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’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.
I’ve been awake since stupid o’clock. After trying to return to sleep, I decided, around 6am, to get up and do some arty stuff.
So, I thought I’d record my next stint at adding colour to ‘Willingness’. I’m doing this digitally, and I had figured out the colour palette I’d like to use for it. I made some adjustment to the dusky purples I had in the palette and added some brighter versions, but they’re a tad too saturated and bright, so I’ll adjust those colours and re-colour the areas in which I’ve used them.
I love how the peaches and yellows almost glow against the soft blue-grey background.
I spent nearly an hour on just a few bits and pieces, and while I was working I was chatting away. I then realised I’d started having a bit of a rant about a couple of poor shopping experiences I’d had with businesses abroad, and how products sent to me weren’t what I’d ordered or were not as they were described. Not just that, but the huge difficulty in getting a refund of any kind from them. With the latest one, I just feel like throwing the towel in. I’m out of pocket with product that is not fit for purpose, but they’re whinging about how they’ll lose profit if they refund me, even if I return it all to them, at my own cost, so either way I’ll be out of pocket, not them.
Sometimes, I really think it’s just not worth the hassle and stress.
Anyway, that made me turn the video into a timelapse with music. Nearly an hour of art condensed into about seventeen minutes. You can view it here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
An abstract drawing that I started yesterday. I think the drawing is complete, maybe. But I wanted to start to add colour to work out what palette I want to use.
This is it so far, after a couple of hours mucking about with colours, layer settings and so on. I’m quite happy with the dusky pink and mossy green, but not so sure about the dusty blue.
This isn’t my only work in progress. I’ve just finished uploading my daily morning drawing vlog on YouTube:
I started to draw another abstract drawing in this vlog as I talk about inner critics, overly talkative me, and other stuff.
Both drawings are being done with a micro sized Uniball Eye pen on Canson marker paper. The paper is so smooth and a pleasure to draw on with pens that dry quite quickly, like the Eye pen.
For now, once I’ve done my social media posts, I need a break. The sun is shining and my feet are feeling eager for a little walk. So that’s what I’ll be doing in about an hour!
Monday is definitely mandala day! I’ve been working on this mandala for the past week, on and off. It’s taken me lots of attempts to get the colours and brushes to work the way I’d like. I’m quite happy with it now.
I like the combination of warm and cool violets and teal-ish greens. They’re close enough together on the colour wheel to work harmoniously together.
I’m just adding colour at the moment. I will think about adding patterns to the various areas once the colour is all complete.
Although the black lines are quite bold in this design, the colour seems to make them almost disappear. They seem to become, almost, the darkest shadows that separate the different colour areas, deep cuts that delineate the different sections. I’ve never really noticed that before, and I think it’s a nice observation.
I’ve been enjoying, as always, adding shadow and highlight to give that sense of volume and layers to the design. It’s always fascinating to me how such simple use of colour can add so much interest.
Vlogging
I’ve worked out that all the youtube videos I’ve been creating are really vlogs. I can be incredibly dense at times about such things. I do talk about different things in them than I do on this blog. My thoughts are different when I write and when I talk it seems. Or perhaps the process of writing slows my thoughts down in a way speaking out loud doesn’t.
Anyway, I’m enjoying creating the vlogs. As I draw every morning just for fun and to warm up my muscles, joints and creative mind and heart, it’s nice to share that process with others. I hope people gain inspiration and insight from the vlogs.
It’s been heart-warming and humbling for the lovely comments people have left there. I really appreciate every like and new subscriber.
In today’s vlog, I draw on vellum, and then paper when the vellum curls too much to be easy to hold down.
Zoom get togethers
Saturday I hosted a Zoom get together for any members of the Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans facebook group who’d like to join in. Last night, I was chatting to Brett, one of the founders of the group and the person who keeps everything running smoothly there. She often has trouble getting onto Zoom, and so we decided to give it a go and we worked out the best way for her to join in.
So, after a short chat, we both suggested about the same time that we could open the meeting up to the group. One member joined us and we chatted until just past midnight for me.
I’ve also set up a meeting for Tuesday tea-time, UK time and the details will be posted in the group for members to join in.
Anyway, I didn’t really settle down to sleep until around 2 am, and I’m really feeling the lack of a good night’s sleep now. I suspect another nap will be on the cards sooner rather than later. However, I do want to get out for a walk again today. I’ll be trying to time it to dodge the heavy rain showers we seem to have.
Art is the Adventure 