My Trainwreck Journal
I was watching this.
I hope everyone is enjoying a lovely holiday season. I, for one, am glad it's almost over. For my last post of 2017 I'm pleased to say I stuck to my guns and managed to draw something every day for my personal 21 day challenge. I didn't always complete a piece in a day because I usually have more than one thing going on at a time. I worked on this piece above over a couple of days, inspired by the Buntstiften YouTube channel: Watching her draw and listening to the music is mesmerizing. She's the master of elegant and sweeping curves.
I also thought I'd wrap this year up with some links to my favorite sources of inspiration. I spend waaaay too much time watching YouTube videos, but I like to think it's paid off;-)
Dutch artist and illustrator Koosje Koene does a weekly "Draw Tip Tuesday". That's what started my whole "Inktober" plan. I've been watching these for a couple of years now. Love, love, love them;-)
These 4x6 pen and ink drawings are done on BFK Rives illustration paper. Normally I use the very inexpensive Strathmore Skills pads but I was inspired by a "Paper Haul" video by mixed media illustrator Kendyll Hillegas. She does the most amazing food illustrations (among other things).
These illustrations were inspired by Alphonso Dunn's Inktober video. His videos were my greatest discovery this year.
Backlit Gingko leaves
4x6
from a photo found on Pinterest
Texture Study
4x6
from a Pinterest photo
more texture study
from this Alphonso Dunn video
9x12 watercolor experimentation
I found a whole stash of these sheets I'd stowed underneath a pile of paper pads and forgot about. Sometimes I'll cut them into tiles or ATC's for Travelling Tangles or more often, I just cut them down into 4x6 sheets and use them for playing around with my dip pen and inks:
various stages of completion
into this
Look what Santa brought me!
I became totally obsessed with pen and ink while watching The Diva's Inktober videos. She used a different bottle of ink for each of the 31 videos. I also became obsessed with fountain pen drawing and joined two Facebook groups Fountain Pen Sketchers and Artist's Journal Workshop to amp up my drawing game.
Throwback Travels
Santa Fe, New Mexico
September 2001
from a photograph
Untitled
Thanks so much for stopping by! Your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me;-)
Michele, I am always inspired by your commitment to your art. And your work is just beautiful.....as is Aimee!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Roseanne 😍😻🐾
DeleteLove all of it! The elephant picture, I shared the link with my boss who loves elephants SO much. I'm getting ready to do a big color palooza and want to play with watercolors along with the always popular and addictive bleeding tissue method. CRAVING that, in fact. But your journal page is inspiring, and I love the video but wonder how inked up her hand must've been after a work in dip ink and pen!
ReplyDeleteThanks Heidi! I loved that elephant photo when I found it. It was a daunting task to get started on the drawing though. One of the great tips from one of the Alphonso Dunn videos is to work on more than one thing at a time, so you can take breaks from a drawing.
DeleteLovely to read a little more about the things that have been inspiring you. That journal image is stunning - I love all those dripping cavernous spaces.
ReplyDeleteLove your watercolour backgrounds too. I am too uptight with my colouring - need to learn to let go, be a bit bolder. Also on my to-do list - work with ink pens more, I bought a couple of cheap ones and some inks in January but only use them for writing and doodling on scraps so far.
Here's to many more adventures in the year to come, for you and Aimee!
Thanks Jem! I think that the Trainwreck journal turned out to be my most successful endeavor for the simple reason that it broke me out of my pursuit of perfection. Starting with the cheap supplies I used to make it and then the whole paint mess. Drawing in it makes me happy;-)
DeleteWonderful post to read,to see and todiscover so many interesting links, thank you MIchelle. Your watercolorbackgrounds and inkworks look great. all of them but I'm really impressed by your trainwreck journal... and when I look at Aimee, she is very interested too (or do you have something delicious in your hands? LOL)
ReplyDeleteA new, year, full of new eperiences will come!!!
Thanks so much Ria! When I started this post I had no idea that it was going to be links to inspiration, but the whole Inktober thing was such a game changer in developing my art. I'm looking forward to a great year of art and inspiration from the wonderful artists I've "met" here;-)
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