pen drawing

Pen Drawing | Abstract Art

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Full length pen drawing and vlog | Time lapse pen drawing

This drawing is a work in progress. I started it yesterday and filmed it’s continuation this morning, and I’m enjoying the process very much.

It’s another blessedly cool day here. The skies are, again, grey. I find the coolness and freshness of the air invigorating.

I did get out for a walk yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a delight to listen to the sussuration of leaves in the strong breeze. The remaining dampness brought out colours that seemed so bright against the grey skies. The wind caused tree trunks and branches to creak and groan. It was an absolute pleasure to be moving my recently indolent body surrounded by all these wonders.

Smiles, both on my lips and in my heart and soul, accompanied this feeling of awe and wonder. With my first steps from my car, I felt my whole body exhaling and relaxing, continuing the process started with the breaking of the heatwave.

Even now, as I write about my walk, I find those smiles returning and a sense of relaxation returning.

Caution in walking was my focus, however. I wasn’t sure if my foot had recovered from my last tumble. I was aware that on certain paths I needed to watch where I was putting my feet. But soon, I was on more even paths and roads and could look around, and even take a few photos of interesting textures, patterns and colour combinations.

Haunting the local cemetery again was a pleasure. You’d think I’d be bored with the place after all the times I’ve walked there in the past year. I’m not. Each walk is different. The presence of place is determined by the weather, time of day, season, my mood, my wellness, and the route I choose to take around the necropolis.

Pleasure may seem a strange word to describe visiting a cemetery. Yet that is how I feel each time I visit. It’s a peaceful place, full of interest both from artistic and social commentary/history points of view. Each time there, I notice new and different things. It’s also one of the few places I feel safe when alone. There are no crowds of people. It’s quiet and calm, meditative and reflective, and familiar.

I’m eager to go for a walk again today. It will be later this afternoon, as long as the rain holds off.

Pen Drawing – Abstract Art

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Todays time-lapse drawing video

It is deliciously cool today. I woke up with strong winds blowing refreshing, cold air across my head and body. Loud thunder with the odd flash of lightning added a twist of excitement. The heavy rain showers have washed the dust from the world around me too.

I love sunshine, not the heat though. And for the heatwave to break is such a lovely, invigorating experience for me. I can cope with the grey skies and rain for a while.

To be able to spend time drawing in my usual studio space, with a fresh breeze blowing in through the open windows was so, so beautiful this morning. I know my heart and soul let out sighs of relief and contentment.

In celebration of a return to this comfortable creative space, I decided to draw with pens, a Tombow Fudenosuke (hard) pen in particular.

This drawing is by no means complete. Once it’s completed, I’ll scan it in and then think about adding colour. I may very well use the Ecoline watercolour inks on the original, but digital colouring could be interesting too. But first, the drawing needs to be finished!

Template Thursyay!

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Time for another coloring template/coloring page for the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group.

Today, I felt the need for some cuteness and whimsy in my arty pursuits. So, I’ve drawn a Doodleworlds style template, with some ice-creams and an ice lolly included. It’s still blisteringly hot here today.

There is a time lapse video showing the process of drawing this template.

Today, I’m aching after my fall yesterday. At least the headache has gone! I’ll be glad to retreat to the downstairs rooms in a little while. It’s 26ºC outside according to the ‘puter. That means it’s rather warm inside too. It’s forecast to be cooler tomorrow, with the high being 25ºC, which will be manageable. Just.

Time to finish my social media postings and then to get more tea!

Pebbles and Seaweed Abstract Art WIP

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This is the start of a watercolour and, probably, pen artwork based on fronds of seaweed and pebbles. If you’d like to see it from the start of adding watercolour to where it is at this moment, then I did record a vlog. It’s a chatty one, about the art and other stuff.

I used my biro sketch that I did yesterday as inspiration for this. I drew from memory and intuition, using red and black fine ballpoint pens on a 16cm x 16cm (6.25″ x 6.25″) piece of Canson Moulin du Roy paper.

Next, I applied watercolour, wet into wet. I realise I need to dig out my craft heat tool to dry the watercolour quickly when it’s spread in a way I like it. Well, at least try that out! I’ve not quite learned when is the right amount of wetness for this to work to the extent I’d like it to. Having said that, I did drop clean water to push some of the darker colours back in places, though not always successfully to my taste. However, as I plan to draw on top of the colour this may not be an issue.

