The day started off with working on the revisions of template sketches for the Adorable Dogs book. It’s a kind of fussy and detailed process. Erasing, altering and/or adding to the templates can take a lot of focus. And a lot of kneadable eraser to pick up the eraser dust from a soft polymer eraser! Still, all that needed revisions were seen to and sent off for review. I did get one more new template drawn as well.
It was then time to pop out in the car. Binky, my SmartCar, hadn’t been out for over a week. So, a longer drive was needed to make sure the battery is topped up.
It was lovely to be driving around and seeing the autumnal colours. The skies were a dull grey and drizzly. The dampness made the colours shine all the more brightly against the gloomy skies and dark trunks and branches. So beautiful.
I also braved a local-ish supermarket to get some supplies. And I do mean braved! I’m so anxious to be out around other human beings it’s quite a stressful thing. Luckily, the supermarket was quiet and I was able to whizz around and pick up what I needed, and some treats too.
After lunch, I turned my attention to today’s video, which is a bit different. I’d had a request from a viewer of my videos to put close up images of the patterns at the end of the video. I’d been thinking about doing zoomed-in pattern drawing on a larger scale in a step by step manner.
I actually really enjoyed the drawing process and the insights it gave me into patterns. I’m not quite sure I’ve worked out the best way to do it yet.
This morning I had a lot of fun drawing a mandala using the flipbook tool in Autodesk Sketchbook Pro.
I made a flipbook animation by recording each step in the process, so element by element you can see how I draw mandalas.
It took a bit of getting my head around the process, even after watching a youtube video about how to do it, but I got there.
For this short video I left the mandala without any shading or colour. I’m just learning how this could work for me.
I think it would work really, really well for creating little tutorial videos on how to draw patterns and design elements. If you’d like to see videos like that, then leave a comment!
Of course, I had to edit the video by adding intro and outro screens, music and transitions. I also slowed the flipbook animation down. I used Movavi Video Suite 2020 to do this.
I have to say that editing a flipbook animation is a lot easier than editing a video taken with my phone or by recording my computer screen as I create!
I do need to be brave and add some voice overs in the future, or subtitles including hints and tips. However, for me this is a little by little process and I will get to a place that I’m happy with, and that hopefully any viewers will be happy with too.
Oh, along with Autodesk Sketchbook Pro, I used a Microsoft Surface Slim Pen and a Microsoft Surface Studio.
Today, I thought I’d share one of my favourite geometrical patterns. You may have noticed it often appears in my entangled art, as well as in dangle designs.
I’ve included the steps I use to draw the pattern, along with some variations and different ways I use the patterns.
I used a 05 Unipin pen, a pencil, a couple of coloured pencils and dot grid paper.
Hello to November, and farewell Inktober. My blog post today looks a bit bare compared to my Inktober creations. However, I have neglected my dangle designs during October, so now’s the time to get back on track with them
Today, I’ve created a simple and elegant dangle design with an autumn colour scheme that could be used in so many different ways. I’ve also put together a step by step set of instructions how you too can create this design (and hoping that it’s not so simple that I come across as patronising).
This is my first time posting a set of instructions – post a comment to let me know what you think of them and if you’d like to see more of them in the future.
I’ve put the dangle design on one side of a slip of paper that would make a perfect compliment slip or a note to slip in with a gift, or just as a short letter to a friend. It would also be perfect for a coordinating piece of envelope art!
This dangle design would be absolutely charming as an embellishment in a BuJo, planner, scrapbook or art journal. It would also make a darling bookmark.
It would be easy to turn this design into a greeting card as well.
So many possible uses for such a simple design.
I do hope that you will give drawing dangles a go – no matter whether you think you’re good at drawing or not! This design is made out of just simple shapes; it’s the colour that brings it to life and masks all kinds of imperfections.
If you’d like more ideas for dangle designs, then please take a look at my book ‘A Dangle A Day’ – it’s filled with examples of dangle designs with step by step instructions and helpful and encouraging words of advice.
One step at a time to a dangle design.
Step 1
Step 1 Draw a square in the top left corner of a piece of paper. I used a piece of paper measuring approx 8.25″ x 3.5″. I used a Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen to draw the box, and outline it. I deliberately made the squares less than perfect to give that human touch as well as a uniquely ‘me’ way of drawing boxes. The Fudenosuke pen allows me to draw lines of variable width quite easily, which adds to the charm of the box. The ink in the pen is also alcohol marker friendly. Letting your drawings be less than perfect is what makes them uniquely yours.
Step 2
Step 2 I used Chameleon marker pens (BR3 “Cinnamon” and YO3 “Warm Sunset”) to colour the inner box. Autumn is definitely here in the UK, and the combination of these colours reminded me of the leaves. However, you could use any colour combination you like and any medium you prefer to use. Chameleon pens make it so easy to create a colour gradient – I prefer them to other alcohol marker pens, even Copics.
Step 3
Step 3 I added a simple leaf pattern to the coloured box using a Sakura Pigma Sensei 04 pen.
Step 4
Step 4 Add the dangle! For this dangle I used the same kind of leaves as in the box for a consistent design. I added some round beads as ‘spacers’. Finally, I added my ‘symbol’ to the end of the dangle. Also, I did draw a faint pencil line with a ruler to help me keep my dangle hanging straight, more or less!
Step 5
Step 5 I coloured the beads and leaves in using the same colours of Chameleon Markers. I then decided I needed to add some shimmer and shine; I used a Uniball Signo gold glitter gel pen to colour in the border of the box and to add some dot highlights here and there. The Chameleons caused the Sakura Pigma Micron ink to smear a little – I always forget that happens! I should’ve used the Tombow pen again. Oh well, you live and learn, eventually!
Angela Porter 