#Inktober Showcase

Inktober was started in 2009 and is still going strong today.  Mr Jake Parker, the creator of the project, has assigned very few rules

Pick up a pen, draw, hashtag it #inktober, repeat.

Anyone can take part and it seems like artists from all over the world do. I posted a picture and within 2 min 100 more pictures had been posted!

The goal is to practice your drawing skills and develop the positive habit of doing it daily.

Below are a few examples of my own work and a few from others within my surface pattern design community. Click on the pictures below for direct links to their Instagram accounts.

Julie Hamilton

Playing with light and dark. Flower shapes, some seeds and pods and an owl for good measure. When in doubt stick a bird on it.

Julie Hamilton

Next we have Katy Halford.  I found it hard to choose between all of her lovely drawings. This one made me smile so here it is

Katy Halford

Mary Tanana made some beautiful drawings on black paper with touches of gold, courtesy of uniball gelpens.

Mary Tanana

Heather Dutton spent her time illustrating every letter of the alphabet with beautiful patterns. Check out her instagram account to see more.

Heather Dutton

Amanda McGee  pretty much described all of us with her illustration. I am a big fan of her beautiful hand lettering!

Amanda McGee

Below is Flora Chang of Happy Doodle Land. Her name says it all. She loves to draw. Check out her new colouring book!

Flora Chang

Inktober will be back again next year, but don’t let that stop you from picking up a pen and just busting loose. Until then, feel free to share it with the rest of us on hashtag #shareyoursketch – another fun community to share your creative process.

Ink on!

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A sneak peek into the Global Talent Search 2014

It’s that time of  year artists everywhere are putting on their creative hat and enrolling in Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search. I enjoyed every minute of last years competition. It was the final assignment for months spent in Lillas class Make Art that Sells and a perfect way to wrap up all that I had learned during my time with her. Well,  I didn’t win. In fact I didn’t come in the top 50 either. I like to think I was hovering around 51st…

I wasn’t planning on entering this year. I love the process and brief of the competition, but my plate is full of design work and life it is just plain old busy in the summer around here. Yet, here I am!

Call it a severe case of FOMO.

What persuaded me in the end was this little video by Lilla herself and much discussion within my design community. I may have rolled my eyes a few times during the video but, as always, Lilla brings a smile to my face. She is truthful and straightforward. She makes you believe.

Follow the link here to watch on Vimeo

I made a promise to put myself out there in 2014. I am sowing seeds and, as cliche as it sounds, Lilla is on to something with her “inch by inch success is a cinch”

I am also a strong believer that no art is ever wasted. So why not?

I am not sure how I am going to approach this years top secret brief. I spent yesterday on the couch eating cookies and thinking long and hard about it all.I didn’t have an ounce of creativity within me, but my head was swirling with ideas. Unfortunately, the theme is one that has been done before  and I am feeling a little hard pressed to come up with an original idea that is all me and my style. Something fresh..

 

A bit of research and some doodling, trying to put something together in my head and a starting point. I would like this piece to be traditional – very limited digital.

I am pulling all my tricks out of the bag for this one. Sketching, painting, cutting paper…I have to trust that it will all come together, but right now I have a little bit of everything on the go.

 

Some  messy freehand dip pen work. My mind works best this way with no preconceived plan. Things are always pretty darn good at this point…then I add paint and it all goes a little sideways..

I think I will save my dip pen work for illustrator and some digital work. I don’t mind the end result  below – it’s not what I have in mind, but it’s all about the process of discovering what exactly it is that I have going on in my mind.

I hope that makes sense.

From here I usually take elements I like and start to expand on them further.  I know what shapes and textures I like and I do love to cut and collage paper.

 

So the lingering questions remains…

Do you stick with your style in a safe and easy way – a joyful way – do what you do best ..

OR  do you throw it all out to the wind and create way out of your comfort zone with the possibility that it may suck.

Haha..actually, that’s not funny, it’s plain old painful, disheartening and definitely discouraging.

For example..

 

I haven’t a clue where this is going on how it even got there. It was fast and it was furious and honestly, I am a bit stuck. There is something I like about it, unfortunately I haven’t figured out what that something is!

It is this kind of work that takes me out of my comfort zone. I will finish it, but I am just not sure it will be in time to be submitted.

