the other half of your transparent sheet)
  • Hole punch or some way to insert the dashboard into your planner
  • A planner to put it into! My favorite right now is the MAMBI Mini Happy Planner

Steps

Here are the steps I used to make this watercolor-look planner dashboard. Watch the video below to see each step in action!

  1. Print or draw your image onto your watercolor paper. I used Canson paper. And here is the image I used if you'd like to download it for yourself.
  2. Trim your paper and plastic cover (if you aren't using a pre-made one) to the size of your planner.
  3. Draw on your freezer bag or plastic sheet using the Tombow Dual Brush Pens. They're water soluble so you can blend them really nicely with water!
  4. Drip or spray water onto the plastic bag or sheet you just colored on, then carefully turn it over onto your watercolor paper.
  5. Press the plastic down onto the paper to make the colors run together and give you the watercolor effect.
  6. Remove the plastic and wipe it off for future use.
  7. Let your paper air-dry, or speed up the process with a hairdryer on low.
  8. Punch holes in your paper and plastic cover (being careful not to tear it if it's thin) and insert into your planner!
  9. You can now put your sticky-notes and pieces of your favorite washi tape on your plastic cover for easy access.

If you'd like to learn how to make time-lapse videos of your own art, check out my online class.


Leave me a comment and let me know if you can think of other uses for this watercolor-look technique! And if you make your own planner dashboard, tag @BrownPaperBunny on social media so I can see!