Nature Walk Art

The other day I went on a nature walk with Little I and collected a couple of different items I found on our walk.

When Little I went down for her nap I drew them out on a piece of paper with pen (not pencil because then I would have been too worried about mistakes!) and then used watercolor pencils and acrylic paint to paint my drawings.  It was a great way to create art without stressing out about figuring out what I wanted to paint.  If you ever feel like you are "art blocked" this is an easy drawing and painting exercise.

Lay out your objects in front of you to draw.

Use pen so you don't focus on erasing mistakes.  Have fun and don't stress!

Queen Ann's Lace is my favorite!

Sketchbook Love

How many sketchbooks do you have?  I have probably  10 completely filled sketchbooks.  Some of my sketches are finished drawings and some are complete doodles and random markings (kind of like what you see in the picture above!)  I love looking through my old sketchbooks and seeing how my style has evolved and see what interested me (and still does in some cases) 5 or 6 years ago.  Sketchbooks give you such a behind the scene look at what is going on in the artist's mind.  If you get a chance check out these sites to see some cool sketchbooks:
sketchbooks.org
sketchbook project
design sponge


Meanwhile, here are some more of my sketchbook pages from over the years:

You might notice that almost all of them are done in mixed media.  I love to experiment with lots of media while sketching.  Collage, watercolor, ink and pencil are my favorite combos!  What are your favorite materials to use in your sketchbook or while doodling? 

Sketchbook Sparker: Draw from a Magazine

If you are ever stuck for ideas on what to draw, try this brainstorming technique: 

Supplies:

1. At least 1 magazine with LOTS of pictures ( Old Domino magazines, Elle Decor, Lucky, Smithsonian, Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart are some of my favs)

2. A sketchbook or pieces of paper

3. A pen (I like a black ball point pen)

4. Colored pencils, markers, watercolors, ink, etc.

Next complete these easy steps:

1.   Flip through the magazine.

2.  As you flip through, look for ANY images, fonts, colors that appeal to you.

3.  Using your pen begin to draw them on your sketchbook page.  Remember you are brainstorming so it doesn't matter how amazing your drawings are.  

4.  Begin to form a composition with your drawings.  You can do this by making the images interact, overlap, combining, etc.  There are no rules!  You will be amazed by what ideas come to you:)

5.  When you have filled your sketchbook page,  begin to add color or shade with your pen.

6.  When you are finished you will find that you have created a very interesting sketch!

7.  You can extend this idea by creating an artwork such as a finished painting or drawing from a section of your sketch.

Here is my magazine sketch from February's Good Housekeeping Magazine:

I used a black pen, watercolor colored pencils and chart pak markers.

Sometimes I just don't know what to draw and I find that images from magazines can be helpful:)  I hope this inspires you if you ever hit a creative block!

Well have a lovely day!  It was 50 here today in Ohio!  Yay!  It was so sunny and beautiful and really made me happy! 

Books that Inspire

Just wanted to quickly post about 2 amazing books I just purchased through Amazon.  I bought these because I felt like I needed some more inspiration in my life and these books totally did the trick! 

The first book I bought is Print and Pattern by Bowie Style.  Bowie Style has a sweet blog as well called..of course...Print and Pattern.  I am obsessed with patterns right now and find them so inspiring!  This book is FILLED with tons of pattern ideas and awesome color combinations. 

The second book I got is called Drawing Lab for Mixed- Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun by Carla Sonheim.  There are some amazing ideas in here for people of all ages.  As a high school art teacher I am totally going to use some of these ideas!  I have been neglecting my drawings recently because I have not had time to make them as "perfect" as I want them to be.  This book is more about being creative and really coming up with interesting and innovative drawing ideas...not about making something look totally realistic.  It is SO what I need right now!

So if you get a chance check out these books and the authors' blogs, it will totally inspire you! 

Also I have decided to start my 10 minute sketches again.  I am hoping to stick with it a little better this time...I stopped last time as soon as I started my masters class...blah...I will do better this time I promise!  I really miss creating and find that I am not as happy when I don't do art...do you know what I mean?!

So here is my NEW sketchbook that will hold my 10 minute sketches...it is pretty small..perfect for this type of project!

Look at all of these blank pages!

I have started doing some doodles in here though...so inspired by the Print and Pattern Book!

 Can't wait to add more color with some watercolors and watercolor pencils:)

Well here is my 10 minute sketch for today:  

 

It is of my sneaker!  I used a black ball point pen and my watercolor pencils.  For all of my 10 minute sketches I am allowed to use any medium BESIDES a pencil!  If you would like to play along and do the 10 minute sketch everyday with me let me know and I would LOVE to check yours out!  Just let me know in the comments section:)

Well I am off to get ready for the day!  Have a lovely one:)

xoxo