Planting Patterns

I have declared the month of June to be doodle month for my Square-A-Day project.  I look forward to showing you all my squares at the end of this month… but here is a sneak preview:

Drawing doodles or patterns is something I find calming and relaxing.  I did this one in my art journal with color pencils recently:

It looks like I am planting patterns like rows of flowers or vegetables in a garden!

Patterns and inspiration are everywhere… 

Like this photo I took recently at the lake.  The moon was almost full!

There are patterns in the water, the trees and the sky!

I hope you will be inspired by the patterns in your world!

Cheers! 🙂

 

A Spiny Family

I enjoy giving myself little challenges when drawing… and learning more about my subjects.

Painting different colors of watercolor in my art journal helped add color to a blank page…

I then challenged myself to use mostly black pens – each pen a different variety – to draw Cactus; from the book I showed you in this post: Drawing Cactus and Succulents

According to Dictionary.com; Cactus (noun) and plural can be cacti, cactuses and cactus!  

As a definition:  Any numerous succulent plants of the family Cactaceae, of warm, arid regions, having fleshy, leafless, usually spiny stems and typically having solitary, showy flowers.

I never really thought about a “cactus” being a succulent plant!

I challenged myself to create these “succulents” with a variety of green pens:

Succulent (noun):  A succulent plant as a sedum or cactus… and as (adjective):  Of a plant – having fleshy or juicy tissues.

What I learned from this challenge for myself:

• Calligraphy pens are great to draw with…
• Going outside the color “square” is OK!
• I really do have eight green pens.
• Creating challenges makes drawing fun!
• I enjoyed learning the names of plants… must be a weird bird idea in there somewhere!

Do you give yourself challenges when you are creating?  I’d love to hear what you do!

Cheers! 🙂

Cactus and Flowers

Hello Friends,

Thank you for your good wishes for my recent surgery.  I so appreciate it!  🙂

I have been drawing Cactus and flowers in my sketchbook since my last post and coloring them with different markers such as Tombow, Copic and Artist’s Loft (an inexpensive brand from Michael’s Store).

Did you notice the paper collage for the Cactus planters?

I was excited to buy U.S. postage stamps with Cactus on them this week!

Happy Friday!

Cheers! 🙂

Drawing Cactus and Succulents

I decided to take another little blogging break as I need to have a second surgery.  Not my hip this time, thank goodness.  🙂

I had a Mammogram and the doctor found a small lump that has to be removed.  I am thankful it is not cancer!  Praise God!  It is a good reminder the importance of getting an annual Mammogram.

I recently painted a couple of pages in my art journal:

I just love the texture I got, don’t you?  I started with black gesso, added several colors of acrylic paint with a brayer and used a stencil on some parts.  I started drawing a vine with a black micron pen and flower shapes with a paintbrush and black Sumi ink.

I used leftover paint on my brayer for this page.  It was easier to draw the flowers without so much acrylic paint on the page.

I liked this first book of Botanical Line Drawing so much:

I decided to treat myself and purchase the author’s second book on Drawing Cactus and Succulents.  This book actually has the names of each plant so I can learn as I go.

I like the simple steps of illustration in both books.

Perhaps I will have some interesting journal pages to show you when I return.  I plan on joining my cat with some Cat Napping  while I heal.

Happy Creating!

Cheers! 🙂

Outside A Window

I love the view of this crabapple tree outside my kitchen window:

This photo was taken in May when the tree was showing its spectacular pink blossoms!

I decided to add a photo of it to my mixed media sketchbook as the tree inspires me all four seasons!  I colored the photo with color pencils so the flowers stood out.

And below is the Robin that I painted and showed you in my last post:

Inspiration of place can sometimes come from what we see outside a window in our home… Below is a photo of both pages together in my art journal.

What view inspires YOU, outside a window?  I hope you share it with me!

Cheers! 🙂

Inspired by Place

I started a mixed media class last week with Lendon Noe, hosted by Carla Sonheim.  The online class is called, “Inspired by Place.”

I find it an intriguing subject.

Is place a home, perhaps a memory such as a childhood home?  Is place a feeling, a sense of calm from being with nature?  Or is place from your imagination?  There are many other possibilities!

I was inspired to create this collaged landscape of a place I hold dear to my heart in my art journal:

It is a view of Chimney Rock at Priest Lake, Idaho.

I love this place!  It holds a special memory where I have been spending my summers since childhood.  It brings me a feeling of peace when I see it in person and from photographs such as this one:

And it is a place that I sometimes go in my imagination when I need to relax.

What place inspires you?  I hope you share it with me!

Cheers! 🙂

“When you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go.” – Alexandra Stoddard

I Spy, Collage!

I purchased a new art journal called, “Dylusions” by Ranger from Amazon last week:

I like the thick cardstock pages which are perfect for collage.  I also like that it has an envelope in the front of the book for storage:

The paper size is 11.25 inches by 8 inches.  The book comes in other sizes but I liked the size of this one.  I like that the cover is plain brown paper so I can decorate it myself.

I created one of my “hidden pictures” collages over the weekend.  I like the “I Spy” books, how about you?

There is something meditative about cutting and glueing paper that I enjoy.

I hope you have fun finding the items in my “I Spy, collage!”

What other treasures can you find that I didn’t list?

Cheers! 🙂

Collage Exploration

I recently purchase this book from Amazon:

It has some fabulous ideas that have sparked my imagination!

Such as this collage exploration:

It was inspired by the recent “winter storm” we got over the weekend!

Yesterday, I did some organizing of my art supplies.  It inspired me to create these three collages that I glued in my art journal:

Each collage above has hand-stitching, can you find it?

Cheers! 🙂

A Little Doo-da-ling

My title sounds like a silly song!

I started this little doo-da-ling…

 

When I was in a moo-da-ling…

 

I hope to show you my finished doodle next week!

Happy Weekend…

Cheers! 🙂

In Stitches…

I’m having fun sewing on paper in my art journal and adding collage papers.

I can only sew in one direction since my journal is bound but I like the challenge it adds:

I start by gluing a piece of paper randomly on a page that I explained more about here: It’s A Splash!

Since the stitching is on BOTH SIDES of the paper, one side is a total surprise:

These paper collages are keeping me in stitches!  I enjoy using two different colors of thread, one for the bobbin and one for the top stitch… they add an unexpected color surprise!  And each collage is unique!

What have you created or discovered this last week that brought you unexpected joy?  I hope you share it with me!

Cheers! 🙂