The clock is ticking….

Best of luck to everyone out there! This is my community. I follow and support these people and vice versa. I will be thrilled to see any one of you win!

#Shareyoursketch with us on Instagram

Get your sketch on and come share with us at #shareyoursketch on Instagram. Meet others in our community, try something new, get inspired. Just hashtag your sketch #shareyoursketch and join in! It can be any medium, any style.anything goes. The creative process has to start somewhere.

Here are a few shots from #shareyoursketch this week.  Starting with me!

An actual photo of me doing what I love best – doodling. I think I was the only one with a smile on my face after 4 hours being stuck on the Sea to Sky highway. I have to admit it’s been about the only time I have had a bit of peace and quiet to actually sit down and just draw with no distractions.

 

I was a little stumped on what to draw, but here I was overlooking the Pacific Ocean so first thing that came to mind…fish! All shapes and sizes here.

Some Fish For You!

Tina of @Tinaliondes shares her work created during some stormy weather and time spent indoors.

 

@artbreaking shows us her thoughts on spring.Her instagram feed is full of zentangles, doodles and just a lot of  art! Have a visit, it’s amazing to see all her marks in one spot.

Diane of @dianekappa spends her morning hours drawing. I love her paisley pattern here with its inky lines.

Patricia of @patricia_zapata has started a #365 project which I have been enjoying. Pop by for a daily dose of what she is up to. Actually here is a little write up on her blog about what she is up to!

 Michelle of @patternandco has been doodling dahlias. I love seeing where people find their inspiration and how they transform it into a drawing.

Next we have two pieces from Wendy Flynn of  @dorisandfred. Her sketches have been digitized, coloured and made into fabric at Spoonflower. She has entered this weeks competition, Wellies and Galoshes. You can see her finished piece and vote for her here

The finished piece looks like this one here!

Last, but not least, we have Heather of @heatherunderground. Heather always makes me laugh. I have only met her once at a Flora Bowley workshop, but we have remain connected through social media.She has a great imagination! I love her sketchy portrait that pretty much sums up how I feel right about now. It’s Christmas design time and everyday is starting to feel like Christmas around here. I am in need of a big dose of summer.I am officially done with christmas baubles and reindeer.

That’s all for this week – more to come later! Pop on by Instagram and search #shareyoursketch for more sketchiness.

Have a fun-filled weekend!

#Shareyoursketch with us on Instagram!

Share your sketch with us! #shareyoursketch on Instagram

I love to see how people create. What mediums they like to use~ pencil, pen, ink or paint.I love to see how characters and motifs are developed. I love to see how people come up with ideas and what sparks their imagination. I also love to see all the different variety of lines and textures used.  I think it’s a great way to get inspired and learn from others.

doodling my surroundings @artisticallyafflicted

I am in the business of making motifs. It takes a lot of time doodling and mark making. Time to practice and try new things. I need all the inspiration I can get so thought it would be fun to try and get others to share their work. Here is what is inspiring me lately on #shareyoursketch.

Heather Dutton (@hangtight) of Hang Tight Studio shares proof that inspiration can come from anywhere. This quirky character is the result of a blob of coffee spilt on the floor.  Heather is pretty active on Instagram. The next two are also some sketches that Heather shared.

Some more doodles waiting to get turned into pattern..

Mary Tanana (@groovity)  of Groovity Designs shares her tropical doodles, a result of her time in Make Art that Sells. I believe these were used for the tropical fusion bloghop which you can see here  – beautiful!

I love this giraffe all zentangled up shared by Angelica Venegas. (@portallerdepapel). This drawing was done by her daughter Rocio.  Her zentangle work looks fantastic here and has inspired me to try some of my own.

Here is another zentangle sketch courtesy of Aryanda Septian (@Ariyandaaa) from Indonesia. Her Instagram feed is full of beautiful sketching, shading and lots of portraits. A whole other world I have yet to explore.

This hipster, shared by Lori Leissner (@leissnerart) just makes me smile. I love his look and his poodle pooch companion. I could see this character developed in so many ways. Lori was in a very loong meeting when she shared this.

Sketches can be in color too! I love this one by Pam Keravuori (@pamkeravuori) created while  hanging at the waterpark with her young daughter. That made me laugh – I first started doodling while spending many an hour at the park with young children in tow. There is lots more color and wonderful type on her feed.

