Art Journal or Sketchbook Journal?

I recently came across an old post from 2010 over at A Penchant For Paper. In this post Heather wrote that she wanted to work more in her sketchbook, honing her drawing and sketching skills. She then proceeded to ask, "Do you keep an art journal or sketchbook journal?"

This got me thinking, I've always used my art journals for collages, poetry, quotes, painting; as well as drawing and sketching. Since drawing and sketching are forms of art, I never thought to have a dedicated sketchbook. I sketch in my art journal, because I love art in all forms and want to showcase that in my journals. So I guess I keep an art journal sketchbook. ^_^ I had no idea that other people didn't do this.

This is a spread from my Art Journal/Sketchbook. Close ups below, along with blurbs about each page.

The Mandala you may have seen in this earlier post, but I added the bubbly quote. It reads, "Happiness depends upon the Quality of your Thoughts".

The opposing page was painted with craft paint (in green, orange, and turquoise), using a card. It features some song lyrics by Cat Stevens, and a few simple drawings/doodles with charcoal pencils. The purple and white dots were made by dipping my finger into the paint and lightly pressing onto the page.

A few pages on from there, you will find a sketch by me. Showcased here. I've since added to the page with words/quotes and doodles.

Whatever you want to call it; sketchbook, art journal, art journal sketchbook. Doesn't matter to me, it's all art. So no matter what form of art I choose to do, I will do it in my art journal. ^_^

Until next time, Embrace your Creativity.

Crochet Halter Tops

Last spring I crocheted some halter tops, I plan to make more at some point. They were inspired by the tops some festival-goers wear, I'd seen them years ago. I loved the style and thought to myself; you could make that. So I attempted it, and just loved how they turned out. I used to sell them at shows and festivals. I decided it was time to make them again, so I got started.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a mannequin or model, and laying them flat (to take photos) doesn't really do them justice. I'd rather not be my own model, so I never shared the tops online. I would love to own a mannequin for that purpose, but I'm not in the budget to be buying such an expensive piece right now. So, what's a girl to do?

Wait an entire year, wondering how to make it work. Amidst all the chaos that is my life, it can be difficult to come up with solutions. Not wanting to waste another year with the tops and other things packed in a box in the closet, I decided my only choice is to lay them flat. I'd make my own mannequin, but lack of supplies and workspace has prevented that.

So, without further ado, here are two of the tops I was working on. The designs are rather simple, since these are the first two I've made in years.

Until next time, Embrace your Creativity.

Sketching from Memory...

Recently I've been perusing lots of art blogs. Art is a great passion of mine. Anyway, during that time I came across a post (can't remember where, I've been to so many blogs lately) in which the artist/blog owner had been drawing from memory. This inspired me to try the same technique. Except I drew further inspiration from a post on another blog about self portraits. I decided to combine the two, and draw a self portrait from memory.

I've never really been great at drawing/sketching people, not my strong suit. Which is all the more reason to give it another try, and why not in my art journal, right. Overall, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out; aside from one little mistake that I'm not proud of. But it happened, I can't change it, I won't change it - it creates character. I've accepted it. I truly love the sketch though, simply because I challenged myself and it turned out better than I expected. Can't argue with that. ^_^

I took two photos of the sketch, one is crisper. But I liked both shots, and couldn't decide which to use.

Here is my sketch, please be gentle when critiquing. I know it's not perfect, it doesn't have to be. It's my first portrait sketch since 2003-2004. I think I did fairly well.

Can you see the mistake I referred to above? Ok, I'll tell you. Her right eye is unbalanced. It's off center, should have been more toward the nose, lined up with the strand of hair hanging down her face. But alas, it is what it is.

Until next time, embrace your creativity.

Upcycled Art Supply Holders

What can you make with cracker/cereal boxes and toilet paper rolls? Art Supply Holders of course. It's a pretty easy process with supplies you probably already have. I used an exacto knife to cut the boxes down to the size I desired. Then wrapped them in scrapbook paper coated with a bit of mod podge. Did the same to the toilet paper rolls. Simply inserted the tp rolls into the box I cut to the same length as the tp rolls. Then decorate if desired, and that's it. New pen, pencil, marker, brush holders. Easy, functional, and all your own.

Here are two of the holders I made...

The first is for pens that must lie flat. (microns, sakura gel pens, etc)
I covered it in decorative paper, wrote Art Pens with Sakura Stardust Pens, and added a puffy butterfly sticker.

The second is for things that can be stored upright. (pencils, paint brushes, etc)

One of the paper covered rolls used inside the case to separate supplies.

