A Carnival Ride

My mark making has the feel of being on a carnival ride…

I started this doodle over a month ago and just finished it Saturday:

I used Micron pens and a new set of Uni-ball fineliner drawing pens.

Perhaps it influenced this one in my sketchbook with Copic Markers and Micron pens:

And the bright colors of watercolor, Neocolor crayons and Copic Markers in this one, definitely make me feel like having some cotton candy! Lol!

Sometimes life can feel a little like a carnival ride with its unexpected twists and turns.

I find creating marks and patterns quiets my mind and helps me tune out life’s stressful times.

Peace be with you! 🙂

Cheers!

Waiting Game

I have been preparing for a total hip replacement surgery on my right hip in less than 2 weeks…

Making extra meals for the freezer and creating easy recipes for my hubby. I am trying to tidy up the house too. 😉

It feels like a waiting game so in order to relax I have been doing more doodling:

I started each one with Copic Markers:

Adding black Micron pen on top:

It has been fun experimenting with color and patterns. I will make copies and use these patterns in my collages.

What do YOU do to pass time when you are waiting?

Cheers! 🙂

P.S. I will be taking a short blogging break and posting only on Instagram for awhile. You can find me at art_jill_kuhn on Instagram.

A Beetle Doodle

I have been sorting through closets and cupboards in my home this past weekend.

It feels good to get things better organized. I have discovered that I have too many hobbies however… and I need to get rid of a few as they are cluttering my mind.

Any suggestions? How do YOU get rid of art supplies you are no longer using?

In the evenings, I have been working on a beetle doodle:

I am using gold pen in addition to black ink. I noticed that REAL beetles tend to have an iridescent shine.

I cannot remember ever working on a symmetrical pattern. It is a bit more challenging. 😉

What did YOU do this past weekend? I hope you share it with me.

Cheers! 🙂

P.S. I will show you my finished beetle doodle when it is complete!

A “Bug” In My Bonnet

I enjoyed my blogging break for the last two weeks… Although I couldn’t stay away from reading so many of your creative blogs! 😃

I am looking forward to a new month… December is here! And Christmas is just around the corner… Hoorah!

Someone put a “bug” in my bonnet in the last couple of weeks and I have been drawing these bugs from my imagination:

I started with their imaginary “hats” from my Gelli-printed papers or copies of my own artwork.

I drew my imaginary bug in pencil before adding permanent pen.

There is something wonderful about creating from your imagination. It is so freeing!

Lastly, I added color pencils to give these bugs a little pizzazz…

Which bug(s) do you like?

Cheers! 🙂

A Bird Shape?

I tried to paint a Hummingbird in watercolor for today’s post but it ended up in the trash! Oh, don’t worry, this happens sometimes. 😉

So I went back to the basics – painting patterns in watercolor and getting comfortable with my brushes and trying different color combinations:

And look! A bird shape showed up!

When I haven’t painted in watercolor for awhile, I have to slow down and just PAINT without thinking about outcome.

I added pen on top of my watercolor in black Micron pen with a little white and gold gel pens. I like how the ink gives it some pizzazz!

I now have a page of patterns I can color copy and use in my collages.

What do YOU do when your art takes a different turn than you envisioned?

Happy Friday!

Cheers! 🙂

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! 🙂

 

Where Is Spring?

It is hard to believe that Spring will be here in two months where I live in the Pacific Northwest!

We recently got about a foot and a half of new snow!  So pretty when it is fluttering down from the sky but not so pretty when the snow plower piled the driveway with a huge berm yesterday…Ugh!

I finished my doodle from last week!  YAY! 😀 If you didn’t see that post, you can find it here:  A Little Doo-da-ling

It was super fun to work on it a little each day when I had a few minutes:

And the finishing touches:

I added two colors of color pencils to complete it.  I’d love to hear what you think!

Happy Friday!

Cheers! 🙂

Strange Inventions…

It is fun to glue shapes on paper and see what appears, like this collage in my art journal:

Sometimes adding doodles with a black pen helps me work through life’s problems.

Yesterday, these strange inventions appeared!

I wish the medical field could invent a cure for dementia… My hubby’s mom is really struggling with this terrible disease.  And we struggle finding her good care.

Sometimes it is these strange creatures or inventions that show up when I need a smile.

I hope this whimsy brings a smile to your day as well!

Cheers! 🙂

Holiday Punch

In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, sometimes it is nice to enjoy a quiet golden moment or two…

And some holiday punch!

The simplicity of punching circles of various sizes, colors and patterns…and cutting circles around the punched circles with scissors was very relaxing for me.

Arranging them into my art journal in a pleasing pattern was fun too:

How do YOU relax and get into the spirit during the holidays?  I hope you share it with me!

Cheers! 🙂

H, I And Pattern Play

I realized that I hadn’t shared my letters, “H” and “I” from my watercolor Alphabet Journal that I did in July on my blog.

I added the collage portion to these letters last weekend.  I think this page is extra happy:

And you all know how much “I” love flowers!

Last night, I had only a few minutes to paint before dinner so I created this experiment in watercolor:

Watercolor pattern play is relaxing and fun!  I encourage you to give it a try!

Cheers! 🙂