Feeling inspired? Come and share your sketch with us then!
I will be posting some here on my blog every week so that others can get inspired and make new friends on Instagram.

Enjoy your weekend!

Inspired by the mushroom season

The forest is alive with mushrooms. Everywhere you look mushrooms are sprouting up in every different size, shape and color. I keep expecting little gnomes to jump out at me. I have caught myself shoulder checking more than once.

Today I kept hearing voices and my imagination got the best of me. I realized part way through my walk that the woods were alive with pickers. I could hear them, but just couldn’t see them. One day I will learn the difference between edible and not so edible.

For now, I will stick with pictures ~ lots of pictures. My poor Instagram friends are probably starting to think I have become a bit mad, or at least found the magic in it all. Ha!

Today we have mushrooms for you in all shapes and sizes. I put a shout out to my artist friends asking for their mushroom inspiration. I love what I received and am happy to be able to share them with you.We have  mushrooms doodled, sketched, painted, in pattern and even in character!

Here are a few of mine doodled out in black and white. I am not sure what I am going to do with these, but I have a couple of ideas percolating!

Have a  look at these beautiful representations of mushrooms by Cheryl Bakke Martin.So natural in color and line. I love the sketchy feel of them.

Petra is also lucky enough to be surrounded by mushrooms. She has many a blogpost about her mushroom inspiration.She has a czech mother crazy for mushroom picking. Have a visit to her blog for many a good story. I was just recently introduced to her blog and it is fun and fresh. Petra has a very good sense of humour and her posts bring a smile to my face.

How about some mushrooms in pattern? I love Lindsay Bucks use of color,shape and texture in her first piece Fantastic Funghi. There is so much to look at. Lindsay has lots more on her blog– her latest post on conkers still has me trying to guess what a conker is!?

Andrea Rincon also placed hers in pattern.Love the transparency! Andrea has a great blog with a weekly brief to help inspire and get your creative juices flowing~ Brief? Me!. She recently had a creative brief on her blog about funky mushrooms.

If you would like to participate  and get inspired ,have a visit to her blog, Anchobee Designs for more information.

This week finds me back in student mode. Lilla Rogers Make Art that Sells Part B starts today. I am so excited to be learning again. I love creating to a brief, it’s such a challenge and really helps me focus on a topic.

Funny – she had me drawing mushrooms 6 months ago! I have been a bit obsessed ever since.

I will be popping back here weekly with updates on how class is rolling out.

Inspired by…another daisy, another way.

When in doubt~ doodle a daisy!

Ok, maybe I still have a little aloha on my mind.

I am liking this motif. I think it needs a bit of tweaking, but a good start!

It’s Art Everyday month ~ Hop on over to Leah’s blog for more info on Art Everyday.

See you in a few days!

Inspired by…surface pattern everywhere!

My head is in the clouds these days. I am very deep into my Art and Business of Surface Pattern Design course (module 1)  and loving every minute of it. Designing stationary,logos, womans clothing.. even small,smiling creatures ~ there is a need for surface pattern design everywhere. I am so overwhelmed by it all, but in such a good way.

I love learning. If I can teach my children one thing ~ it is to never stop being fascinated. Never give up the enthusiasm for newness, for the unknown.

I have been so impressed with the ABSPD course to date. It is jammed packed with all sorts of goodness. I find inspiration in it everyday. It has also allowed me the opportunity to meet a whole new crew of like-minded individuals, all willing to share, support…and commisserate when the going gets tough. That makes me very happy…

I have spent the past couple of weeks concentrating on the digital aspect of design. It is a creative facet I have played around with, mostly for photography. It fascinates me…and infuriates me. Hence, my blog neglect. I can only spend so many hours a day on the computer. I have actually had to start wearing my glasses!
I laughed when I caught a glance of my study sheet the other day…full of doodles, mind wandering….
Slight ADD perhaps..or maybe I should say AA.
Where my mind is at..

I should be vacuuming. Why is the dog looking at me that way? What am I doing this all for? Coffeee…I need an assistant …who knows Illustrator!What should I make for dinner?Bang head on counter. I just want to paint. If I draw one more daisy…

The digital aspect has added a whole new load of possibility to my artwork. Nothing like having to choose from a thousand different shades of blue. I almost miss painting and my limited knowledge of color mixing.

