Wonky Baby Shoes

 

Another sketch inspired by Tommy Kane. 

 

Tommy Kane Demonstrates Crosshatching

 

This sketch was inspired by a video featuring Tommy Kane of Sketchbook Skool.  His sketches are nothing short of fabulous! 

This Week's Duck

A Few More Postage Stamp ATC's

Capitals, Colour, and White Space

This month the Westcoast Calligraphy Society enjoyed Cheryl Tasaka's presentation on capitals, colour, and white space.  It will be fun to use these in my journal/sketchbook, and on cards and envelopes.

Postage Stamps

I've been playing around with postage stamps recently.  I bought a grab bag of cancelled stamps years ago, thinking that they would make good collage elements.  In the recent spirit of "using up stuff"  I got them out and made some artist trading cards.

Who's In Charge Here?

This cheeky watercolor sketch became my planner page for next week.  

Using Up Stuff

Some of my most creative moments lately occur when I'm determined to "use up" stuff.  It seems I spent 20 years accumulating paper craft supplies, and hoarding them because they were scarce.  Now I'm looking for ways to use them up.

At the same time, my current sketchbook is almost finished, and I planned on purchasing another just like it.  It wasn't expensive, and the paper is not ideal for wet media, although it will take some.  It has 160 pages of 128 gsm (72 lb) paper.  I've been finding it a good compromise because it doesn't seem too precious to use - If I just have time for a quick sketch I'm loathe to use the watercolor journal.

Today I decided to use up some paper supplies and make a sketchbook.  I gutted a hardcover book that the library was giving away and then sewed six signatures into the spine.  I used up a lot of flimsy card stock that I purchased several years ago when it was on sale at one of those big box craft stores.  (That was definitely a bargain that proved to be a waste of money.)  But it will be good enough to sketch on and there's plenty more where that came from!

A Walk in My Neighbourhood in Spring

 

Gelato, oil pastel, ink, pencil crayon on canvas paper

 

 



American Widgeon Coot

I think this watercolor sketch of ducks will become planner pages.



Off on a New Tangent

 



I'm beginning to take my gelato pieces in a new direction -  making marks while they're wet and experimenting with new media.  I've used a dip pen and acrylic ink to draw here, which allows finer lines than the Stabilo pencil does.

 

 

 I've also layered pencil crayon on top of the gelato.



The Tulips are Up!

 

 

The tulips are in full bloom in Vancouver.  They're my favorite flower, so I couldn't resist another gelato piece.

Quilt Block Cards

I found some great patterns for quilt block cards on the Bow Valley Calligraphy Guild website.  Lynn Slevinsky, the contributor of the project, is a talented lettering artist who publishes some great books on easy marker lettering.

Edited to add:  I started with white piece of cardstock 3" square.  I cut patterned paper 1 1/2" square and then cut those into triangles.  This is a standard 1/2 sheet of cardstock card.

Even with a pattern, this took longer than I thought it would, but I love the finished result.  They're a bit fiddly but I just might try another!





Who Me?

 

 



You Really Can't



Before the Grand Mal

 

My computer had a grand mal seizure earlier this week.  OK, I'll admit it, there was a glass of water involved.  I'm up and running again (sort of) with a new laptop and I found these unpublished gelli print scans.

 

I'm not quite sure what I'll do with them yet but I had "masterboards" in mind before my seizure sent all art related things fleeing from my brain.