YouTube drawing tutorial

Abstract Zentangle Inspired Art

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Click on this link to watch the accompanying drawing tutorial on YouTube!

Abstract art

This was an interesting experiment. I was inspired by a video tutorial by Ellen Crimi-Trent Artist. In the video, she used a charcoal pencil to create an abstract line design. Next, watercolours were used to fill the spaces. Finally, details were added with pen.

I thought it could be a lot of fun to use this as a way to display some Zentangle style patterns. So I did! However, in true Angela style, I’d first tried not only a charcoal pencil, but a watersoluble graphite pencil, an Inktense pencil and an Inktense Outliner to create the grids on separate pieces of mixed media paper. Then I added watercolour to them to see which method of laying out the main pattern I liked the most.

As it turns out, it was the charcoal! I didn’t expect that!

I filled in the majority of the spaces with tangle patterns. Finally, I used charcoal and white chalk to add shade and highlight to each section of the design. I should say I didn’t do all the sections in the video. Oh, and I added some white highlights/patterns with a white GellyRoll pen.

The intense black of the charcoal really dials up the contrast by quite a few notches! I really did have a lot of fun playing with the illusion of volume in this design.

I’m also glad that I didn’t fill all the sections with pattern; I like that I have some simple, volumised areas whose simplicity contrasts with the complexity of the patterns.

I now have quite a few pieces of coloured, patterned paper to play with in the coming days.

Well and truly people-d out!

It’s true. I’ve not had such an intensely people-y week since well before the pandemic hit. I both feel very much by myself and a little sad about that, but also rather relieved that I get to sigh, relax and breathe for the next couple of days at least.

And with the relaxation may come the introvert hangover or social migraine! Maybe not. I’ll see tomorrow. I know as I take my time to relax, unwind, settle back into my solitary existence I will feel intense tiredness creep over me. Indeed, I can feel it beginning to extend it’s soft cloudy folds and start to enevolop me. I will give in, later. I have a few things to do first! Social media posts, a huge mug of tea, maybe something to eat. And then…I’ll see!

Zentangle Inspired Art | #DrawWithMe YouTube

Angela Porter2 Comments

Click this link to view the YouTube video tutorial for this design.

Yesterday, I found the oompf at some point to create this small drawing. The colouring looks messier in the photon than it really is, honest! But I don’t mind the grungy messiness at all!

It was an interesting journey with this design. I kept confusing myself about how to draw the main motifs and got in a right dither at some points. Still, I think it worked out fine in the end. I didn’t finish adding colour/shading in the video, but I will do it at some point…probably.

I’m still on a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. The tiniest perceived rejection or misunderstanding can trigger a sudden tsunami of upset that takes me from quite content to rock bottom in an instant. That touchstone of contentment gets concealed by tenebrous, sharp shards of brokenness, shame, grief, despair, existential dread, loneliness, and more.

It can take me a while to recover from that sudden drop to the depths of emotions. Art helps, or writing, or, surprisingly, a walk around my local cemetery in the sunshine. I try to put a brave, smiley face on for the benefit of others I may meet or talk to. However, I’m afraid some of this inner angst will spill out. The last thing I want to do is create upset in others I care about or come into contact with. I hope those who know me will understand, especially those who know what is happening here.

Oh, all is fine. Really, it is. I’m just having to learn some, well, a lot of things about myself and understand me a bit more. I’ve been hurled a planetary-sized curveball, and it’s knocked me off my balance more than just a tad. I know that at the end of the process, I will have a much better understanding of myself and, hopefully, a better relationship with myself. But it’s going to take some time and a few hoops to jump through yet.

A clutch of Zentangle inspired designs

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Link to #DrawWithMe YouTube Video

A difficult few days for me, but finally settled to do some little little art! Just a few patterns from my oldest Pinterest Tangle board!

Entangled, Zentagle Inspired Drawing – 28 January 2013

Angela PorterLeave a comment

Click on the link to view the accompanying Draw With Me video tutorial on YouTube.

Yesterday, I had a stinking cold. One trip to a café for lunch by myself, and I pick a bug up! I’m feeling a lot better today; still not right, but better. Anyhoo, I just ran out of steam after filming the video and uploading it. I had to stop and sleep.

So, the drawing is an unusual one for me. I used an 05 brown Sakura Pigma Micron pen and added some shade/colour with a port Graphitint pencil and waterbrush. The white patterns were added using an 08 GellyRoll pen, also by Sakura.

The paper is ‘naturel’ coloured PaintON Mix media paper by Claire Fontaine, and it’s approx 10cm x 14 cm in size.

There’s more to do in terms of colour, shade and highlight with this drawing. But not today. Today I need quiet time to rest, recover, and maybe do some quiet work. I have three colouring pages to add colour to as soon as possible. Then I can breathe for a while and really take some time to recover my strength, resilience, and equilibrium after what seems like months of hiccoughs, starting with the muscle damage between my ribs nearly three months ago.

More Mushrooms!

Angela PorterLeave a comment

I thoroughly enjoyed drawing this design. I’m fairly happy with the colours, but not the extra pen work to add shading/texture. I’m just feeling very tired – peopled out after brunch with my niece and older sister today. Mind you, it was the brunch – I had garlic mushrooms on toast – that inspired the drawing. Well, my love of mushrooms did.

