pen drawing

Intuitive Art – Part 4

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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!

Happy Hallowe’en 2023!

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This is the colouring page I’ve drawn for the Angela Porter’s Colouring Book Fans facebook group. Of course it’s spooky cute. It makes me smile, and certainly gave me a lot of pleasure to do so.

Drawn with pen on paper, painted digitally using Clip Studio paint.

I love Hallowe’en. I can’t explain why entirely. It may be that there are no awful memories associated with this celebration. It may be the spooky side of me resonates with the energy of the day. Perhaps it’s because I love the autumnal colours. Maybe it’s a mix of all these and a few others.

I haven’t drawn much in the way of spooky cute, or doodle-worlds style for a long while. I’m a bit rusty at it. But I enjoyed creating this nonetheless. And I was pleased as parts of it have come to life with colour. That is always a fun thing to do.

However you spend your Hallowe’en, dear reader, may it be a lovely time for you.

Entangled Art 20 October 2023

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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

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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.

Inktober 2023, Days 1 & 2

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Inktober 2023 Challenge

I’m a little late with these two, but I will try to complete the #Inktober2023 #Inktober official challenge!

Inktober is about challenging oneself to create art daily, every other day, or however you choose. It’s more about building up a regular drawing practice, with daily prompts to get the creative juices flowing. It’s not about competing with other artists/creatives.

There are so many Inktober challenges going on that it can be difficult to choose one. In the last couple of years, I’ve chosen to participate in the Inktober Tangles challenge. But this year, I really didn’t feel excited about it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the prompts, but for some reason Zentangle didn’t float my boat, so to speak. I think the greater personal challenge of the Inktober official prompts called to me. But, we’ll see how that goes!

Of course, Inktober is all about drawing with Ink. But I’ve started adding some colour for Day 2’s drawing. I’m not sure that was a good idea, but I’ve not completed it yet! It’s at that regretful, icky partway complete stage. Also, I’m not sure I’ve accomplished the hand-lettering in the spiders’ bodies well. It is what it is, and Inktober is about drawing, taking part, challenging oneself, learning more about artistic expression, and not perfection.

I’ve decided to incorporate hand-lettering where I can. I really could do with the practice and exploration of including hand-lettering in my art.

I may use coloured backgrounds in some of the remaining days of Inktober. We’ll see!

Other stuff

The past couple of weeks have taken their toll on me. I’ve been diagnosed with IBS and asked to follow the FODMAP diet for up to eight weeks. The FODMAP plan aims to calm the digestive system by eliminating foods from the diet known to cause IBS.

I’ve been following it for the past two weeks and I have days where it’s a lot better than it has been. However, I’ve found that some of the ‘banned’ foods on the FODMAP have caused IBS flare-ups – notably sweetcorn and some of the Quorn products I’ve eaten.

I must admit, I really miss onions and garlic (though I can use garlic-infused oil). Oh, and peas, and mushrooms. But hopefully, once things are calmer I’ll be able to reintroduce them, fingers crossed!

As I’ve had several days without IBS in the last week or so, how a flare-up feels is very noticeable. To think I’ve been living with those conditions for a long while is shocking!

I am determined to persevere with it! In fact, I’m quite excited about cooking with FODMAP-friendly gluten-free flour and other products. It’s kind of interesting. Being a vegetarian makes it a little more challenging, but I’ve now got a couple of great cookbooks to inspire me.

I’ve also had a busy couple of weeks that have involved people-ing and some stressful things. That all takes its toll on me, and stress of any kind doesn’t help with IBS that’s for sure!

The remainder of this week will likely be busy for me, with people-ing occasionally. I’ll get through it all, albeit exhausted.

And that’s where Inktober will come in useful. Drawing always helps me relax, calm, and destress. Having prompts to guide and inspire my artistic pursuits will surely help me. So, I hope to return to my ‘normal’ in posting blogs and videos.

However, a new normal may be needed as I discover more about myself and how to keep myself from burning out. I will figure it out, as I already have with trying to space people-ing and adulting out!

Seed Pod Variations – A sketchbook/journal page – 7 Sept 2023

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This was so lovely to do! I love seed pods, and working on variations to see what will flow in ink from the pen tip is always a delight.

Not stressing over ‘oops’ moments, or not being happy with a drawing isn’t an easy thing to do. However, I push along, knowing that this is a sketchbook page.

Sketchbook pages aren’t meant to be perfect, finished or aesthetic. They’re pages to explore and experiment. Even the wobbly drawings I’m not happy with can turn out to be ones I’m happy with, once I work with their bare bones and add detail.

