Abstract

Intuitive Art – Part 4

Angela Porter2 Comments

This is a drawing I started three weeks ago for a series of YouTube videos. Today’s video is part 4 of the series.

I finished the basic drawing in part 3. It’s all about colour and contrast now before I add the final detailed textures/patterns.

To add colour and contrast, I used Chameleon markers.

Adding colour/shade is always a nervous time for me. Surprisingly, I’m not really confident with colour. I prefer to work with a limited palette of monochrome or analogous colours, maybe with a sprinkling of a complementary colour here and there.

That’s the case unless it’s one of my Doodleworlds, whimsical, colouring book page designs. Then the more colours, the better! But, for this kind of entangled art, I prefer a more limited and elegant colour palette.

I always seem to use grey undertones for the shadows. I think I may have to try complementary colours to see how they work to add shadows.

My Chameleon markers have been rather neglected for a long while. However, I remembered I had them last week, and in using them in limited palettes, I’ve found them pleasurable to use, more so than all the other marker brands I have and have tried. Also, I’ve not been tempted to return to watercolours, Inktense, watercolour markers, pencils or pastels all the time I’ve used them. That has surprised me!

Expressing the inner workings of me?

Angela PorterLeave a comment

Two pen drawings I share with you. One with chalk pastel color added, the other black ink alone.

In both drawings I’ve used a limited number of patterns and textures, a limited texture palette, if you will.

This, along with the limited colour palette in the upper artwork, bring a feeling of cohesiveness and calm to what are quite intricate designs.

I think calm is the correct word to use, but I’m not sure. I have trouble identifying and recognising emotions unless they are very strong.

Over the past few weeks, months perhaps, I’ve needed a lot of gentle, peaceful time. When I am like this, I tend to go inside myself and withdraw from the world and social media. I’d like to believe that healing is happening unbeknownst to myself. Healing that brings peace, harmony, acceptance of lots of things that have happened in the past eleven months or so.

It’s been a turbulent time for me in terms of physical, emotional and mental health. I sometimes feel I’ve lost my way, or have too many interests and sources of inspiration for art.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve begun to go back to this style of art, an artistic expression of my inner self, my unconscious. Or at least that’s what I’d like to believe.

There’s always a pleasure and joy in drawing for me. However, when it flows in a truly intuitive way as in these two drawings, there is a sense of other things happening within. Peace, calm, yes. But also a feeling of harmonious creation in the design that flows from my pen.

Did I really make a conscious decision to use so few textures? I’m not sure at all. It just felt the right thing to do as I worked.

Of late, so much of my work has felt disjointed, I cohesive, out of balance. These two don’t feel that way to me; well, maybe a bit.

Look at me, writing about feelings after saying I’m not aware of emotions. But this feeling is more of an aesthetic appreciation where my art satisfies a part of me in some way. I have no vocabulary that can explain more. Perhaps I don’t need to explain

I wonder if this is just comfort art, or whether it’s a sign of self acceptance and healing. Maybe it’s both or neither, but I do feel it is showing a change in the inner parts of me emotionally and mentally.

If my art brings you a sense of calm, gentleness, pleasure, or another numinous feeling of enjoyment, no matter how small, then I’ve shared a part of myself through my art. At the same time I’m discovering more about myself and my journey, I trust.

Entangled Art 20 October 2023

Angela Porter2 Comments

The last couple of weeks have been … tiring. I’ve needed plenty of quiet time and rest. I have been drawing, and this is my latest drawing. It’s taken about a day’s work or so.

I’m quite happy with it. The open space creates balance with the fussier areas.

All the lines are ones I enjoy drawing. It never ceases to amaze me that the design possibilities are endless even with just a few shapes I like!

Will I add colour and/or shading to this one? I don’t know yet. Shading is needed at the very least. But, I’m not sure what to use to do that – graphite, chalk pastel, or another medium, even digital art.

There’s absolutely no rush for me to decide; the drawing isn’t going anywhere.

It’s still been a pleasure to lose myself in drawing for a while and to delight in the intuitive drawing that appears as ink flows from the tip of my pen.

#abstractart #pendrawing #linedrawing #entangledart #AngelaPorter #Artwyrd #artist

Angela PorterLeave a comment

Some of my latest work.

I’m enjoying the movement of pen and line on the paper. It’s like writing, but with line and shape and texture.

This intuitive way of working, I draw lines that I enjoy the motion of brings me contentment, peace, calm and enjoyment.

I’m beginning to wonder why I am forever thinking that this is not good enough art. I’m questioning myself why I keep exploring new media, new styles, new inspiration, especially as it leads back to this kind of art.

Perhaps it’s because I find this so easy to do and therefore don’t value it. Perhaps it’s part of my journey to extend my memory hoard of lines and motifs that I love. Perhaps it’s to discover new patterns and textures I like.

I know that colour vexes me, though I enjoy drawing on a coloured background, Also, I enjoy adding colour digitally which allows me to change colours when I realise the colours I’m using are not pleasing to me.

I like adding contrast, and working with very simple colour palettes. This lets me play around with layers and dimension.

The one thing I need to remember is to leave ‘white space’. I’m learning the power of this.

This is gentle, soothing artistic activity for me as I am going through a yeuchy IBS flare up, which I think may be linked to dairy this time. It’s also making me very fatigued. But I will get through this! I seem to be more resilient than I think I am.

A collection of some of my recent ‘small art’

Angela PorterLeave a comment

I’ve been doing smaller pieces of art lately, and here a just a small selection of them.

The top design is one I drew and started to add colour and highlight to in a YouTube #DrawWithMe video.