For the seaweed I chose to use yellow ochre no.1, burnt sienna and light red. Indigo, Van Dyke green, indigo and peacock blue are the colours used for the pebbles.

I have no idea what I’m going to use for the central part of the fronds, yet. It’ll work itself out I’m sure.

I waited from the fronds to dry before doing any neighbouring fronds. I started doing this with the pebbles, but a happy accident reminded me of how much

Sketchbook Experiments and Arty Vlog

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Saturday is becoming sketchbook Saturday with a vlog on YouTube!

As well as showing the most recent page(s) in my sketchbook and talking about the media/techniques/inspiration, I spend some time working on the current, higgledy-piggledy page.

I’ve become intrigued with using the humble biro / ballpoint pen in art, especially as they are waterproof. There’s some amazing portraits and other work out there by seriously talented artists.

However, I’m working out how they may work for me, especially in my sketchbook when out and about (when that finally happens!).

As well as talking about the various techniques and inspiration for the art on this page, I also talk about how I want to include more writing in my sketchbooks. I’m intrigued with using creative writing record my experiences, feelings, thoughts and the presence of place alongside any sketches done when visiting somewhere.

I’m also thinking that if I take photographs of what interests me, then sketches and further work could be done later. This is going to be important when I’m not by myself and don’t have the luxury of spending as much time as I’d like.

I’d like to create a story that is in words and pictures, recording my whole experience. Perhaps, I may want to share this with others, so that they can get a glimpse into my mind and emotions.

I’m not too bothered about creating a work of fiction, but to capture all those abstract feelings and observations and communicate them with others…

Actually, it would be about sharing them with myself by becoming more aware of them and giving an outlet for those abstract thoughts and impressions I rarely verbalise as I’m unaware of them unless I’m asked to verbalise them.

Something else I’d like to do is to revisit typographic art with all of this in mind. Finding a way to incorporate words and imagery that expresses who I am, rather than taking quotes from other people.

I do love words, always have. During this past year, I’ve had so few opportunities to speak out loud, that I’m finding it hard to dredge up the right word at times. Previously this was so easy for me. So, it would be good to give my vocabulary a good work out as well as add new words to it!

It’s going to be a work in progress for sure. I doubt I can do this, or that it will be interesting to others, or that it will be any good at all. However, if I don’t take the first tentative steps on this strand of my life’s tapestry, then I may never discover if it is something I can do, nor will I discover where it will lead me.

All that it will take are basic supplies, and to create a new ‘habit’ of writing throughout the day, whether I’m at home, or elsewhere, and drawing things that are of interest/importance to me at the time.

A bit of a challenge, but do-able I think.

Entangled Pen Drawing WIP

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Vlog –
Time Lapse version

This morning, I started my day off with a bit of entangled drawing along with a chatty vlog talking about my first mini-trip out with a friend since last August.

My friend and I met up and went to Porthcawl for lunch at the seaside. We picked up some chips (or fish and chips in Liz’s case) from a chip shop on the way to Newton. It was lovely to sit in the fresh breeze, the gentle sound of the sea, the smell of salt air and enjoy the chips. Then, we had a walk along the beach.

Then, we had a little visit to the church in Newton – St John the Baptist. It dates back to the C12th, built by the Normans and designed both for worship and for defence against pirates and the Welsh! It was rebuilt in the early 1500s, and in more modern times there have been refurbishments.

Sadly, the church was locked, so we couldn’t take a look inside. We did, however, have a wander around the churchyard, looking at the different styles of funerary furniture present. Some of the graves dated back to the 1700s or 1600s, I can’t remember now. But it’s somewhere I’d like to visit again. This time remembering to take in the structure and so on of the church, as well as more to do with all the different styles and fashions of the gravestones there.

The few hours out, were so lovely, and I really hand no need to be overly anxious at all. Not that I’m going to be going crazy about going out and about and travelling. Having company made a huge difference for me. I’m not so nervy when I have company.

Of course there was lots of chatter as well, a lot to catch up on too, surprisingly. I even have a sore throat from talking so much!

It was overcast there, yet I still managed to get sunburned on my arms! I’d put sunblock on my face/neck, but didn’t think about my arms as I had a gauzy shawl around my shoulders. But the wind blew it off them, and, well I burned. Note to self for future – sunblock on every part of body likely to be exposed!

