doodles

Recently I was inspired to start keeping a sketchbook. I've always been kind of OCD about art. I want to destroy my stuff if I don't like it so pages get torn out of sketchbooks, so I tend to work with loose paper. But after recently reading Leah Reena Goren's blog I thought I'd try it out, suppressing the urge to tear out pages if I don't like a drawing or painting. I chose one I had already, a present from years back. There were a few sewing pattern sketches in it already. But I started. I'm trying to not let a day go by without drawing or painting something in it. Most of it inspired by etsy artists I like, illustrators, some plants & nature items, Jamin & furniture, stuff I find on pinterest, miyazaki films.

A few days ago we went to a local home décor and gardening store, bypassing the home décor stuff and walking straight to the greenhouse. I love being around plants. It is my happy spot, growing stuff, nature, green. I walked down all the isles, a few of them multiple times. Checking out the succulents and cacti, ferns, ground cover, palms, and a few flowering plants. I could only get one and I ended up choosing between a poppy plant, flowering succulent, pony tail palm & a stag horn fern. I chose the stag horn fern because I ended up giving the one I had to a neighbor in Florida who wanted it. And now it is living in the window above the couch where it can soak up some indirect sunlight.

I wanted to blog everyday when I recently started blogging again but realized I don't always have something to share or say really. So my new more practical idea is to do so when I have something to show or talk about. It is weird how we make rules to things (like blogging) for ourselves without even thinking about it. That we all like things a certain way. I'm trying to learn to be more carefree and just do, make.

cold day

yesterday we played disc golf for Valentines day. It was such a beautiful day, the weather was awesome, cool but it warmed up enough to loose the sweater while playing. I'm getting a hang on the technique of throwing. It's funny but Jamin pointed out that we are a holiday disc golf couple. We played on Christmas. Rode our bikes the 5 miles to the park back in Orlando and although I'm not much of a risk taker adventurer. It just doesn't come naturally something about being raised to not brake rules, some are still just hard for me to be comfortable with, like sneaking into a park on Christmas. But we rode up and 2 seconds later a camper drove up and entered their code and we were able to ride in after them. It was an awesome day. We played the whole 18. We had a memory making moment adventure where I threw my new disc that Jamin bought me to be my own first disc. I cut it left by early release and sunk it into the middle of man made river storm ditch. Thankfully it landed leaning on a log bellow this big pipe that crossed the river at that spot. At first I tried to reach it with a large branch while standing on the pipe but couldn't reach it. Then Jamin tried while stepping out onto another log but the stick dropped the disc and it sunk. So I took off my shoes and socks and rolled up my tights walked out onto the log and reached into the cold water but I couldn't feel the bottom so I jumped in and search for it with my feet because I didn't want to put my head under the water, it was not clear. At the point where I thought I might not find it Jamin reminded me to pray about finding it and at that point I did. Praise the Lord! I was happy I found my special disc. I was wearing layers and removed all wet clothing I still had a dress, shirt, socks & shoes that were dry. It was an experience semi-swimming in a storm ditch. 

Today I had a day lesson in patience. I notice a lot of people struggle with patience while driving. I need patience when wanting to use the computer but Jamin is using it, we own one laptop. I wanted to surf blogs, pinterest, etsy, scan new drawings and blog. Jamin worked on his first music video all yesterday and today making it, editing it and figuring out how to upload it onto youtube. It was frustrating trying not to be impatient. knowing how much I use the computer and sometimes wishing someone would stop me when I can't stop myself from wasting time online instead of actually making, doing or accomplishing something. So in waiting I drew my jar of favorite brushes and pens I'm currently using & my diana mini camera and I ended up liking them. 

Yesterday I was struggling with feeling inadequate, not good, talentless. I was comparing my art abilities to other people art. Not like side by side. It's just sometimes you see something, in this case other people photography on this blog I like inconnu // unknown and really really liking it and then feeling not as good as them and down. Jamin pointed out in doing that, not only is it unhealthy, it's a sin. Because in doing that being envious of others capabilities I'm not resting in the fact that God has made me exactly who I am, who I'm meant to be right now, He's given me exactly the amount of talent and capability he designed me to have right now in the areas he designed me to have them in. I can work on improving and be inspired by others work, it's just not helpful to compare myself to others. 

So today I organized my paper drawer unit (from ikea) It's a mini affordable apartment size version of those large metal paper drawer units at schools. I had stuffed stuff that was on the walls at our last two places when we moved and never fully unpacked it till today. My art, other peoples art, paper, bits of inspiration, posters, knick knack pieces of paper, art supplies, plastic sleeves, stickers. In organizing I came across some pieces of work that I had forgotten about that I really liked. It was like God was showing me I don't always have that feeling like I suck, sometimes I make something I'm proud of. It was encouraging to be reminded that sometimes I like what I make. 

happy valentines day

The light was so strongly lighting up our blinds that it seemed that they weren't even there by how much the light lit up the room this morning. I woke up around 8am which I was surprised by because I went to bed late but the heaviness of my eyes reminded me.

