The Ordinary

Don't know what to draw?  Draw the "ordinary", and draw it every day.  This is another tip from Joanne Sharpe's excellent class - "Draw Your Awesome Year - 2014".

Dimension

A little drawing lesson on dimension from Joanne Sharpe's class is featured on this journal page.  She covered shading, perspective and depth all in one class.  It was a good refresher.

The Illustrated Word

In this lesson, Joanne Sharpe teaches how to decorate the titles on your journal pages.

Thinking of You

It was time today to fill up the card box:

Stamps by Inkadinkado

Stamps by Crafty Individuals and Hanko Designs

Stamps by Hero Arts and Hanko Designs

Drawing from Photos

I haven't seen too many cows in the neighbourhood lately, but there are a few in my box of photos!

Watercolour pencil crayons in my Canson Mix Media XL journal

Westcoast Calligraphy Society

Sloane is my grand niece and she's the inspiration for this fun piece I did at the Westcoast Calligraphy Society the other evening.  These are "fun letters" as shown in "Marker Lettering Volume I" by Lynn Slevinsky.

Being Creative with Limited Supplies

Sunday was the Vancouver Artist Trading Card swap, and I eagerly packed a bag to go attend the pre-swap "Make Art" session.  I included bags full of magazine photos which I wanted to sort through, intending to keep those that inspire me to draw, and chuck the rest.  I packed a journal and watercolor pencils, or so I thought.

When I arrived I discovered that the journal had jumped out of the bag en-route.  (Later I found it on the corner of my desk at home.)  So, I sorted the photos and wondered sadly how I was going to make art without my journal.  I glanced around the room and saw a couple of sheets of discarded printer paper.  I drew these geese and penguins and realized once again how little we really need to be creative.

Yesterday I mounted my little drawings into a journal using washi tape.  I'm not sure why, but these simple sketches make me happy.

Layout is Everything

I haven't had much time for creating lately, and even less for blogging.  My life feels full of medical appointments, broken cars, and accounting work.  But enough of the whining, it is just life.

Joanne Sharpe continues to inspire me with "Draw Your Awesome Year", and she did an excellent video on composition, a subject dear to my heart.  This page is a combination of notes on composition process and a practice box using one of my mantras for this year.  The colour is Tombow markers.

My Life My Masterpiece

This journal page is another assignment for Joanne Sharpe's "Draw Your Awesome Year" class.  It is filled with things that give my life meaning.

Word of the Year

My word for 2014 is "faithful".  I'm taking an online course taught by Joanne Sharpe, called "Draw Your Awesome Year", and one of our current assignments is to document our word in our journal.

Thank You!

I was just reading all the lovely comments left on my blog recently and I want to thank you all so much for your kind words.  Your encouragement means so much to me!

Still Painting Cacti

We're enjoying the last few days of our time in Palm Springs, but preparing mentally for the return to our home in Vancouver.  This means lovely swims and sitting in the sunshine reading books.  We've also been looking at real estate.  Are we ready?

So, I've been doing less art, but as this grid background of watercolour was already done (in Maui last year LOL), I thought "Why not add a cactus?"  With gouache I am able to paint successfully over a background, like one would with acrylic.  I'm enjoying this new medium immensely.

More Cacti and Happy New Year!

This is the last of the sketches I did on my recent "en plein aire" adventure.  I'm not sure landscapes are my forte LOL.

Happy New Year, everyone!  I wish you health, happiness, and peace in 2014.