There is a #DrawWithMe video on Youtube you can watch if you want to draw this design along with me.

Entangled Art Infinity Card – Parts 1 and 2

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I’ve had some fun with this, and there’s more to come. And a bit of a story to tell first.

I was asked on my YouTube channel how I know which patterns go with each other. That’s not an easy question to answer; experience, experimenting, trusting instincts, and having some patterns or motifs that are your go-to ones.

Then, yesterday morning, as I was slowly coming around from sleep, I watched a video on YouTube at Jen’s Arty Inclinations on how to make a fast and simple infinity card for a junk journal.

Jen recommended going to Lynn at Playing with Paper and Glue to watch her video about making a slightly different infinity card. So I did that.

And as I watched and saw how easy it was to make the infinity card (yes, it really is!), I realised that this would be a lovely and different way to collect together my favourite go-to motifs and patterns. And that thought linked back to the comment on my YouTube channel.

So, I made an infinity card, mucked it up a bit, but learned from that. Then I made a HUGE one, which was ridiculously big! So, I made another one to the sizes Lynn gave, which you can see me doing in part 1. Then, I had to add the first panel on the left of the image above.

I went with variations of pokeroot, pokeleaf and pokepods! I’m not sure there’s a pattern called pokepods, but there is now. I cut a notch out of the card and created a little pocket for a drawing, note, colour palette, or something else to be hidden.

I drew with Copic Multiliner Sp pens (0.5 and 0.25, I think). Colour was added with yellow-grey and neutral-grey Ohuhu markers. A white gel pen was used to add dotty highlights and the pattern to the back.

In the video for part 2, I created the panel to the right. Daisies are always a flower I love to draw; I have many variations of them in my memory hoard. The flowy pattern and Diva Dance are two of my go-to patterns; they share some similarities in my head.

For this panel, I used a Uni Emott 0.4 ever fine pen to draw the design, then green-grey Ohuhu markers to add colour. Then, I used a white gellyroll pen to add the dotty highlights.

I wasn’t sure about the Tim Holtz scrapbook paper I used to make the infinity card, but as I added the panels, it mostly got covered up, just a hint of a background behind the drawings.

It may not be the best choice of paper to make the infinity card from, in terms of colour and pattern. However, as I’ve never done anything like this, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make!

Actually, I wasn’t sure about the entire project. I thought it may be a bit odd, whacky, and weird. But, now two panels are done, I’m looking forward to completing the infinity card.

I will be adding more pocketses, possibly even panels that open out to reveal more. There are, possibly, 32 panels to be done, though I’m not sure as I keep losing count! But it’s a longer-term project.

Having said that, the panels are small. Cute even. Perfect for when I have just a little time to draw.

Moon Poppies

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A bookmark decorated with whimsical and stylised ‘moon’ poppies.

I really enjoyed drawing this one and adding shades of blue-grey to bring out the volume in the drawing. Of course, there is a drawing tutorial on YouTube showing how I created this bookmark.

Whimsical, stylised Seed Pods #ComeDrawWithMe #DrawWithMe

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I love seed pods! They are often so architectural in nature. They lend themselves to whimsy and stylised drawings so well too.

I love giving them sturdy stems with tops that look like column capitals. The leaves on these are inspired by medieval illuminated manuscripts, something else I absolutely love!

For the panel behind them, I decided to keep the pattern fairly simple – Tripoli, a Zentangle tangle pattern.

If you’d like to draw your own seedpods, then take a look at the accompanying draw with me tutorial on YouTube.

A Fun and Whimsical Entangled Garden – #ComeDrawWithMe

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I had a lovely time drawing this little garden this morning. It includes some of my favourite things – round Romanesque-inspired arches and some Romanesque patterns, zentangle tangle patterns, crystals, flowers, mushrooms and frondage.

Naturally, I filmed this, and a #ComeDrawWithMe or #DrawWithMe video is available on YouTube.

TWISBI ECO fountain pens with medium, fine and extra-fine nibs were my drawing tools of choice. An approx. 11cm x 17cm (4.3″ x 7″) piece of Ohuhu marker paper was my drawing surface. To add some shading, I used a set of three grey-green Arteza Everblend alcohol markers. Finally, a white 08 Sakura GellyRoll pen was used to add dots of white as highlights.

I have to remember not to use Dokumentus Ink, which fills my TWISBI pens, with alcohol markers; they can pick up some of the ink and spread it around. I must remember that Copic Multiliners or fineliners such as Sakura Pigma Microns, Uni Unipins, or Emotts are perfect for alcohol markers.

I do like the monochrome nature of the shading so far. I’d be intrigued to digitally scan it and add a coloured layer. Maybe when I’ve finished it, I’ll try that.

Flowy Op-Art Pattern – Draw With Me video tutorial.

Angela Porter2 Comments

In today’s YouTube drawing tutorial video, I show how I draw this pattern/design which is very reminiscent of Op-Art. It was a bit of a tricky one to figure out, but I got there! And once figured out it’s not that difficult to draw, honest!

I also show how this pattern can fill any kind of space in the video. I do hope you’ll have a look and give this pattern a go yourself.