There were certainly a few gaffes on this page. But instead of gaffes, I like to think of them as starting points to work from as I have worked out something I don’t like in this instance. That is always a valuable experience and leads to new skills, techniques, etc.

I only added colour and shade to some of the seed pods. They give me an inspirational nudge if I need it when I look through a sketchbook. They act as a reminder that colour and/or shade breathe life into a line drawing, especially when the line drawing looks very simple and bare of embellishment.

There are so many ways to add embellishment to a simple line drawing, that sometimes it’s nice to leave the simplest line drawing as an invitation to work with it and create more variations and a later point in time.

I have a video that shows how I created this page on YouTube. It is available to view from 18:00 UK time tonight, 7 September 2023.

A Verdant Border – 4 September 2023

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It’s been a week! But first, the arty stuff…

I thought creating a journal page with a border would be nice. So I did! And this is the result. It ‘feels’ very Arts and Crafts to me. What do you think?

I completed the design by using a dark green Staedtler 0.4 Triplus fineliner and Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel pencils. Let’s not forget white dots for highlights courtesy of a Pentel Hybrid Gel dx pen!

When the line art was finished, I wasn’t sure whether I liked it or not. But, as I added colour and the resultant shade and light, I started to warm to it. When I’d finished, I realised I really did like it, lots!

There is a ‘Draw With Me’ video for this design available on Youtube and here’s the link:

#DrawWithMe video on Youtube from 8pm UK time, 4 September 2023

The last week…

I’ve been struggling with energy levels for a while thanks to anaemia. So, I’m taking the iron and B12 supplements as prescribed so I hope it will improve.

However, on Tuesday last week, I was diagnosed with a case of shingles and put on a course of antiviral tablets for a week.

I’ve just been feeling more meh, or MEH, than usual, so tired and unable to think straight. So, I’ve been quiet, resting up and needing a lot of naps.

I was warned it would get worse before it got better, and it did. Also, it will take at least 4 to 6 weeks to fully recover, though that could be longer.

So, that’s the reason for the lack of posts

Some of August’s Artyness…

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August has been a weird old month. I managed to get all the pages for my next colouring book called “Daydreams” done. The work was enjoyable, but the constant fatigue hasn’t been. All I have to do now is to add colour to two templates!

I’ve managed to get some videos done, too, three in the last few days! They can be seen on my YouTube channel @AngelaPorter.

I have rediscovered an old love and source of inspiration – Ernst Haeckel. I bought myself a collection of his work for my birthday. It fascinates me and entrances me – both the beauty, the detail, the stylised way of drawing and the science that goes with it! It’s all the things I love most about scientific drawings and illustrations. And that love has followed me through my life.

Unsurprisingly, I’ve dipped my toes into the richly inspirational waters of the Arts and Crafts movement. Again, the wonderfully stylised yet richly intricate designs fascinate me.

I’ve taken time since finishing the artwork for the book to indulge myself in sketchbook work, pattern and motif explorations, and the simple joy of drawing.

I had thought about creating a ‘junk’ journal. Well, more of a sketchbook cross art journal cross zibaldone/commonplace book cross journal cross elements of junk journaling.

As I started to work on it, I got so overwhelmed. So, I started to put together a disc-bound sketchbook. As I’ve added work to the sketchbook, ideas of how to incorporate elements of the various kinds of journals/sketchbooks start to make sense.

This tells me I really do need to stop getting overwhelmed and start with a drawing. Then, just trust that creative intuition will work its magic and meld ideas together – one at a time.

One thing at a time. One thing at a time, as in one focus at a time, is easy to do. I find it hard to juggle multiple projects. I have a couple or more on hold. I know if I start on them again, then that project may totally take over my focus. But starting at any one of the projects after a break can fill me with anxiety and fear of failure. I know that to do nothing is the only real failure, but picking up a project after a break from it and having to pick up the flow of it again …

Well, perhaps I need to learn to trust the creative and inspirational flow and put aside the fear, doubts, and negative inner voice. Easier typed than done!

Linked to this is I’ve started to read Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way”. It’s surprising how much of this I recognise so far – I just needed the words for how I work. I am going to work my way through it, though. I have a feeling it will be very valuable to me. And some lined paper for the daily pages has arrived today, so no excuses tomorrow morning!

Pattern Explorations 23 August ;23

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Link to the Draw With Me video on YouTube.

A collection of some of my recent ‘small art’

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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”.