Playful Inspiration

Like a sketchbook, this little weekly planner is a place where I can experiment and play.  

Often a color and a texture -- like a watercolor wash in ultramarine blue -- is the starting point for an entire double-page spread.  As artists exploring possibilities, all we need is a starting point!

I have been walking by a grove of sassafras trees every day, and have felt inspired by their bright, flaming leaves against the blue sky, their twisted limbs dancing among the foliage.

The things that catch our attention and inspire us show up in our art when we play.

After the watercolor washes dried, I added days and dates in ink and filled in the main events of the week.

Aside from ultramarine blue, I used yellow ochre, and a mixture of azo yellow and alizarin crimson for the sassafras foliage.  The limbs are a mixture of ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

What has been attracting your artist's eye lately?

What medium, colors, & textures interest you?

That's all you need to start an experimental sketch.

Happy Creating! 

A New Week & New Art

One of the lovely things about a weekly planner is that you have to create it every week.  Because it's ordinary and routine, that takes the pressure off.  It's functional, with no expectations of being framed or even stuck to the fridge with a magnet. 

Let this be a reminder to give yourself time and space to doodle, with no expectations about the end product.  You don't have to make a planner page, just pick up a pen or pencil and a piece of paper and play! 

Happy Creating!

The Art of Mistakes

I found the book, The Art of Mistakes, through the public library, and what an inspiring book!  

If you're looking for help in fighting your inner critic and getting back to creating after a creative block, reading this book is a wonderful encouragement.  It's a warm, real pep talk from someone who has made plenty of mistakes and discovered how to harness them in her creative career.

Author Melanie Rothschild cuts right to the heart of the fear of creating.

She helps the artist think through what's important, and her beautiful artwork is peppered throughout the book.

Today, I was thinking about the importance of playing with no expectations and no fear of making a mistake, and I simply painted my weekly planner page.  I've posted these planner pages before, but this time, I could feel Melanie Rothschild cheering me on, and I let my paintbrush be loose and experimental.  It's a lovely feeling to truly not worry about the end product! 

After the paint dried, I discovered that I loved the rose at the bottom of the page -- the shadowy phthalo blue strokes mixed with the permanent rose to create rich depth.

I hope you pick up a copy of Melanie's book and take inspiration from her words.

Happy Reading & Creating!

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!