digital art

Mandala 19 Dec 19

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©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

Purple is my favourite colour and I thought it would make a lovely colour to go behind this delicate, lacy mandala.

I did enjoy drawing this one, late last night. I have been out of sorts or almost a week, and I can’t seem to settle or feel enthused about anything much. However, this mandala was a pleasure to draw. It’s a familiar process, using, mostly, familiar patterns and motifs.

The familiarity in creating this mandala was soothing to me, and soothing is just what my emotions and mind need at the moment.

The colour scheme is simple: white on purple, though it did start off a pale, creamy yellow on brown kraft paper. When I’d finished drawing, those colours just didn’t seem right to me, so I played around with them until I found a combination which, at the time, pleased me.

This is the fun of working digitally. What seems a good idea at the start may not pan out upon completion. It’s easy to alter the colours or the background texture, and so many other things.

This colourway will do … for now. I may change it again as I work out what to do with all these designs I’ve created that just lurk in the depths of my hard drive.

Festive Mandala

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©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

I needed to create a cute, whimsical, simple mandala this morning (and on into the afternoon). This is what I came up with. Plenty of bright colours glowing against the dark background.

Stars and hearts are motifs that often appear in my work, as well as arches that can be like petals, sunshine or architectural. The holly leaves and berries mark this mandala as a winter one.

Digital art worked using Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and Microsoft Surface Pen and Surface Studio.

Saturday Morning Mandala

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Mandala 14 Dec 19 ©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

It’s another day, another new dawn, and I needed to do some art to self-soothe. When I’m like this I nearly always draw mandalas.

Carl Jung, the psychotherapist, asserted that by drawing mandalas, we get a view of what is going on in the unconscious (subconscious) mind that we are unaware of. He also recognised that drawing a mandala gives a window into the current state of mind and emotions, it also allows ordering and healing to take place.

Yesterday’s mandala and today’s are quite different, but drawn for the same Yesterday’s mandala and today’s are quite different but drawn for the same purpose. To soothe my overwhelmed emotions, and it has helped in doing that..a bit, anyway.

I’m not entirely sure how I’d interpret my own mandala, however, but I’m sure that plenty of people will read a lot more into than I will.

Never give up on hope

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Artwork ©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

I woke earlier with the need for some self-caring, self-soothing art and a mandala is the only thing that does that at times.

I created a background using various shades of pink and red Distress Inks (Worn Lipstick, Abandoned Coral and Candied Apple). I scanned it in and then drew the mandala digitally.

I needed pink as a soothing colour, so I chose a monochrome (more or less) colour scheme for the mandala.

I knew I wanted a Star Wars quote, and I chose this one from The Clone Wars. I feel a Star Wars marathon coming on later today; something else that I find soothing.

First, though, I want to get some work done on colouring another illustration for the Spectacular Sea-life coloring book. This is yet more self-soothing.

Mandala 4 Dec 2019

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Mandala 4 Dec 2019 ©Angela Porter | Artwyrd

I thought I’d use the coloured paper from yesterday in some digital art.

Be an encourager

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Be an encourager © Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com
Be an encourager © Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

I’ve had a busy day learning new things to do with video and so on. The concentration has taxed my brain just a bit, and I needed some time in an arty happy place.

My first task was to find a quote that appealed to me today. This one is quite apt I think, for many reasons. I’m not entirely sure my typography is right for the quote, but it will do for now.

I then knew I wanted to do a mandala as a background. I find this style of mandala very soothing to draw, and soothing was just what I needed today.

Once I’d finished the mandala, I added colour in greens and teal. Calming, soothing, balancing colours for today. Colours of calm contentment, which is just how I feel at the moment. Also hopeful colours. That green reminds me a lot like the first leaves showing themselves at the tail end of winter, spreading hope that the warmer, lighter days will soon be here.

Copper complexity

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Copper Complexity © Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

Seven plane symmetry, using a flexible nib pen to carve through black to reveal the design in copper. Done digitally using Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, Microsoft Surface Pen and Surface Studio.

I really have been enjoying creating this kind of design lately and I make no apologies for showing so many that seem to be similar. I find creating these so soothing and calming.

Here, I wanted to see how a metallic background texture would work, and it does really well, just not on WordPress and how the website shows images. The colours never seem to be as vibrant as they do elsewhere.

What I love about this process is that I have no idea of what the end product will be. It’s all about being in the flow, working intuitively, and trusting my skills and creativity.

Often, I’m so zoomed in to the section I’m drawing I’m not aware of how the overall design is looking and working. That means I really do have to trust my instincts, and trust that it will all fit together to create a satisfying end result, and I am happy with it.

Smile at a Stranger

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Artwork ©Angela Porter | Artwyrd.com

Quote by J L Wyman, art by myself.

I read this and knew I just had to create a mandala sun to go with it. So I have.

Abstract design 23Nov19

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Abstract Design ©Angela Porter |Artwyrd.com

This is the result of a few hours spent drawing this morning. I like it, but not the central vertical and horizontal ‘lines’ that have appeared.

I wanted to create a design to upload to Redbubble. However, it won’t be this one as I really don’t like those lines! Ho hum…

Still, I draw, I reflect, and I learn, perhaps.

Fiery, warm colours for a grey, dull and rainy day.

Truth – A quote by Einstein

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Truth . Artwork ©Angela Porter |Artwyrd.com

I woke up this morning with an idea for a background for quotes, and this is the result!

I thought the kind of abstract, organic, swirling patterns I’ve been drawing would work well as a border, and I’m happy with what I’ve created. However, I do think there’s just too much purple, perhaps.

In hindsight, I wish I’d taken a bit more care with the laying out of the quote. I would like to emphasise the key words and phrases. Maybe, if I have time later I’ll do just that.

Sometimes, maybe often, I don’t really see the flaws in my work until I’m writing my blog. A lesson to be learned here I think. Today, however, I am under a lot of time pressure and I feel I may have spent too much time on this already.

However, despite the flaws I can see in my work, particularly the typography/hand-lettering, this is good enough for now.