I know, I know – a second blog post of the day. However, I thought you might like to see my cover page for my BuJo for May 2018.
I’m well ahead of the BuJo game here I think, but I needed a bit of sparkle and shine today, and the colourful background I created just cried out for golden stars.
I had fun doing this, but now I have to focus on the other pages for this month, which will have a starry theme, or perhaps just golden, who knows yet?
I’ve spent some time today setting my BuJo (bullet journal) up ready for next month.
I decided I’d like a kind of mandala with dangles for the cover page, which you can see above.
I chose quite strong purple, purple-pink and green-blues for the colour scheme, with golden highlights. Faber-Castell Polychromos and Caran D’Ache Luminance pencils, along with a blender pencil from Derwent, were used to colour the design. I used various Copic Multiliner SP pens to draw the design.
After working with my BuJo for a month, I decided that I needed a different design for the Monthly overview, where I’ll add in my appointments and events later on. I also wanted to change my mood tracker to one that lets me track my mood through the day. I thought it would be a good idea to add the other things I want to keep track of – meditation, walking and hand lettering practice.
I used dangles to join the various boxes to the headers on this page.
I also used Tombow Dual Brush Pens to colour in the designs on this page; and you can see the key to the colours used on the Trackers page.
I’ve also set up one of my weekly views. I really liked having a page for week’s diary/notes and one where I can write my gratitude and memories. It’s worked well for me the past week.
I will set up the other weeks as I head towards them through the month, but they’re likely to be similar with just different header and divider designs being used.
I’ve certainly had an interesting and fun time with my BuJo this month, and I’ve been finding out how it works for me.
My days are often very simple in terms of what I need to do, so I don’t really need or use large amounts of space for each day. What I tend to record for each day is a list of tasks accomplished along with appointments. The memories section is really valuable as well; for me a BuJo is more like a memory store rather than planning out my life in detail.
I’ve done a huge amount of work on collections; these include charms, dangles, bugs, botanical drawings, floral wreaths, feathers, crystals, cacti and succulents, and favourite patterns. My BuJo is becoming a kind of visual directory for me, which will be very useful as I look to start my next book project soon, as A Dangle A Day is nearly complete.
Creating the spreads is a rather soothing, meditative process for me, especially colouring. It also gives me the chance to practice drawing dangles and other items too. I usually start my day be adding to a collection or colouring some of the drawings already done.
I do tend to keep a list of important things to do on a post-it note, but as I do them I write them down as having been done in the appropriate day. I’ve mentioned it before, but I find ‘to-do’ lists not very motivational for me and a source of me beating myself up. For me, lists of things I’ve achieved that day helps me far more.
I’ve added hand lettering practice to my trackers as I want to practice that a lot more.
I started this one late last night and finished it today.
A very different kind of colour scheme, reminds me a little of Steampunk. Also, I used a watercolour brush to colour it in and I’ve left the texture in the colour mostly there, again something quite different for me.
Microsoft Surface Pen, Microsoft Surface Book and Autodesk Sketchbook Pro
#created on surface #autodesksketchbook
It’s WIP Wednesday once again over at the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group. This is my current work in progress. I think I’m in touch with my inner bohemian/hippy once again in my colour choices, or maybe I just need a break from all the Christmassy/Winter colour schemes. Perhaps I just need some bright colour in my life at the moment. I do know using bright, vibrant colours always makes me smile.
#createdonsurface #autodesksketchbook
It’s that day again – WIP Wednesday – in the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group.
So, here is my work in progress, an icy patterned mandala.
This mandala is one of ten templates available in my latest book in the Colorist App from Faction Apps,
I’m using the template as an opportunity to learn more about Autodesk Sketchbook Pro on my Microsoft Surface Book, in particular working with the different kind of layers and how I can add patterns to the coloured sections. This mandala is going to be great for that as the sections are quite large.
#created on surface
#autodesksketchbookpro
#angelaporterscoloringbookfans
I enjoyed drawing and colouring the previous mandala so much, I thought I’d do another. This was particularly helpful for me as I was rather emotionally drained yet emotional yesterday after doing a couple of anti-stigma talks in my role as a champion for Time to Change Wales, a campaign that aims to end the stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental illness.
I started this yesterday, but it’s taken me much of today to complete it.
Wednesdays are WIP Days over on the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group.
Today, as part of my December/Advent gifts, I created this Christmas themed mandala for them to colour in.
If you’d like to colour this one in, then pop over to the facebook group, join and download and print the template for your own personal use – no selling, sharing and so on, either uncoloured or coloured! Don’t forget, the group members, and myself, love to see how you bring the template to life with colour!
I used my Microsoft Surface pen to draw the mandala on my Microsoft Surface book in Autodesk Sketchbook Pro. I then used the same tools to colour the mandala.
Another day, another mandala! Also, an unusual colour scheme from me …
Autodesk Sketchbook Pro and my Microsoft Surface Pen and Surface Book.
September has arrived at long last, along with the promise of the fiery blaze of glory that is autumn in a few weeks time.
Cooler mornings and evenings along with warm enough days, the quality of sunlight is softer, more golden too.
I really love this time of year, it’s my favourite!
Even more so that I no longer have the long fear/anxiety of returning to school as a teacher.
I don’t miss teaching one little bit! I miss friends I had. I miss the more social interaction I had and the fun and laughter I had with colleagues and pupils. What I don’t really miss is the constant fear, anxiety, worry, stress, pressure, bad attitudes, poor behaviour and constantly being looked at and assessed. All the things that led me to some very dark places that I found difficult to get out of. No, it’s not ‘I don’t really miss’ these things – I really don’t miss these things, though I still get moments anxiety verging on panic when memories of various situations arise from the depths of my subconscious.
I’ve finished all the black and white line art for Eerily Entangled – my latest colouring book for Dover Publications. I have two more to colour in for the book, but I’ll wait to see what my editor and her design team would like me to colour – there are so very many, if not all, I’d love to colour!
As well as this, I’ve spent quite a bit of time starting to organise my ‘pattern library’. It’s something I like to do when I’m too tired to do anything else, when I’m feeling down and need a comforting not challenging activity, and when I’m lacking in inspiration; sometimes the patterns bring the inspiration I’m searching for, sometimes they just allow stuff to well up to the surface of my subconscious mind where my conscious mind can grab them and make use of them.
As a change of focus, I decided to draw some autumn themed mandalas, the one at the top of this blog entry being the first.
I’m a bit rusty at creating them after focusing on other things for a while, but the skills soon come back, often with new ideas or twists to old ideas, as well as new skills learned by my use of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro with my Microsoft Surface Book, which I used to create this mandala.
Art is the Adventure 