ART Journaling Step by Step

Every once in a while I get around to finishing a page or two that I had previously started. So today I decided I take one page through the steps of completion, especially since I haven’t posted in a while.

A month or so ago I was on a crazed mission doing many, many faces & now I can share my process through completion with you. I hope you’ll find it easy enough to try just for fun. In this case I’m thinking they can easily be used to print some postcards/note cards for myself or as gifts! All you’ll need are simple supplies: Waterproof pen, watercolor or colored pencils, and or markers.

Step one:

Complete a contour drawing of a face (or flower)  in waterproof ink using an old photo (magazine or newspaper). For sure mine never come out looking even close to the reference material no matter what, so don’t even go there.

 

Step 2:

Add Watercolor washes (or colored pencils, markers – whatever you wish)!

 

Step 3:

Using hand lettering or a stencil with pencil, add your message and design. Here I decided to add the word ‘Think” with dots, and I’ve now painted the background with brushed on ink.

 

 

Step 4:

Now finish up with whatever you’d like to use pencils, pens, colors. Whatever suits your fancy.

 

 

 

Here I’ve used Faber-Castell Pitt Pens (one of my fav’s). And, I’m thinking this can be used for special notes to my friends who have survived breast cancer, or a gift of note cards to them so they can share with others.

Have a wonderful day, and keep sketching my friends!

 

 

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Do You Like Your Work?

Today has been quite an eye opener for me. Guess it happens once in a while (an that’s a good thing). I started today about normal, up at 6:20 am ish, read the WSJ, sprayed the roses, and came in to have coffee and start the EDM Challenge #27 — draw a book, okay. So I thought to myself I’ll do “The Creative License” by Danny Gregory because it’s one of my FAVORITES and also one I always recommend when I’m teaching classes. Whoda thunk this could be so hard for me to do? I thought maybe I just need to do a different paper, or a different size, or tackle this after breakfast! Sounded good to me. I did breakfast followed by my daily walk to Starbucks. Then upon my return I started in again. Did 3 more images…not satisfied with any of the initial linework, but decided to keep moving. Went ahead with the last one “An Illlustrated Life”. I played around with a dip pen, added watercolor, realized the ink I had just used was not waterproof (oh well) did some colored pencils, and then some more ink work.  From this point, I decided to get a little more into the first one which I had pretty much ‘decided to scrap’  ahhhhhh. By this time I was coming to grips with the idea that these really weren’t as bad as I thought at the beginning and decided to finish them all. What a ‘concept’ — just keep working. This of course is something we tend to loose sight of  during our day to day bursts of creativity.  At least, I’m sure that I have recently.  So there it is, my ramblings for today’s post.

Keep sketching my friends,

I Love This Book!

Sometimes nothing seems to go right!

I kinda like this view.

My tribute to ‘Danny Gregory’s’ book ‘An Illusltrated Life’!

 

 

 

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Sketching Every Day!

Amazing, it’s been several days again but I’ve completed many pieces of work too! I feel positively ‘productive’. Playing around with different media and different paper has made the time feel like a new adventure (even though I’ve worked with them before) kinda like a mix and match experiment. Got some new Strathmore Visual Journals, and been working with a mix of pen(s), watercolor, colored pencils (old & newer), Pitt Pens & Tombow’s. I’m finding some I like on the mixed media paper &  some I don’t — which brings me to YES the colored pencils work better on the Bristol Smooth! On the day of ‘Pause’ from the EDM challenges I completed 3-4 pieces, plus I got a little more into my playtime creative soul. Moving forward to another week, with blessings by the billions!  PS…I’m also including this weeks Illustration Friday piece “Lonely”.

EDM#24 ‘a piece of fruit’ plus:)

EDM #25 (1) Empty Glass

EDM#25 (2) Plastic ‘glass’ with grape juice 🙂

Pear Tree with a Pleasant Profile

Illustration Friday ‘Lonely’

 

 

 

 

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Documenting your Journey, Regardless of where you travel….

It’s Tuesday! I’ve finished a few more Everyday Matters Challenges, and a piece for Illustration Friday; scanned a bunch of stuff from the past week, done several more sketches, played with some ‘not often used’ art supplies like colored pencils and such. I’ve filled yet another Strathmore visual journal (ordered 6 more online) and realized that I’m not doing as much sketching in my daily journal but have now started writing more. With this I am thrilled, because I seemed to be in a rut – and now feel like I’m moving out of it. Sometimes it just takes  something like these little challenges to provide the spark (or fire) of inspiration.

Taking this time for myself (30 minutes or so) certainly feels good to me, kinda like exercise for the soul. And, the more you do the more inspired you become. So, this has (and continues to be) a journey that I’m going on ‘the personal time for me’. I wonder just where it will take me as the days go forward and the seasons change. I’m excited!

Today I’m sharing a few of the EDM challenges, and the Illustration Friday piece ‘carry’.  Next up, who knows what will ‘pop’ into my mind over the next few days–especially since the words are once again beginning to flow.

Billions of blessings to all!

Early Morning on the patio, pen in one hand — coffee in the other!

View from the 2nd floor out the windows to the front yard!

This old antique lamp with gold all over it has been on the nightstand in our room for 40+ years, and I still love it!

This old pipe carries ‘what’? I really don’t know but it was a wonderful exercise in thinking the prompt through….loved it!

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