If you want to bring creative mindfulness into your art journaling practice, here is a gentle and joyful spring collage exercise made just for you. It is inspired by the season of beginnings — fresh buds, soft light, and the quiet thrill of things coming back to life.
The idea came to me one morning while watching a cherry blossom branch tremble in the breeze. Unlike autumn, where we made a fall collage about letting go , spring invites us to ask: what do I want to grow? What seeds of intention, hope, or curiosity am I ready to plant this season?
Through years of art journaling, I’ve found that creating art with mindful intention can do extraordinary things for your mood, your self-awareness, and your sense of possibility. Spring, with its colors of blush, green, gold, and sky blue, is one of the most creatively generous seasons there is.
What you’ll find in this post
A full supplies list nothing fancy, just the basics
A step-by-step tutorial with plenty of visual guidance
The heart of it all: a mindfulness intention-setting exercise woven into the collage
Why spring and mindfulness are such a natural pair
Supplies you’ll need for this spring collage tutorial
You won’t need a lot just a few basics and a willingness to play. If you’re wondering what art journal supplies to buy as a beginner, keep this list in mind:
Acrylic Paint ( soft pink, mint green, pale yellow, sky blue and white)
Scissors
Pen or fine marker for writing
Glue stick
Kitchen sponge (dry)
Ink or watercolor
Art Journal or sturdy paper
Spring collage: A step-by-step mixed media art journal tutorial
Paint the Background
Start with your spring palette. Mix soft pinks, mint greens, a touch of pale yellow, and plenty of white to create a light, airy feel. Using a dry kitchen sponge, dab and blend these colors across your page. Work loosely — you want the colors to breathe and overlap like soft light through petals. I like leaving the center of the page slightly lighter, as though the sun is coming through. The contrast of a brighter center against softer edges creates a natural focal point for your collage. If you need ideas for other mixed media background techniques, I have a whole post dedicated to them.
While your background dries, cut out your blossoms and branches. Don’t worry about making them perfect — spring itself is charmingly imperfect. Vary the sizes: a few big blooms, clusters of smaller petals, a slender branch or two. I love using scrapbook paper with subtle floral patterns for this. You can also tear edges gently instead of cutting for a softer, more organic look. Lightly trace the edges with ink or a watercolor brush to give each piece a little depth and definition. According to Mindful.org, even small repetitive physical tasks like cutting paper can help activate a mindful, present state — which is exactly the energy we want for this project.
This is where the mindfulness begins. Take a quiet moment — even just two or three minutes — and ask yourself: what do I want to invite into my life this season? Think about hopes, intentions, or gentle wishes. Maybe it’s more rest. A creative habit you want to build. A relationship you want to nurture. A quality in yourself you’d like to cultivate — more patience, more joy, more courage. If you enjoy this kind of reflective practice, you might also love these positive affirmations for art journaling. Write one intention on each petal or flower. Use a fine marker. Let your handwriting be a little loose, a little alive. ✦ MINDFULNESS PROMPT — TRY THESE IF YOU FEEL STUCK What is one thing I would like to feel more of this spring? What small seed can I plant in myself right now? What would bloom in my life if I gave it a little more attention? What am I ready to say yes to?
Once your background is fully dry, it’s time to arrange and glue. Start by placing your branches — think of a young tree just beginning to blossom. Place the branches so they feel light and a little windswept, not stiff. Next, glue a few plain, empty flowers on the branches to represent the potential already there. Then glue your intention-written blossoms, letting some of them float outward as if newly opened, drifting in a warm spring breeze. Let the composition breathe. Leave some open space — in spring, as in life, not everything needs to be filled in all at once. If you want to understand more about composition in art and how to create a balanced page, that post is a great companion to this one.
Choose a line that captures what this page means to you. A quote about new beginnings, a poem fragment, or a simple affirmation you wrote yourself. Write it along the branch, in the sky above the tree, or on a small label glued at the base. Some ideas: “This is my season to grow.” Or: “Everything I need is already beginning.” Or simply: “I am open.” For more ideas on how to add words beautifully to your pages, check out the Art Journal Recipe Book — it’s full of prompts and techniques for exactly this.
And there you have it — a small, beautiful act of creative mindfulness, and a visual reminder of what you are growing toward this season.
What I love about doing this exercise in spring, specifically, is that the season already has momentum behind it. Every bud, every bird, every longer evening is whispering: something is possible here. When you sit down and ask yourself what you want to grow, you are joining that movement.
Unlike the fall collage — which is about release and letting go — this spring version is about intention, openness, and gentle courage. Both are necessary. But there is something particularly tender about naming what you hope for.
“When you make your intentions visible, even just on paper, they become more real — and somehow, more possible.”
What is mindfulness, anyway?
According to Mindful.org, mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present — aware of where we are and what we are doing, without being overly reactive or overwhelmed. While mindfulness is something we all naturally possess, it becomes more available to us when we practice it regularly. Art journaling is one of the most gentle, accessible ways to build that practice.
Art and mindfulness in spring
Combining creative practice with mindful art journaling is something I return to again and again. Not because it solves problems, but because it creates a space where you can be honest with yourself without judgment. The art journal page doesn’t argue back. It just holds what you give it.
Spring is especially generous for this kind of work. The season itself is a teacher: things that seemed impossible in winter start quietly pushing through the ground. You don’t have to force anything. You just have to notice, and tend.
Mindfulness, at its simplest, is the practice of being fully present — aware of where you are and what you’re feeling, without being swept away by it. When you slow down to sponge paint onto paper, to cut little blossoms, to write a word of intention, you are practicing exactly that. Research published by the American Psychological Associationsupports the connection between creative expression and improved mood and self-awareness — which is exactly what this exercise is designed to nurture.
Can I do this spring collage if I have never art journaled before?
Absolutely — this tutorial is designed specifically for beginners. You don’t need any drawing skills or prior experience. If you’re completely new, I recommend reading how to start an art journal first, then come right back here.
What kind of paper is best for this spring collage project?
Any paper that can handle acrylic paint without buckling works well. Mixed media paper (at least 90lb / 170gsm) is ideal. Watercolor paper also works beautifully. Read my full guide on choosing the right art journal paper for more detail.
How long does this spring collage take to make?
Plan for about 45 minutes to an hour, including drying time between the background layer and gluing. The mindfulness reflection part takes as long as you want — even just 5 minutes of quiet intention-setting makes a real difference.
What is the difference between this spring collage and the fall collage exercise?
The fall collage mindfulness exercise focuses on letting go — writing things you want to release on falling leaves. This spring version is the counterpart: it focuses on what you want to invite and grow. Together they make a beautiful seasonal practice.
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