More Fun with a Weekly Planner

Sometimes your world is so full of beauty, that you feel inspired to include it wherever you can make sketches -- in the borders of notes, even your planner.  

 I love this time of year for taking walks and picking up the bounty of nature - like this pumpkin and the little green apple.

When I make my week-view planner page, I start with a concept, like having a circle in the center of the page, and arranging the days of the week around it.  Then I label the days and decorate with watercolors (pumpkin & acorns) or colored pencils (apple) and add my week's events.    

The sky's the limit when you're experimenting like this.  You may find that you make a sketch for your planner, and that starts you down the path to creating more.  And isn't it fun to look back on your sketches each week, reminding yourself that you are an artist?

Happy Creating!

A Vase of Fall Flowers to Draw

Don't you love the beauty of Chrysanthemums in Autumn?

I bought myself a bouquet of mostly mums and then played with making sketches on scrap paper.

I used a Conte crayon and a white watercolor crayon.

 

The first drawing I made (above) looked like a bit of a jumble.  

I still enjoyed the sketching process, and it was good practice. 

No worries; I turned the page and started fresh.

I love the freshness of this drawing and have it propped up in my studio.  

I learned from the first sketch that I needed to simplify and pick 3 flowers because the Conte crayon is so dark when added to the text on the old paper.

What do you love to look at in this season? Making a sketch of it will deepen your enjoyment and enrich your observations of it.

Here are my top sketching tips:

1. Pick something you love to look at and are curious about drawing.

2. If you feel too pressured to make "pretty art" on the blank page of a sketchbook, start with scratch paper or a loose sheet of drawing paper.  If you want to include the resulting drawing in your sketchbook, you can always tape it in later.

3. Let your eyes drink in what you're drawing.  Look at your subject (a flower in my case) 85% of the time, and take quick glances at your paper.  This may feel "dangerous" at first, but if you trust your hand and use your eyes to see all the beautiful shapes, lines and textures in your subject, your drawings will come to life.

4. Keep speaking encouragingly to yourself.  It's quite common to have an inner critic who loves to yell its negative opinions about your art, especially when you try something new.  Please remember this critic is wrong.  Incorrect.  Off the mark.  Never right.  So just keep drawing, because the more you draw, the more fluid your drawings become.

5. "Bad" art: If you make a sketch that you don't like, turn the page and try again.  Later, you will notice parts of the "bad" sketch that you do like (for me, it's that dark leaf with the light vein that hangs down on the bottom right side of my first sketch).

6. Just keep drawing!  Everyday if you can, but as often as possible.

For me, following the contours of flowers is always pleasant & relaxing.  What is relaxing for you to look at and draw?

I hope you take 20 minutes and make sketches of your favorite things this week!

Happy Creating! 

The Importance of Playing with Your Supplies

Don't you love discovering new artist authors and delving into their work?

Jill Bays is my recent discovery.  I admire her bold, confident lines. In this drawing workbook, she leads you through ten basic lessons to improve your sketching skills.  Since drawing is the foundation of painting and other art forms, it's a valuable pursuit!

Here are some of my sketchbook pages from the first chapters.

I really enjoyed the process of simply testing out various drawing supplies to discern their properties and answer questions like:

What medium gives me the darkest values?

Can I smudge this material to make softer textures?

Can I erase out parts of a scene, using the eraser to "draw" images?

When you explore materials and experiment, there's no pressure to make "good art."  You're just playing with your supplies.

And having an experienced artist lead you through activities to build your skills takes away the common fear of the blank page.

Your world is full of objects to draw and explore.  What would you like to sketch or experiment with?

Happy Creating!

Collage & Color Fun with a Planner

Your weekly planner can be a place for creative play.  You get to make a new weekly page every seven days, so you can try all sorts of experiments.  Here's one that I made recently.  I pulled painted paper from my collage basket, then snipped and tore it into interesting shapes, finishing with the daily boxes and doodles in marker.

 

The beauty of collage is that there's no need for precision.  If you get the design sort of in the neighborhood of what you like, you can glue it down, and somehow it always works.

Do you keep a weekly planner or bullet journal?  What if you added some color, collage or other decorative elements?

Happy Creating!

Nature Journal: Autumn Goldenrod

I often walk and snap photos of the goings-on in nature.  It's a lovely way to get exercise, air my thoughts out and stay connected to nature.

Back in the studio, I can pull out my art supplies and make a drawing or painting of something that caught my attention on the walk, using a photo for reference.

In this case, the goldenrods blooming in the sunshine were so stunning, they inspired me to make a colored pencil and ink drawing.

What out in nature catches your eye?  What inspires you?

Remember, you don't have to create a perfect likeness of whatever you draw or paint.  Let it be an inspired artwork that expresses your admiration of nature.

Happy Creating!

A Quick Pencil Sketch

One of my favorite artists on YouTube is The Unexpected Gypsy.  I have taken so much inspiration from the honest way she talks about her life, her emotions, and her art-making, that I joined her Patreon, where she shares photos & videos from her life every weekday.

The sketch above was from a pic she shared of an artist's date with her partner to a romantic, old castle.  I felt swept away by her story and video, and inspired to see the art she was making from this scene of her dressed up & sashaying to the magic castle.

Do you have photos that sweep you away?  Do you follow other artists?  Why not use that inspiration for sketching practice?

Happy Creating!

Paddle, Picnic and Paint

David & I capitalized on a beautiful late summer day to take our inflatable paddle boards out to the state park lake.  We packed in lunch and my travel art supplies.  

As we drifted on the lake, I found the gorgeous Sugar Maple leaf on the left. After we ate lunch, I sketched the contours of the leaf with my Lamy fountain pen.

I began to lay in watercolors with a layer of warm and cool yellows (Winsor Yellow and Cadmium Yellow Hue).  

After that dried, I began adding in cool reds (bottom left of the leaf) mixed with Alizarin Crimson and Burnt Sienna.  On the right and upper parts of the leaf, I mixed warmer reds with Cadmium Red Hue and Cadmium Yellow Hue.  

The few touches of green were created by mixing Winsor Yellow and Ultramarine Blue. A mix of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna made the shadows.

Spending time outdoors in a peaceful natural place just to take in the scene instills calm and serenity for me.  I notice that adding the layer of drawing and painting to my nature time slows me down as I focus on one facet of the scene.  The meditative stillness magnifies the benefits of nature for me.

I hope you get some time out in nature to make art and connect with nature.  

Happy Creating!