They're quite useful. I plan to make more as I rebuild my art supply collection.

Until next time, embrace your creativity.

Recollections Signature Fine Writers

I came across some Recollections Signature Fine Writers at Michael's Crafts. I occasionally make small purchases here when I want something quickly or just for something to do, most of my supplies are purchased from Blick Art Materials. Their prices are the best around.

I've been on the lookout for some new fine liners and art pens. While poking around the store, I saw these.

The tips are extra fine, great for detail work. No bleed through, so far. They flow smoothly, no skipping. They're basically very fine markers, but could be mistaken for pens. Overall, I'm rather pleased with them. At under $2 a piece, they were worth trying. I'm not disappointed.

I never had the pleasure of shopping at a Recollections store before they were closed down. I've heard that the quality is not as good anymore, but at least the products are still manufactured. That's good news for fans of Recollections.

I used these fine writers to draw four of the five mandalas on this art journal page. The other was done with a Micron 01 Pen.

As you can see, the colors are vibrant and the quality is just fine. I would absolutely buy more colors to add to my collection.

Until next time, embrace your creativity.

Art Journaling for the Soul

I love art journaling, and pretty much all crafty things. Anything that would require me to embrace some creativity, I could probably be interested in. I had to start over since I lost all of my old journals, supplies, and many notebooks. If not for art journaling, art in general, and crafts; I would lose my mind. Life can take a toll on you sometimes, it's nice to have something that brings you back to center. For me, that something is art and crafting; and yoga.

Sometimes it's just sketching/drawing with only a pencil and eraser, other times it's an embrace your mistakes session with only a pen, then it's fun to add color, and of course those anything goes moments; with whatever you can find (mixed media). I adore sketching/drawing/doodling, art journaling, painting, sculpting, metal and wood working, jewelry making, crochet and other yarn crafts, and much more. No matter the materials, I love creating.

This is one of my art journals. Just a simple lined journal with some magazine letters and a fabric butterfly from an old shirt, mod podged to the already decorative cover.

A sneak peek inside this journal will show simple beginnings. Once I have more gesso, I will be doing many things with this one.

First page in this journal is a poem I wrote after a devastating situation forced myself and my child from our home. I try not to take things for granted, since we know how it feels to lose so much and have nothing. Brighter days are always in the midst. Never give up.

Some simple uplifting mantras done with microns and awful old colored pencils. Lots of breakage, very waxy. It turned out fine, but I really want some new colored pencils. I'm thinking Faber-Castell Polychromos.

This started as a heart, but my munchkin jumped on my bed while I was drawing and a long curved line protruded from the top. So, I extended the line and made it work. This is the end result. A Zentangle® Inspired Journal Page, most likely unfinished. Close-up of the heart follows the page.

A simple fun page with a great mantra. Used colored pencils and colored Micron 05's.

Last but not least for now, an unfinished page. I saved a Dove chocolate wrapper because I liked what it read. Glued it to the page and began drawing a scalloped border, never finished though. I'm sure I'll come back to it at some point.

My munchkin loves crafting almost as much as I do. This morning I was asked with great enthusiasm, "Can I make art in my spiderman journal mama, please?!" How could I say no?

So, I had him get his art supplies together and he asked if we could cut out pictures and put them inside. We flipped through some old catalogs and cut out some things he liked. Then he proceeded to glue to his heart's content, until he couldn't stand the glue on his fingers anymore. That's when he said, "I don't like this glue all over my fingers, I'm going to put this away for later." He then ran off to get a cookie tin, and placed all of his cut outs gently inside. I didn't get a chance to take a picture yet. But I'm so proud, and I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to take lots of pictures of his art.

Until next time, embrace your creativity.

Sketches & Doodles

Here we have a mixed media art journal (Canson, on sale). I really want a new Strathmore 300 Mixed Media book, but this one was the right price. I simply covered it with scrapbook paper (a nice mandala design), then added the words "Art Journal". I lost all of my old art journals and supplies, so I guess you could say I'm starting over. (Click on any image for a larger size.)

Inside this journal is where I draw most of my mandalas. The pages are great for acrylic paints and watercolors. Sharpies do not bleed through the pages. I do not like bleed through.

I had fun doodling an odd garden scape. I wanted the plants to look sort of weird, but somewhat simple. I haven't colored it yet. Sort of want to wait until I get some new colored pencils or markers.

Simple sketches and doodles done in a inexpensive sketchpad include the following...

The words "Believe In Yourself" atop a simple paisley design.

