Diva Challenge #343 and Sketchbooks

Diva Challenge #343

"Dewd"

The eco-print I started with

I had a feeling this one would appear sooner rather than later. I played around with Dewd a bit when the video first appeared a few weeks back. It's not as easy as it looks. I figured Dewd would be a great addition to my eco-printed series. I also had another go at Paradox. This was really fun to draw. After the first row of Dewd, I thought it might be better to just do straight up stalks, but I was already invested. 

Sketchbook stuff:

After days of deliberating how to start the new DIY sketchbook I shared last week, pondering themes and whatnot, I just dove in with a prompt I saw on Draw Tip Tuesday earlier this week. It seemed like a bit of a train wreck as I moved through it and that was the intent. It took the pressure off of any thoughts of perfection. In the end the black background really pulled it together.

The first page of my new sketchbook
Gratitude with Attitude

I'm working through my first attempt at a handmade bound book:

Little Zen Menu November prompt mash-up

Zendala string #103, Less is More (in my world) and a little Betweed

This is the Fearless, Fun & Funky sketchbook. It's a hot mess. The pages are all wonky because my punched holes are off-alignment, the spine is too wide so the whole thing lies crookedly and the thread work was really clumsy (hence the washi tape)...but, it's all good. I decided to really have fun with it because there is nothing I can do to mess it up any more than it is.

First I threw a bunch of watercolor at it, using some cheap paint I got at Daiso for $1.50 for 8 tubes. I had fun swirling around the colors and then closing the page to get a mirror imprint. Then noodled around with lettering and using various black liner pens. I had a bit of a scare when I clogged up my new Lamy fountain pen. I should have known better because the cheap paint was very chalky. I did have great success with a really inexpensive Pentel Stylo.

I'm getting back into the Little Zen Menu prompts from the Facebook group Tangled & Journaled Too.

LZM: FeatherFall/Mooka

LZM: It starts with one small circle  within another circle

This was a mash-up of several prompts including:

watercolor, Zendala String #116, Huggins and Printemps, Joki, Cruffle and Dark

YogaCat
🐾😼❤

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Diva Challenge #342 and other stuff...

Diva Challenge #342 

Duo Tangle featuring "Paradox" and "Bunzo"

I had this idea early on in the season to do a series on eco-printed tiles and they've been looking a bit like cosmic gardens. "Paradox" was a challenge to this idea but after taking a  peek at Margaret Bremner's blog post on Paradox, I was determined to make it work. I always have trouble shading Paradox to my satisfaction and I can't say I'm all that crazy about the results but, true to Zen form, I enjoyed drawing this.

One Travelling Tangle this week:

My finish...

...to this fun start by Annmarie Slaby

I finished my concertina sketchbook:

I'm really proud of myself for attempting and sticking through this. This type of drawing was so far out of my wheel house but as with anything you just gotta make the time and practice, practice, practice. I really liked this format and I'm gonna do one of these again, but next time use it to it's full potential of seamlessness and more panorama drawings. I really had a good time with this and learned so much.

Today I've been home nursing a cold and I made my next sketchbook, trying Coptic binding (following this tutorial on the Sea Lemon You Tube channel). This is my second attempt making a  bound sketchbook and I have to say I've impressed myself with the improvement.

This is a 4 x 6 inch book

bound in a landscape format

Front

I used pages from a Crate and Barrel holiday catalog

to cover the cardboard covers

I really loved these photographs
and there was no text in the way;-)

Back

the catalog pages were pretty thin 

so the paper wrinkled from the gluing process

Inside the covers

I used a sheet of paper from a Disneyland Hotel notepad

I like how flat the pages lay

Aimee's not impressed

Thanks so much for stopping by. Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me 😉

Diva Challenge #341, Travelling Tangles and thisclose to finishing my Inktober sketchbook...

Diva Challenge #341
"Go Big or Go Home"

This week's challenge is to work big. Bigger tile, bigger pattern, bigger tools. Any or all of the above.

I had previously prepared some eco printed tiles and happened to have one 4" square tile, not a big leap, but it's what I had with me. I used 08 gelly rolls, a .60 technical pen and Kuratake brush pen. Much much larger than my usual 01 and 005.
I liked the slightly larger format and the boldness of the larger nibs.

Travelling Tangles completed this week:

My finish...

...to this sweet start by Veena Arun

My finish...

...to another lovely start by Veena Arun

My finish...

...to this cute little  Bijou start by Kim Aarts Bruins

My finish...

...to this beauty by Susan Rink Olsen

Whew!!! Just two more to go and I'm caught up. I was already more behind than I'm comfortable with and then Inktober started and I was derailed.

