Having fun, but I think I’ll do something a little different later on today.
Oh, I finally got round to figuring out a ‘doodle’ cuttlefish, which makes me quite happy! The badger also makes an appearance, along with a koala, pig, panda and monkey. A fairy cat just adds to the whimsy. My morning mug of tea is there too!
I could be accused of enjoying myself way too much!
A pal requested more badgers and more squid … so here they are!
I spent several very pleasurable hours drawing the picture below. It’s got a lot more line work in it that I’d add for colouring templates. It reminds me more of art I did pre-colouring book work.
Now, all I have to do is to decide whether to colour or not!
I’ve just spent a few happy hours drawing a piece of ‘doodle art’ after having learned much yesterday from mimicking the style of piccandle. I’v managed, I think, to make it much more ‘Angela’. I may have done similar stuff in the past, but not quite like this.
This has a fair number of design elements that are firmly in the realms of ‘Angela’ art.
It’s now been printed on watercolour paper as well as some alcohol marker friendly paper ready for colouring – my next task.
I had a bit of a surprise package today. Inside were some more stamps and dies that I designed and have now been produced by Hampton Art. They’re perfect for card making, paper crafts, planners, journals and scrapbooks!
I’ve also coloured in the doodle art from yesterday. I used a mixture of Copic Ciao markers, Chameleon markers and some coloured pencils. I’m quite pleased with the colouring, learned some new tricks with the Chameleon markers, which means I’d do things a little differently if I coloured it again.
Just like hobbits, I believe there’s only one thing better than mushrooms and that is MORE mushrooms!
In my case that means more needle felted mushrooms.
So, I’ve learned a fair amount about needle felting in making these mushrooms and I look forward to creating more items as time allows. I suspect my own whimsical, doodly drawings will be a source of much inspiration.
It is, however, much quicker to draw and colour things than to needle felt them.
The large mushroom took around 10 hours to finish. The smaller ones have taken between 4 and 6 hours to create.
Now, all I have to do is to decide what to do with them!
The last four hours have been spent happily stabbing – lots of stabbing. All to create my first needle felted ‘sculpture – a mushroom.
The photo isn’t brilliant (it is after 2am here in the UK, and I lost track of time..), and grey isn’t my usual colour of choice; however I used it for the mushroom as I have lots of grey wool and if it didn’t work out, it would be no great loss.
However, it has worked out. It’s been a bit of a learning thing, and I still have lots to learn, learning that can only be done by doing it seems.
I do have a few coloured ‘circles’ to add, and then I’m sure I’ll want to add beads and stuff to add sparkle (that inner raven of mine demands sparkle whenever I can manage it!).
Overall, I’m really quite pleased with the outcome so far!
I’ve not done any sculpting for many, many years, and only then with clay. I enjoyed working with clay, but I don’t have the facilities to do that now, but I can use wool and felt it, and I really have enjoyed the felting. It’s easy on my fingers too (apart from the one stab to my thumb when I missed the mushroom a tad!). It’s sculpting in terms of building the form up, rather than removing material to reveal a form, such as you’d do in stone sulpture. The building up appeals to me far more.
I’ll finish this mushroom, then I’m sure there’ll be more things to be made.
I’m busy drawing colouring templates for a book entitled By the Sea, one in the ‘Escapes’ range of colouring books from Dover Publications.
When I completed this template, I couldn’t resist printing it and colouring it in.
I have to admit that I, like so very many others, spent the Christmas period alone (except for a couple of hours playing Trivial Pursuit at my little sisters on Christmas night). It’s not the first Christmas that this has happened, but it’s one in a very long succession of solitary Christmases.
I feel the pressure from society and the media greatly at this time of the year; the pressure to be in a happy family, showered with gifts and food and company and loving intimacy.
The image we’re sold that we can’t possibly be happy unless we’re part of a big, loving, happy family and in a meaningful, happy, loving relationship is a trigger point for my mood, for unlocking the kennel of the black dog that can nip at my heels all too often.
This year, though, I’m happy to say that the black dog didn’t visit as often or as long as it has in the past many, many years. Oh, I’ve had my moments, but I’ve survived better than I have for a very long time, most probably 20 years or so.
What helped is indulging myself in my coping strategies – creating art, making music, reading, cat cuddling and generally being creative (which currently means knitting baby blankets for my neice who is expecting twins in 3 to 4 months time). Also, avoiding social media – facebook especially – has helped too.
Reminding myself that I’m not at the point in my healing journey from the cptsd (complex post traumatic stress disorder) that I experience that I feel able to have healthy relationships has also helped. It’s a work in progress, the healing that is.
Another sign of my recovery from the trials and tribulations of the cptsd that I experience is that I made a little effort to add some ‘decorations’ for the Winter Solstice/Yule/Christmas season, which include a trio of small, knitted christmas trees, which kept me a little occupied in the days/weeks leading up to this time, as well as knitting and needle felting some bacteria and viruses for a pharmacist I met at an event I attended as a Time to Change Wales champion.
So, now the next event that can cause the black dog to find some strength is New Year’s Eve…
…which I can survive by using my super-power of being creative to help me cope.
The piece of art above has been done over the past 3 days. The black outlines were drawn first, followed by a base layer of Ranger’s Distress Inks applied with Clarity Stencil brushes.
I then used the Distress Inks as watercolours to intensify the colours in various places as well as to add the colour to the berries/seeds/buds.
Next, I used Cosmic Shimmer’s Iridescent Watercolour paints to add some shimmer in large areas, before adding detailed patterns using coloured pencils (I chose to use my Mitsubishi Uni Pencils for this).
Finally, I added metallic and ‘glittery’ sparkle using Sakura’s Gold Gelly Roll Metallic pen and a Clear Star Gelly Roll pen.
I was rather restrained for me by leaving areas just coloured, not embellished to high heaven and back! The areas I have added texture/pattern to stand out more and it’s not quite so overwhelming.
This could mean my artistic skills are maturing a little.
The most important thing, however, is that I enjoyed the process of creating this large (for me) piece of art. The paper I used is A3 in size, and the drawing is approx 9.5″ x 14.5″.
When I finally figure out how to price my art (any one wishing to offer help/advice/suggestions on this, then it will be gratefully recieved) I may put it up for sale on Etsy.
Art is the Adventure 