Weird Fish?

Weird indeed are my drawings today. I had a delivery of some ultra smooth botanical watercolour paper yesterday, and so I had to try drawing on it! Yup, it’s nice to draw on. Then, trying out some watercolouring.

Instead of doing rather wet washes, I used the watercolour in a much more controlled manner, adding layers to get some shadow and highlight going. I’m either going to intensify those shadows and highlights with coloured pencils or digitally. But not now. I woke with a stinking headache and I’m just about at the end of my ability to focus enough to function. I’d like to go out for a walk to try to clear my head, but I’m not sure I’m safe to be let out to walk on the pavement let alone drive! This may need some serious sleep to clear. Ho hum.

The colours look different in ‘real life’ – the reds and oranges are more browny, and the yellows are more greenish. My problem in scanning the images in!

I did film my morning art for today’s vlog:

Truth – Part 1

“A lie can run around the world before the truth can get its boots on.” – Terry Pratchett
There are three truths. There’s your truth. Then there’s my truth. And then there is THE truth.

Today’s morning drawing is the start of this rather abstract design around “truth”. The paper is 20cm x 20cm (approx 8″ x 8″).

There is a time lapse with voice over vlog available – click here.

I’m feeling fine today, so no side effects of the second dose of the covid vaccine, yet. It’s been barely 24 hours so I’ll be cautious about side effects for a while yet I think.

Respect – Part 2 – Completing the Drawing

This morning, I completed this drawing, and filmed the process too.

I was up early after a really not good night. My sleep was disturbed by nausea, upset tummy and feeling very hot and sweaty. I woke at one time close to the time my Abel & Cole delivery comes. As I was visiting the bathroom and getting dressed, I heard the van arrive.

So, after putting my order away, getting myself a drink, I thought I’d complete this drawing until I was ready to go back to bed.

I managed to sleep, but I’m still feeling exhausted and my abdomen is still tender. So, it’s going to be a quiet, self-care day today for sure.

I said I filmed the completion of this drawing and here are the links:

Full vlog in real time and chat
Time Lapse video with music

Respect – Part 1 – An entangled drawing

My morning drawing session was a pen drawing around the word ‘Respect’. The paper is a 21cm x 21cm piece of Bristol Board. The pen I used was a Uniball Eye Micro ball.

I also filmed the process and have uploaded both a real time and time lapse versions on my YouTube channel.

I’ll most probably be finishing the drawing tomorrow morning. Then, it’ll be scanning it in and adding a background and colour digitally. That may take a while to do as I have a number of uncompleted digital projects. And a deadline looming for my next coloring book for the Creative Haven series.

I do need to, however, get out and take a walk, no matter how brief, at some point today. First check the weather forecast for the day to see if it’ll be best if I go before I settle to work or after I’ve done some work, as well as fitting it around other stuff I’m involved with today.

Have an open heart – part 2 – adding color

A time lapse video of me adding colour to yesterday’s drawing. Please click on ‘view in YouTube’ so it can count the views! If you like the video, give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing to my channel.

I’m not paid, sponsored nor gifted any product in order to promote or review any product. I show them just in case you’re interested in what I use, that’s all.

“Have an open heart” – Part 1

This morning I created this entangled artwork.

I chose one of the backgrounds I’d made earlier on in the week with Distress Inks and a white Posca pen. A micro Uniball Eye pen was used to draw the design. I added some metallic highlights with Sakura Gelly Roll pens. To add colour, I used Kuretake’s Zig Clean Colour Real Brush pens and a damp paintbrush.

Here’s a link to the the vlog showing the first part in creating this design – Open Heart.

Part 2 will be shared tomorrow.

As always, I’m not paid, sponsored nor gifted any materials I mention in order to promote them. They are all bought by myself and I share them so you can, perhaps, see materials you’ve not used before.

Thanks to all who’ve looked at my videos, liked and/or subscribed to my channel. I really do appreciate it.

“Willingness” Entangled Art

Today’s morning art – ‘entangling’ around “Willingness”. The original is drawn on white bristol board (21cm x 21cm) with black Unipin pens (0.5 and 0.1). The word was laser printed, cut out and glued to the bristol board.

I was willing to work with a lot of new and different motifs in this drawing, though not all are new. Some familiarity is needed!

It was lovely to do and took me about 2 hours in total.

I did create a vlog of this process – link here –> Willingness vlog. The first part, up until 49:33 mins is the chatty bit, from then on, the rest of the drawing has been sped up.

It would be lovely if you’d take a look, and if you enjoy the video please give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing.

I am not willing to use traditional media to add colour and/or shadow and highlight to this drawing, though I am very willing to do so digitally!

It’s been very, very windy here over the past day or so, and it has bucketed down with rain. It’s still fairly blowy, with strong gusts. So, I’m staying indoors unless the rain stops! So, I’m more than willing to keep the hatches battened down, and to settle to coloring at least some of this design. A good decision, methinks!

I’m also feeling well out of sorts after having a very, very weird dream that woke me early, and I was having a conversation in my head with one of the characters in the dream. I really wasn’t at all happy with them and told them a few home truths! Weird, just plain weird. So, it may have a knock on effect on my alertness later today.

Adding colour

I was awake just before 5am today. So, as I waited for my weekly Abel & Cole delivery I decided to add colour to yesterday’s drawing.

I used a selection of Kuretake Zig Clean Colour Real Brush pens, along with a paintbrush and water to do this. Finally, I added some details to the flower petals with a white Uniball Posca pen.

I kept my colour palette sympathetic to the Rusty Hinge and Chipped Sapphire Distress Inks I’d used to colour the background.

I always seem to forget how I like to use these pens to create a gentle gradient of colour. Also, they move so easily with a damp brush on this paper.

I’m quite happy with this drawing. In fact, I may use it as a basis for this week’s coloring template for the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group members. And, I think I’ll video my drawing process again. I have an idea what I’d like to do already!

Of course, I created a vlog of the colouration of this drawing. If you’ve enjoyed the video, please pop along to YouTube and give it a like. A subscribe to my channel would be most appreciated too.

Morning drawing and Distress Ink Backgrounds

This morning, I created some backgrounds to draw on. All the paper as Fabriano Medioevalis (3.3″ x 5.5″).

With three of the papers, I used white Posca pen to draw a pattern before colouring the paper with Distress Inks. For the other four, I just used distress inks.

Finally, I chose one of the papers to draw an entangled garden design on. I used a Uniball Eye pen (micro) and a Signo DX 0.38 pen.

It was all a bit of an experiment, especially the Posca pen. I was, however, quite happy with the results, and I now have a little collection of coloured papers to draw on when a large, blank sheet of white paper overwhelms me. And of course, they’ll be useful for the morning vlogs too!

I’ve yet to decide what I’d like to do with today’s drawing. It needs some shadow, highlight and/or colour to bring it to life. I’m going to sit with that for a while.

Of course, I’ve made a vlog of this mornings arty experiments and, here it is:

Now, I need to turn my attention to gathering sketches for my next colouring book for the Creative Haven series.

Morning drawing – failure and recovery?

Yesterday, I worked to add colour to my drawing using Distress Inks as watercolours. I was soon really disheartened and disappointed with the colours.

This morning, I decided to finish adding colour and then to try adding details with a white Posca pen and various fineliners and gel pens to see if I could achieve something I felt was OK. Also, I used it as an opportunity to learn.

I’m still not at all sure of the partly finished artwork, but it is what it is.