 I am also loving the opportunity to add my very own handwork to the digital world.All of my sewing, stamping, sticking and spraying has served me well. All of it can be scanned and added in some dimension. My hand painted dragonfly with a collaged background….what color would you like it in? This one needs more texture, but no problem. Will add it in later (when I learn how:). Lots of possibility in the digital world….

My fav to date though….sketching. I forgot how much I loved sitting down, pen in hand, going for it. So much freedom. I am always a bit hesitant with paintbrush in hand, but give me some ink and ahh…I can just let it all roll.

Have found lots of goodness lately that I would like to share ~

First off. Monica Lee and her smart creative women series.Twice weekly interviews of, well, smart, creative women. Awesome. I love listening to her interviews. Making dinner has never been so inspiring. She also makes me laugh.

Secondly… Lynda Weinman and her software tutorial site Lynda.com This site is chock-a-block full of tutorials geared towards the digital world. Photoshop, Illustrator, Aperature…endless learning opportunities. The beauty of this site though is that they charge you a  minimal monthly fee for unlimited usage. I like a good deal and this is definitely one!

Very busy, but  a great couple of weeks. Spring has sprung, the days are long and life is busy. School is out in a month! The time to get all of this done is…NOW!

I will try to blog, but if you don’t hear from me, send me a quick hello on my facebook page. A quick hello and a smile, always makes me happy. Comment with your fan page so I can like you….if I havent already. I am loving having all of my creative connections in one place. I like to know what you are up to at all times!

Have a great weekend!

Inspired by…exhausted by…intuitive painting

Oh my goodness I am exhausted. This whole new brave, intuitive way of painting is slowly killing me. ..It is also cluttering up my home.

I am surrounded by canvas all begging for attention. All waiting for me to find something, some imagery in them. I must have at least 5 canvas on the go right now. Some intuitive style, some not. I think I am going to start turning their faces to the wall.

Pick me…don’t you see the huge orange poppy? your favorite poppy pods?..No, pick me I am so a birch tree….oh..and I have some birds in me too..What about me? Pick me, why dont you love me? I have been sitting here for over three months.. waiting…  I have potential, you’ll see..love me…..

There we go…silence.

My favorite is now, in desperation, asking my children to find images for me. I asked my teenage daughter what she saw in one of my paintings. All I got was a “seriously?” you expect me to find something in that mess. My younger son, on the other hand, was able to find an entire, very complicated NYC skyline.

If I see one more bird , tree or flower emerge from all of my mark making I may scream. Really now…why cant I find a lovely figure or maybe a sailboat?

It must all  boil down to the subconscious. What do I do when not painting and living life? I doodle.

I doodle big bold flowers, leaves and fields of dreams. I guess it is only natural that I then keep seeing these images emerge in my paintings.

I think it may be time to sit down and scan some magazines and books. I need to build up a repertoire of  new images in my art journal.

So, just because, I have posted a few progression pieces..work in progress, mind you. (There is no such thing as a finished painting around here..you are not safe from gesso until you leave the house:)

making marks

sorry…white balance a little off..but you can start to see images..

outlining images..choosing colors..

still working color…

Close to being finished, but not quite. Definitely inspired by Flora, but trying to make it my own. Adding lots of texture. I am not one for transparency. Still need to add all the icing…more outlining and images to draw all the colors together. Also need a smoother transition from light to dark.

Any other suggestions? Please……

Hold onto your hats for this one. This one is full of flowers and birds of all kinds.

mark making..warm and cool colors..

Amongst it all I was thrilled to have found this…

I see a barn!..seriously? do you see it?

In a 24″ by 24″ painting covered in marks, I found this little 3 inch section of what looked like an old barn and some rolling hills and now, all of a sudden, I have a game plan!!

I see a village coming on…

Sigh of relief…I can only take so much braveness…I am actually still not that brave as I am still finding images “precious”..I have to be willing to turn this canvas upside down and re-work it…that still makes me quiver in my boots..

