Diva Challenge #363, a Duo-challenge and other artsy endeavors

Diva Challenge #363

"Laura's Aura's"

Who doesn't love auras?

My Monday morning cafe set up

This page in my DIY journal seemed like a good candidate for the task at hand. Instead of actually aura-ing sections, I chose some patterns built by aura. I was watching some YouTube this morning and caught this video. I love how she was drawing "Pepper" and decided this could be considered an aura pattern. That's my story and I'm sticking to it;-) Then of course, one of my mac 'n cheese patterns, Sandswirl and then Pixioze.

Then I moved on to this

The Weekly Duo-Challenge

Joey #216 & IAST #243

Now and again, I'll tweak Joey's front & center placement slightly to give myself the option to carry it over to the other side later if I want..
Adele's challenge was to do a Zen Button. I've seen so many of these all over the internet and I love them but I've never made one. Adele linked to this great tutorial from Marguerite Samama. I chose not to do the white charcoal pencil highlight thinking it might throw off the balance of the two sides. I know it's the key to getting the 3-D effect and I may go back and do it later. maybe. I can see some 3D potential in the Joey side, but frankly, I'm wiped out. I've been home sick with a cold for a couple of days. It hit me quick and hard, so I've been home drinking turmeric almond milk tea for two days and arting between naps.

I'm headed off to Cheese Camp Sunday thru Tuesday and I can not be sick! I won't be able to go if I'm still sick. Even if I'm mobile and feeling ok, it's a sanitation thing because we're actually going to be touring several cheese making farms and the production rooms so I can't be coughing and hacking all over the place. The cough is what always lingers when I'm recovering from a cold. So, fingers crossed. 

In other art:

My most recent hand bound watercolor journal

I followed this SeaLemon coptic stitch bookbinding tutorial.

a page inspired by this video at CeeCee Creations

another CeeCee inspired water color page

a page of watercolored and brush pen butterflies

inspired by Maremi Small Art

I liked the idea of adding butterflies to my art journal pages and wanted to make my own. I've been working on this page for a couple of weeks. I printed a layout of butterflies from the internet and traced the silhouettes onto watercolor paper. Then using a wet on wet technique, I wet within the silhouette with clean water, picked up a bit of paint on the the tip of the brush and  dripped the pigment into the wet shape and let it spread and feather. When the paint was all dry I used a black brush pen to do all the line work, using a variety of images from the internet to inspire the different details.

I color copied them and did a couple of reductions as well. I'll cut them out and use them in my art journals and perhaps some envelope art.

Travelling Tangles I completed this past week:

My finish...

...to Heidi Whitney's gorgeous start

My finish...

...to this cool start by Angie Lorandos

another finish...

...to Angies start

My finishes...

to these gorgeous starts by Megan White

travelling from Kentucky

I'm happily overwhelmed by the generous starts I've been receiving in the mail. Some of my swap buddies are sending me 4, 5 or 6 pieces. I'm having a lot of fun with them 'cuz  now I start seeing the art journal potential with so many of them, especially those that are not traditional Zentangle.

I always work through all of the pieces in the order that I receive them rather than pick and choose what speaks to me.  It's so much more fun (the more out of my comfort zone the better) but mostly out of respect to the senders that were quick with their part of the exchange. What's that saying? "You can't wait for inspiration, you have to chase it down with a stick".

She's ready for her close up

and she looks so wise doesn't she?

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

Some Daily Drawing Practice

Texture

4" x 6"

dip pen and various inks

So began my first week of daily drawing after last weeks post, not in any particular order, inspired by this video  and this video by Alphonso Dunn. Not everything is "finished" and some are just exercises. Here's a link to his series of Basics and Fundamentals if you're interested in exploring pen and ink drawing.

This first one started out as an exercise. I was practicing a wet on wet technique I came across on another one of my favorite YouTube channels, Studio Jess. She calls it Cosmic Moons, 

before pen and ink

"Toodles"

Perhaps a Throwback travels series?

Continuous line drawing...sort of

A page from my Trainwreck Journal

Frost Flower, Printemps and Rumpus

Shading and Hatching practice

Just noodling around

I usually have something like this going on all the time, for when I feel like drawing but don't have the bandwidth to start something.

"Why, oh why you draw so much and ignore me???"

Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know if you have any questions about what I shared today. I tried to keep the chatter to a minimum;-)
As ever, your thoughtful and generous comments delight and inspire me.

🎄❄HAPPY HOLIDAYS⛄🎁

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;-)