 I didn't realize till I was on google/reader for a while that today is valentines. The past few weeks I've been drawing heart shapes out of plants. I suppose because I knew valentines was coming up. I think it must be one of the most enjoyable holidays for kids. I always liked the time at school where you got to exchange your valentines, the candies and cartoon character themed pieces of perforated paper in reds and pinks. We're not much of celebrators of holidays or life events in the traditional sense. I think it is a part of our personalities to not plan things and just go with the flow of the day, doing what we feel lead in the moment, laid back. Last night I got some flowers though, Jamin got me some yellow daisy type ones when we first got here and last night I got some pale purple ones with green in the middle. That's one thing we thought we'd do now that we are here, always have some flowers. 

happy valentines day

dude

Sometimes you just want to make art like the art you like but you just can't help but make the art that your pen makes. I would love to make stuff like "Pretty Little Thieves" but that just isn't who God made me to be and my art to be. Sometimes I have to remind myself this. Don't be upset at all. Be happy with your own style even if it isn't pretty. I find it a little ruff. I need to make more faces. Which is actually how I started making art again back in 2007. I've always liked art but didn't have my own style until I started drawing with a calligraphy pen, India ink bottle and paper in a bar listening to my husbands band. So here is my version of what my illustration people would look like. I can't draw arms but it is OK, or hair, again I'm fine with that. I like the little cloud with the one rain drop he's looking at. i tried to draw him wearing little toms, he need bigger feet & a smaller head. But I don't sketch before I draw I just draw. I like the slight excitement of no do overs. Everything is original this way, how it ends up, like life.

wood slice

I drew this piece of wood I got at the wondercraft booth at the renegade craft fair last weekend. I love wood, it is so pretty and interesting. I put the drawing on my etsy if you want to check it out.

red nose face

red, yellow & blue watercolor followed by pale mint gouache & back ink pen. on 140lbs 5"x7" cotton cold presses watercolor paper. I think he looks happy.

little face 2

My second little 4x4 inch watercolor board face illustration with brown watercolor, black ink, pale mint gouache. I'm out of watercolor board now and so want to run out to the store and buy some more but apart from not having the car today like most days hence the using my home like a studio and having the time to do so. The store would now be closed so I think i may order some online and wait in anticipation for it to arrive in mid January I would expect. I like him the little rock lines growing from everywhere are identical to some abstract drawing I did back in September. maybe I'll post some of the later. I was inspired to try some abstract sketches after being thoroughly inspired by an exhibit at the Austin art garage(an entirely local artist gallery in south Austin, it is pretty sweet, not pretentious at all and free lone star at their openings once a month) of Cathrine Hart's work. she also inspired me to start using gouache again since I hadn't used it since college (middle school) in France. I never knew it was opaque watercolor till recently or that it was available in the States having never heard of it in my 14 years I spent growing up in the US. I think he looks tired and like he is thinking while you talk.

little face

Mr with blue rocks on his face and sports a beard.

This yellow face process was watercolor, drawing with pen, then gouache over that with a small paint brush. On 4"x4" Ampersand Aquabord 1/8" Thick a watercolor board.

large nosed rock man

While looking at my blog I noticed that I forgot to post this. The half way point I posted but not the finished product, so here he is. If you look closely there are little dots for the eyes of the creatures on him.

I like him. It is interesting when creating that at least my creations have traits of the recent things I've made and looking at lets say the past 20 drawing I've done I can see my changes in interest and inspiration from other artists work that I like and technique gradually change.

finished face with mustache

OK so he's finished. mister with mustache. I've been drawing these bubble/rock formations that when looking at them see a resemblance to Nate Schnell's rock people and brandan Monroe's creatures. he's all right. tell me what you think.

man with mustache

OK, so here is what I've done so far. it doesn't feel finished yet. the left side seems neglected. but, there you have it.

my latest face illustrations

this last one I'm working on today and it's not finished yet. My interests cycle and currently it has switched to my drawing. these are all on 5"x7" 140lbs cotton watercolor paper from fabriano. I paint the watercolor first either from nothing as an example or from studying a potato. Then I go back and draw on it with 03 sakura pigma micron black pen. The process and the way the faces look has evolved over the past 3 years I've been drawing them. I have in the past used a calligraphy pen with bottled ink, acrylic with drops of ink, gouache, colored pencils and sharpies. I feel the less I think of the outcome or controlling the drawing the more I enjoy the finished product so I try to not think about what to draw when I draw and just go with instinct and what I see in the watercolor.