I've almost completed the concertina sketchbook I made for Inktober and now pondering where to go next. I just ordered a Lamy Safari fountain pen on Amazon which seems to be the sketchbook artists pen of choice.

My home away from home;-)

My window seat

Late addition:

My Lamy Safari fountain pen just came in the mail!;-)

I spent my whole day off yesterday noodling around with my new pen. It came with a blue cartridge that I wanted to use up so I could fill it with the black Carbon ink (I got a converter too).

I've been working through some pen and ink drawing exercises from Alphonso Dunn's You Tube tutorials focusing on shadow and texture. 

When Joey's challenge first appeared I honestly didn't know how I was going to make this work and decided to take a pass this week. This morning I was inspired:

Joey's Weekly Challenge #191

"Elvira"

The Cat of Judgement

turns out I'm not my own worst critic
😉🐾💞

Thanks so much for stopping by 😍 Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me!

Diva Challenge #340 and InktoberX2

Diva Challenge #340
Use My Tangle Monday
"Wibble"

This was a fun one. I've made a little stockpile of eco-printed tiles cut down from the larger pieces that didn't result in significant imprints, but I've found make nice tonal tiles. I'm hoping these can carry me through this season of challenges.

I enjoyed drawing along with Laura's video and agree with her about what a great pattern Wibble is. I remember this coming on my radar awhile back and liked it a lot and then forgot about it. Then it showed up on the Inktober list.

Speaking of...I did manage to complete all of the Zentangle inspired Inktober prompts following along with the Diva's YouTube videos and somewhat mirroring her dip pen drawings on Bijou tiles. I had a box full of my home made "Twinchies" from trimmings off of my watercolor tiles/ATC's and what I call my watercolor playground sheets, where I'm just experimenting with new palettes and practicing techniques and mixing colors etc. I also have white ones in here too.

I have about 8 ink colors and decided to play around with the addition of colored pencils. This was so much fun;-)

...and then, there's my Inktober sketchbook wrap-up:

I started this with a simple idea in mind, to draw objects, and perhaps views, in my apartment. Keep it simple and think of it as exercises and a journal of my home. I had never done this type of drawing before and after years of following Draw Tip Tuesday videos on YouTube, I thought I'd give it a go. I was inspired by this video which led me to make the concertina sketchbook.

I got pretty ambitious after the first several drawings because it was going better than I thought... and then, I got off track with a few missed days and felt overwhelmed.
Anyhoo...I'm still working through it although I've given up trying to follow the prompts as they stifled me from time to time when I couldn't make them fit my "Home" theme.

This is the hand made Concertina sketchbook

I'm working through

I mentioned in my last post that I procrastinate a lot with the YouTube videos, but I have to say that  the tutorials I came across a few weeks ago by Alphonso Dunn have been a total game changer! If you have any desire to start drawing or get back into it, check this guy out. Seriously. He's been posting tutorials for years so there are tons of them. I'm addicted.

Still in Inktober mode: Trail

This is near my apartment

the last Inktober prompt

It was a stretch;-)

I took advantage of Free Day at the SF Zoo

no more prompts

just drawing

a day at the zoo

I have a lot of drawing tools and covet more (I'm really wanting for Lamy Safari fountain pens). The ball point pen video I linked to above led me to try these last two drawings and I have to say, I love them.

This just in....

Joey's Weekly Challenge Catch-up

It took me awhile to find my purpose with Joey's latest series of 3D challenges. I was watching another one of Alphonso Dunn's drawing tutorials this morning and got this idea.

This is also a hindrance to my drawing
😍🐾😺💞💗

Thanks so much for stopping by. Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me;-)

Diva Challenge #339

Diva Challenge #339

"Fall"
Artoo, Gordgeous, Mooka & Diva Dance

I had the unusual work week of all opening shifts so my daytime drawing time was non-existent and in the evening I seem to be addicted to YouTube drawing videos so I was very unproductive. I flaked on the daily Inktober drawings but I'm still gonna finish it. Stay tuned.

I started this tile on a piece of eco-printed watercolor paper. The little branchy bit wanted to be "Artoo"...

Anyhoo...

It begins. Holiday themed challenges. Thankfully, The Diva gave us a little leeway, factoring in her global following since many don't celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas...and though it's Fall here it's Spring in the southern hemisphere.

I'm just a holiday theme curmudgeon and this is the time of year I'm constantly battling my peevishness with the short days and all of the holiday fueled sales pitches tossed at me every where I go  <<end rant>>.
I do love seasonal colors. Fall is my favorite. 

Though it wasn't required, I decided to give "Gourdgeous" a go as well. It's not a fave but I've seen it done so beautifully by others that it's one that I want to improve.

My artistic interpretation of Aimee 

I call this...

"I Naps"

Thanks so much for stopping by. Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me!