Template Thursyay!

Angela Porter1 Comment

It’s Thursyay! So that means a new coloring page / coloring template for the members of the <a href="http://&lt;!– wp:paragraph –> <p>It's Thursyay! So that means a new coloring page / coloring template for the members of the Angela Porter's Coloring Book Fans facebook group.</p> <!– /wp:paragraph –> <!– wp:paragraph –> <p>As it's the first Thursyay in July, that also means a new color palette challenge. The colours in my digital palette are at the bottom of the artwork, and were suggested by two members in the group.</p> Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group.

As it’s the first Thursyay in July, that also means a new color palette challenge. The colours in my digital palette are at the bottom of the artwork, and were suggested by two members in the group.

It’s a month-long challenge, with templates completed using this palette being posted on the last Wednesday of the month.

Template Thursday…on a Wednesday?

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Wednesday is the day I design this week’s template for the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group. The template will be available to group members to download and colour tomorrow.

As it’s the first day of a new month tomorrow, that means a new color palette challenge for the group members. I’ve not decided on a colour palette yet.

This week it has a botanical theme.

While today’s vlog was processing and uploading, I took the time to edit the image digitally and also to add some colour to it. That gave the opportunity to play with a different brush. I’m not sure about the effect I’ve achieved, however.

In the vlog, I share my thoughts on the artwork and what I’m thinking as I draw. This is mostly focused on the art, but I do have a bit of a grasshopper brain that will flit around from time to time.

As the vlog is rather long – 1 hr and 13 mins or so – I’ve also created a speeded up / time lapse version with music if you prefer.

Entangled art and my artistic style

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Link to real time video of drawing and chatting
Link to time lapse drawing video.

Today, I started my arty day with some entangled drawing and a chat based around some interesting questions posed to me by various people on social media yesterday. The questions got me thinking and talking about my particular drawing and art style.

What I’m realising is, I’ve never really be provoked into thinking about/talking about my art style and where it has come from! For me talking and thinking are the same thing – there are two styles of inner monologue. One is where you hear thoughts in sentences throughout the

The topic of inner speech has caused a stir on Twitter after the user KylePlantEmoji  put out his own observation on the matter. “Fun fact: some people have an internal narrative and some don’t,” he tweeted. “As in, some people’s thoughts are like sentences they ‘hear’, and some people just have abstract non-verbal thoughts, and have to consciously verbalize them. And most people aren’t aware of the other type of person.”

https://mymodernmet.com/inner-monologue/

I have a mix of them. My inner monologue is one that ruminates on the past, is self-critical and so on. But I also have abstract, non-verbal thoughts that I need to verbalise to be aware of them. So, if someone asks me a question about, say, my artistic style and where it comes from, then I have to verbalise thoughts about it. Until I’m forced in some way to verbalise these kinds of thoughts, I have no idea what they are. Same if I’m, say, sitting in nature, observing the world around me. My thoughts won’t be on what I’m experiencing. Often, there are no thoughts, unless I’m stuck in a ruminating, worrying and self-critical mode, which doesn’t happen all too often.

Until I read this, and other articles, I thought there was something wrong with me, because so many others seemed to think in their heads about lessons, or experiences, or the news. But I never seem to do so. Now, I know and understand why that is. I think in an abstract way that I’m not particularly aware of as such. It just happens.

So, creating these daily (almost) vlogs is forcing me to talk about my artistic style, choices, process, lessons and so on. And such it is making me more aware of myself as an artist.

Most importantly, however, it is helping me to understand the value of all these things validating my art to me.

Yes, I do have a bit of ‘imposter syndrome‘ going on when it comes to my accomplishments in life. But, talking about my artistic journey, and how far back it started and where the observational skills and so on started is helping me see it’s been an almost life-long journey. It’s also helping me to accept and understand my artistic voice(s), style(s) as being an expression of my experiences in life where art and observation are concerned.

There’s plenty about this (though not the inner monologue and imposter syndrome stuff) in today’s real-time vlog. It is around 53 minutes long, so I have created a time lapse version with music as well.

Sketchbook Flip-through and Pen Drawing

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Today, I share a bit of a vlog . I flip through my sketchbook pages of the past week or so, chatting about them. Then, there’s a timelapse of myself drawing my latest entangled art.