I had a very intensive, focused, and interesting time delving into the realms of digital art earlier today. When I’d finished, and had a late lunch/early dinner, I thought I’d do some drawing just for fun.
I had no idea what I was going to draw, not a single idea. I had a blank page in an A4 sketchbook, a couple of pens and of I went! And something whimsical and Doodleworlds-y appeared!
It’s Thursday, so that means it’s time for a new colouring page (template) for the facebook group Angela Porter’s Coloring Book Fans.
I was in a bit of a whimsical mood this morning, so spending some time visiting Doodleworlds was just perfect. I also got a tad lost in adding colour to this template.
These are a lot of fun to draw, and to colour. Because of their cute, whimsical and imaginary nature, any colours go! These are drawings I find easy to add colour to; it seems the brighter, more vibrant and varied the colours are the better! Unline a lot of my other art,w which can become confused and incoherent looking.
So, I lost myself in adding colour to this drawing, even though I’ve not totally coloured it in.
This week’s colouring page (colouring template) is a fun one. From time to time, I like to create a page like this – full of whimsy and cuteness and doodles and tangle patterns.
It’s perfect for trying out new colour combinations, new mediums, or new techniques as each image is self-contained yet part of the whole.
Also, it’s perfect if you only have a little time and struggle with leaving something partly finished. There are so many elements here that can be completed quite quickly.
This was just some fun! I had no idea where the drawings would lead … but drunken party skulls, mushrooms and tentacles seem to be the theme of the day! It’s nowhere near finished yet, but something fun for me to do later today, after I run an errand.
There is a video of me drawing this as far as it’s gone.
Link to the YouTube video that goes with this image and post.
I’ve been busy inking in colouring pages (or templates if you prefer) for my next book – “Fanciful Birds” in the Creative Haven series. But at lunchtime, I took a break to do some drawing. And I drew another bird!
Actually, I started to plan out and draw an A5-ish-sized pen drawing that includes a bird, flowers and so on, all done in a whimsical, fanciful style.
In the video, I explain my thinking process as I lay out the basic design in pencil. And I do it all one step at a time, including the inking in the section I’ve already done.
Of course, the drawing isn’t finished… yet. This is but part 1 of a series. And given I have to focus on the inking in of templates, my videos may be more sporadic than usual, as will my social media posts. So please bear with me!
I seriously need some more tea and probably something to eat; it’s just about tea-time here as I type!
I had to revisit this idea by using the correct kind of paper for alcohol markers. And bullet tipped markers.
I really enjoyed doing this. Adding the details made a difference for sure, as did adding some shadows to the motifs.
If you’d like to see me draw these and, perhaps, draw along with me, then take a peek at this video on YouTube.
I spent an hour or so doing some warm-up drawing before turning my attention to inking in some colouring pages for “Fanciful Birds”, my next colouring book in the Creative Haven series.
Whimsy is always a welcome thing, flowers and foliage in particular. I also wanted to work with colourful backgrounds for each motif.
I really wasn’t fully awake and didn’t think through the type of paper I was using. I knew I wanted to use alcohol markers to add colour gradients to the background. Did it occur to me to use marker paper? Nope! Of course not! So they bled a tad – the Ohuhu brush markers I used for some of the backgrounds are rather juicy, too juicy for the paper. I liked the backgrounds, however, and knew I could fix the bleeds with a white gel pen.
So, I thought I’d switch to Inktense pencils and a damp brush. Not quite sure that they sit well next to the alcohol marker backgrounds. There’s lots of textureand an unevenness in the colour and gradient. Again, partly down to my choice of paper (all media paper from SeaWhite of Brighton).
So, for the last couple of images, I used some Arteza EverBlend markers for the blue and warm brown backgrounds. The bullet tips let less ink flow onto the paper, minimising the bleed. There was still some bleeding, which I made worse by trying to ‘erase’ it with a colourless blender pen.
I made use of the magic of a white gel pen to cover up these bleeds.
I definitely need to write some reflections for myself to add to this page when it gets put in my sketchbook. For now, I’ll just say that I like the last two I completed the most. Those are the blue and brown backgrounds on the bottom row. I do like the other alcohol marker backgrounds too, but there’s something about the more neutral backgrounds. I just can’t put my finger on what it is.
Right then, time to finish my mug of tea and get some more inking of colouring templates in!
This was a lovely way to spend an hour or so at lunchtime today. I’d finished the last couple of sketches for my next colouring book and just wanted some quiet, chilled, relaxing time drawing with no pressure at all. I woke with another migrainey headache today, and it’s left me so tired yet again.
Anyway, flowers and plants, and some rocks, were the perfect thing for me to draw during this time. I started to add pattern and colour to some of the motifs as well, with a surprising discovery!
Time to take a nap, I think, and sleep off this blasted post-migraine exhaustion.
This week’s coloring template for the members of Angela Porter’s Coloring Books Fans Facebook group is a Doodleworlds design. The group is free to join and the templates are free for members’ personal use.
These kinds of pages do make me smile. The silly, whimsical nature of them certainly lifts my spirits somewhat.
Drawn with pen on paper. Colour added digitally in Clip Studio Paint.
Doodleworlds is the title of one of my coloring books. It can be found on Amazon and also in my Etsy shop – Artwyrd.
In today’s video, I draw these three cute, happy, whimsical houses, and I always feel I mess them up when I add colour.
The first part of the video is a chat about organising artwork, using a dot grid notebook as a visual reference/collection of my favourite patterns and motifs and variations. I also talk about some requests/suggestions made.
But the very, very first part is a huge thank you to all my subscribers on YouTube for clicking that Subscribe button (which is totally free to do!). I hit 750 subscribers a couple of days ago and I’m amazed, surprised and a tad humbled by this. So, if you’re one of those subscribers, thank you so much!
Art is the Adventure 