Art Studio Refresh

One of my favorite self care projects of late is decluttering and resetting my creative space.  I enjoy sorting through my art supplies, finding some that I had forgotten about, some that I love, and some that I'm ready to pass on to another artist. 

I gather art supplies I'm done with into a box bound for the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.

Clearing  off my entire work table and putting fresh paper on it makes me excited about possibilities.  It makes my creative space feel sparkly.

I can re-decorate with cards and artworks that have meaning to me, like this birthday card from my eldest, and a note written on a magnolia leaf from my best friend.

Fresh candles, a fresh perspective, and I feel excited to start new projects.

A quick spring cleaning - even of just part of my studio -- re-energizes me.

Happy Spring Cleaning!

Burnishing Practice

I've been exploring taking my time and simply playing with my art supplies.  I recently decluttered my studio workdesk, and though it might not appear uncluttered from the photo below, it's way tidier than it was!

I can now see my colored pencils in their jars right in front of me as I work, and I find I'm more likely to reach out and grab a few colors and put a sketch in my journal.

The colored pencil drawing of the heart above was the result of telling myself to take my time and practice burnishing with the colored pencils -- layering one color over another, then coming back and shifting the color balance as you go.

The burnishing process is relaxing, especially if you start with a simple shape or symbol.  Hearts are a favorite symbol of mine, but perhaps you'd rather start with a circle, a triangle or a leaf shape.  

Choose what's appealing to you.

Then pick colors -- using colors that are next to each other on the color wheel will create a harmonious scene with all of the colors getting along well.

Feel free to experiment as your intuition suggests.

I hope you have fun creating, allowing yourself time to burnish, explore and simply play!