This is a sketch I did of a garden scene. If you look real close, you can see basic outlines of where I was planning placement of more butterflies; and a bird. It started with just the lotus vine; inspired by a tapestry on my wall. From there I added more stuff based on plants in books I own and google. There's boxwood in there, and a snake plant; among other things. I like how the tree turned out. I left this one unfinished, haven't worked on it in months.

Close-ups of the vines, boxwood, and flowers.

A close-up of the snake plant and flowers.

Tree leaves close-up.

Some random doodles from my sketchbook. You may recognize the Zentangle® and the snail from this post.

More random doodles, followed by close-ups of the page, and a single doodle that was further up on the page

I have much more to show you, but the post would turn out to be much too long. So we will save that for another day. Until next time, embrace your creativity.

Blick Finds

During a recent visit to Blick Art Materials online (dickblick.com), I came across a wonderfully versatile craft/work station that I would love to have. I think I'm going to save up a bit to get it. I'm on a limited budget, so everything I buy has to be a reasonable price; and great quality. Studio Designs Pro Craft Station is less than $200, and I am in dire need of a new work/craft station. Being able to use this work/craft station would be a blessing.

Right now I work on my bed or on a small three shelf recycled bookcase. The top of the bookcase is torn off, and I have a small rectangular shelf atop it. Not much space for supplies or work/craft area. The drawbacks of living in a small place. Someday I will save up enough to get a nice place with lots of space (indoors and out).

This is my current work area. As you can see, a new set up would be a dream come true.

Another item I've had my eyes on are the Faber-Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils. I'm planning on buying these later this month, or next month. I've wanted to replace my colored pencils for some time, and I think I've finally decided on these. They look lovely, reviews say they are amazing. A must have for my art/craft supply collection. I would love to have all 120 colors, but I think I'll start with the 36 pack.

The Blick Artist's Acrylic Easel Set looks promising. I think I'd like to test their artist acrylics. Plus, I just love the tabletop easel and have been wanting to get a new easel for quite a while. A tabletop easel would be convenient, considering my lack of space. Comes with 12 colors and modeling paste; as well a gel, gloss, and matte medium. It looks like it has plenty of storage space. Isn't it cute.

I've wanted to replace my pitt pens for years. I've recently come across 24 and 48 color palette brush nib Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen Box Sets. They are lovely. I adore color, so the 48 set would be amazing. However, I may only be able to afford the 24 set since my craft/art budget is so small; if at all.

These are just a few finds that I'm greatly interested in. I've also been saving up for a new printer, since I lost all of my materials and supplies. I've been considering buying the Epson WorkForce 3520 Color Multifunction Inkjet Printer from Target. It has good reviews, better than any other printer I've looked at in my budget range. Full Color, Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax, and Wifi. For under $150, it's a fantastic deal.

Someday soon I will have these things for my artsy escapades. Oh the possibilities, oh the things I could create. Looking forward to filling my wishlist finds. Until next time, embrace your creativity.

Art comes in many forms... Mandalas

Recently, I've delved back into drawing. Although I enjoy many other art forms, and mediums. Drawing is where my heart has been lately. After years of not being able to work on my art, it feels wonderful to be doing it again. I thought I'd share some of my recent works with the world. Most of what I've worked on in the last few months revolves around Mandalas. There's just something about them I'm drawn to. So here's a look into some mandalas I've created in the last few weeks. I apologize if the image quality is lacking, I had to use my camera phone. Currently in the process of saving for an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier. Click on any image for a larger size.

To start with, here's a simple mandala pen sketch. Not too many details here.

Here is Seven Mandalas. Seven is a holy/sacred number, and also one of my favorite numbers. This is my homage to the number 7 and my love of mandalas. For a close-up of each mandala, visit the post Seven Mandalas.

Here we have a Mandala drawn over a watercolor wash.

The New Essence Enchanted Logo Mandala.

Three More Mandalas (each individually shown below)

A colored Mandala. Wish I'd taken a photo before I colored it. Some of the Gel pens pooled a bit and it didn't quite turn out the way I'd hoped. Guess I'll have to recreate this one, just for the raw image (no color).

The rough pen sketch of the Essence Enchanted Logo. Before details were added, and I tweaked the design a bit.

I shall call this one Horizon Mandala, since the color of the pen I used was Horizon Blue.

Another Mandala over a watercolor wash. Blues & Greens, with a splash of purple. May add more to this page at a later date. I originally intended to draw the mandala in white, but my gel pen wasn't behaving; so I had to go over it in black. I think it turned out just fine.

That's all I'm sharing for now. There will of course be more in the near future. I'm already working on more as I type this blog entry.

Until next time, embrace your creativity.