Small artworks are just the thing needed when I don’t have the energy or brain power to do anything larger. They do have, however, their own challenges!

What I had a flash of inspiration from somewhere, probably watching an arty crafty YouTube video. The inspiration was to use gloss Mod Podge to coat the artwork. The glossy surface really brings out the colour and cleans up the watercolour from the black lines. There is no, or very little, movement of colour when it’s applied, so long as it’s applied quickly with little fussing. I did apply a second coat as there were brush marks in the first one.

All are Zentangle and diaper patterns from Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts inspired, apart from one. The one with trees, birds and buntings was inspired by Danielle Donaldson in her book “Creative Girl”.

Two Stylised Flower Designs, Both WIP

Angela Porter1 Comment

Yesterday, 1 July, and today I had a lovely time drawing and adding colour to some stylised flowers. The designs aren’t complete.

I need to add a background texture and a delicate pattern to the one on the left. I’ll do that digitally. If I try to do it now, I’ll end up messing up as I used watercolour inks to add colour. I also recorded a YouTube video of the process (view it here).

A background pattern or texture is needed on the one to the right and textural patterns being added to the flowers. This time, I remembered to add some background colour using Distress Inks. Again, I used watercolour inks to add colour.

I am spitting feathers, though; as for the drawing on the right, I recorded a video and promptly managed to delete it … permanently. Duh! I feel such an eejit! So, I’ll remake the video soon, I’m sure.

Entangled Monogram WIP 6 June ’23

Angela PorterLeave a comment

I drew this design partly as I settled and calmed down for sleep, then completed it when I awoke at stupid o’clock until I was ready to settle back to sleep. Now, I’ve started to add colour – Derwent Chromaflow with Gamsol to blend the colours out. Oh and gold ink for the ‘L’ and the border around it.

This design was drawn on a 21cm x 21cm (8.25″ x 8.25″) piece of Canson Imagine mixed media paper. I used TWISBI Eco fountain pens filled with black Dokumentus ink, fine and extra fine nibs.

This is part of my preparation to throw myself into designing colouring pages for DayDreams. Getting back into my signature kind of art, maybe not this detailed, but …

There’s still plenty of colour to add. Then, there’s the highlights and sparkle and any other details that may be called for. A good level contrast is needed to bring out the illusion of dimension to this!

“Purple Roses” Entangled Botanica Tag/Bookmark WIP

Angela PorterLeave a comment

Cool, soothing, calming blues, teals and purples are just what my migraine befuddled self needed this afternoon. The migraine had mostly lifted, but left me feeling tired, ‘off with the fairies’. I decided to film this drawing as I thought those who like to draw along with me would enjoy some flowers, this time roses.

I coloured the background with Distress Inks, and added a little texture with a stencil. Water splatters are a must, dried with a heat gun to give that darker edge to them.

I love the way the texture and variation in the depth of colour shows through the coloured pencils that are applied to bring volume to the drawing. I used Gamsol and tortillons/paperstumps to blend the colour pencils out and create highlights and shadows.

Touches of gold ink will bring some precious luxury to the design.

There’s still a lot to do, however. The first coat of added pencil colour needs to be completed. There may be a need to intensify contrast. And then there’s the patterns and contour lines to be completed with ink. A drop shadow, white ink highlights, and more shimmery golden details.

The appearance of torn, collaged, patterned paper to the right of the tag is becoming a favourite thing of mine to add.

I hope a good night’s sleep will come tonight and I’ll wake tomorrow feeling as ‘with it’ as I’m able to be. I have work to do for my next colouring book called “Daydreams”.

Accompanying YouTube #DrawWithMe Tutorial Premieres at 20:00 UK Time 5 June 2023.

Entangled Botanica – Tag/Bookmark.

Angela PorterLeave a comment

This design does make me smile gently! I’m rather pleased with the end result. If you’d like to #drawwithme, then the accompanying YouTube video goes live today, 3 June ’23, at 18:00 UK Time.

Distress Ink background.
Design drawn with black Dokumentus ink in a TWISBI Eco EF fountain pen.
Extra colour/shade added with Derwent Chromaflow pencils and Gamsol.
Highlights/shimmer added using a white Uniball Hybrid Gel DX pigment ink pen and gold Winsor and Newton Calligraphy Ink applied with a brush.

Intuitive, Abstract, Neurographica Style Art – Adding colour WIP

Angela PorterLeave a comment

I decided to add colour to this artwork using Derwent Chromaflow pencils and Gamsol with tortillons/paperstumps.

I loved the colour as it was, but the design looked rather flat; there was little sense of ‘volume’. So, I hope to bring that out.

So little of the coloured pencil is needed when it is blended out with Gamsol, and it is translucent enough that the underlying waterdrop texture is still visible.

Although I mostly used pink, purple and blue to create the background, I thought that teal would make a good addition. That was a good decision, in my humble opinion!

White dots and lines from a Uniball Hybrid Gel DX pen add highlights that show up much better on the more intense colours. Spots and lines of gold will also add some interest, but I need to be conscious of not overdoing it!

I was really nervous about using Gamsol with linework drawn with Dokumentus ink. I had no real need to be; the Gamsol didn’t affect the ink. I let out a huge ‘Phew!’ at that!. My TWISBI Eco fountain pen with Dokumentus ink and an extra fine nib worked beautifully on areas where coloured pencil and Gamsol had been added.

I have a lot of work to do until this design is complete. I am, however, in no rush to do that. I can work on it a bit at a time. I am likely to post updates from time to time though!

If you’d like to see how I added colour with pencils and Gamsol, then a YouTube video will be available to view from 16:00 UK time on Friday 2 June 2023.