This has hours of attention coming its way…

In a nutshell,I love intuitive painting. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is such a fun, free wheelin’ process. Everytime I work a painting this way I learn oodles of information~ be it a mark, a texture, a color combination or an image. I can’t tell you how liberating it is to just paint and see what happens. I am constantly surprising myself…and this, my friends, keeps the love for painting alive and well in me.

Only three more weeks until Flora Bowleys online course Brave Intuitive You. I can’t wait. I have worked with her in person and written about her here..and here..oh, and here too.

All of a sudden I feel like a bit of  stalker…

My weekend with her was all I hoped for and more, but I feel like I only scraped the surface of this whole intuitive painting style and my potential. I am so excited to explore this concept more.

I am open, willing…. and brave.

Join me!

For more info on Flora and her wonderful courses, take a peek here!

Inspired by…collaboration, or not!

It feels like forever since I last blogged. Its interesting  how you can slowly add something into your life…like blogging…and have it become a part of your daily routine within no time. I have been successful with this approach in other areas of my life as well…being creative everyday, taking a photograph or two,taking fish oil pills, cutting back to one coffee a day,making a daily to do list, exercise,

Now that I have started thinking about it, I am sad to say that there are also many things I have really tried hard to incorporate into my lifestyle that I have failed miserably at…

I can only smile. I have had some really hair-brained ideas.

4 ft square doodle art

So, some housekeeping. For those who have been following my blog and the progress of my huge and awesome doodle may be pleased (or displeased) to know that I pulled it from the Arts Council “In Your Dreams” event last-minute.

A collective GASP!!

Yes, I had worked very hard to try to complete it on time. I had thought long and hard about my piece and felt very satisfied with my collaborative approach.I was also kind of digging my piece.

BUT…when it came down to crunch time I bailed…

Trust me, it was a roller coaster of emotion. I battled with my decision, but I do believe I made the right one.

In a nutshell, a great event, but beyond busy.The music was pumping , the wine flowing and the crowd young. My collaborative piece was due to go up half way through the night. They started out with some caricatures that everyone was allowed to paint on. People were doodling this and that. My son was right in there with the poster paints.

But then the craziness began…

The noses were painted red, the devil horns came out, and a few tattoos started to appear on the works. Fun…yes, but not entirely what I had in mind for my piece. I began to get a wee bit worried that people would start having a tad bit too much fun on my piece.I was worried that a  skull and cross bone may appear in between my lovely birds  or ,god forbid, someone would try to color in one of the flowers. All of a sudden, hours of hard work started to pass before my eyes….

Control issues, indeed!

I am going to pick it up tomorrow. Will keep you posted on my progress with it….

A great weekend regardless. The mountains opened a week early and it was sunny to boot. Very happy skiers and boarders wandering about town.

I am looking forward to Monday….always love the beginning of a new week and all the possibility it holds!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Inspired by …my artistic affliction

Blogtoberfest day 18  (for Illustration Friday ~ Scattered)

I have said it before and I will say it again… I am Artistically Afflicted.

I know I am not the only one out there. My goal is to collect all of you like-minded souls and make a community of us.

Are you Artistically Afflicted?

• do you have at least 3 projects on the go?
• do these projects  involve many different mediums
• do you have sleepless nights wondering what you could produce if you just…
• are you brave and fearless? Will you spend three hours creating something and then cut it up? or paint over it?
• do you have glue, paint or any type of medium on your hands right now?
• look around you…is your work spilling over into other rooms of the house?
• do you have an uncanny ability to move from project to project without realizing
• do you think you have a form of attention deficit disorder?

Are you shaking your head thinking “yes,this is me!”

You, my friend, are Artistically Afflicted.

Oh, the places you will go!  It may be just the best affliction you will ever have!

Sorry, got a little side-tracked there. My post for Illustration Friday this week falls under the theme – scattered. (how appropriate..) I have read a number of times now on various art blogs that I should just cut my art work up. Trust me I am often thinking I should just throw it out so this is one step better.

mixed up media

Ok I have cut up. I have re-applied. I have added. Hmmm…interesting.

May have to explore this concept a little further…..

Cut it up...why not??

All part of the creative journey. Explore..create…get out of your comfort zone.

You never know what might just happen!

Please feel free to add any crazy ideas of your own to the comment section. Always thankful knowing I am not the only one out there!