Watercolor Sketchbook Play and Another Alpaca Attempt

This might turn into something! I see images coming forth!

Taking a break from sketching, used my water brush to spread different watercolors on my sketchbook page, which doesn't handle very much watercolor well, but I like the results. Looks better in reality, but this is the original. 

I began to see images in the original, but didn't want to commit just yet, so I made a copy and first drew in the images I saw, then later went over them with a Zig Writer marker/pen. The copier didn't scan the colors exactly right, and the brushstrokes are more visible in this one, which led to two female images.

Back on the original I saw the image on the left, then later the one on the right when the bottom circle looked like a sunset to me, so I drew them in pencil and left them for a while before...

going over the pencil lines with the Zig Writer pen. Not sure I really like either one, but they are what they are, and it was a learning experience experiment!

Back to sketching! I shared the ink alpaca sketch in a previous post, but since I had half a page left in my sketchbook, I decided to try another alpaca in pencil. He came from the same farmers' magazine, but where the first one was black, this one was whitish blonde. I may yet go over him with the Zig!

Just a squiggle girl from out of my head, which I played with watercolor on trying to practice color in shadow and light. I may have gone a bit too far...

Another sketchbook page with watercolors applied. I actually applied them in portrait format, but when they dried I liked it better in landscape format. It reminds me of the ocean lapping up against a rocky cliff.

And then I got the bright idea of drawing a line to emphasize the rock line. Mistake! Hate it, but can't erase it. The only thing I could do to hopefully fix it is to paint over the line with acrylics or something, which would involve basically adding paint to all of it, I think. Anyway, I'm leaving it for now as it is. I do love the colors, and I can always cut it up for collage.

We watch a lot of detective shows, and I told my husband it sort of looks like a body dump. Not intentional. It just turned out that way. Ha!

This page completed my 7" x 10" Canson Mixed Media sketchbook, so I painted another watercolor page in my Winsor Newton 7" x 10" mixed media sketchbook, but I haven't decided what I want to try on it yet. I'm thinking a mixed media piece. We'll see!

This has been kind of a stressful weekend. We expected company that didn't come, then our regular Sunday visitor didn't come today, but a cousin, her hubby, and two of her four dogs, who were camping out nearby, dropped by to see us for a while this evening. Good company!

I did get two blog posts done today, but I haven't done any art or stitching yet. Hubby about has hamburgers ready, so maybe after supper I will stitch and sketch something. It doesn't feel right not to since I've gotten so used to doing it every day. It's a good habit to have, plus it keeps my hands busy while we watch TV, which keeps me from wanting to snack before bed (good for my diabetes).

Take care! See ya next post! Thanks for visiting!

The Struggle is Real!

 It's been a minute,  but I'm still here, still struggling to get my creative juices flowing again. I think this may be the longest I've ever gone without making something crocheted, embroidered, needle felted, woven, written, journaled, drawn, painted, sewn, sculpted, beaded, stitched, photographed, cleaned, organized, etc. Not even any book reading, and very little blogging. And I hate it! I feel totally useless, and it's depressing.

It's not for lack of trying though. I made myself do these sketches with a water brush pen with barely any India ink in it at the end of May. They came forth from my imagination, but my heart wasn't in it. You can tell it in their faces. They look kind of like I've felt lately...

I forced these sketches at the beginning of June with the brush pen and ink and some words. I was trying to psych myself up to create something, ANYTHING. It didn't work...Creativity can't be forced. It takes patience, so I wait. 

This was a doodle sketch that I watercolored with Kuretake watercolors, in May or June, and left as a work in progress ...

This one is where I re-worked the one above in June, and this is where it is now. I wish I had left it alone. I like the one above much better, but, who knows, I might re-work it again!

Yesterday, July 8, I actually woke up wanting to sketch. I am a little rusty, as you get when you don't practice for periods of time, but I sketched these two from imagination, with a black gel pen on textured mixed media paper, while I drank my morning coffee. Look at the disdain on their faces, like they're saying, "What do you think you're up to?"

I didn't listen to them though, and found a photo of a Sasha doll, exactly like the one I have, on Pinterest and sketched it just to show them! I actually enjoyed doing these, and I sure need the practice!

I'm also thirteen weeks, thirteen memories, behind on the Storyworth memory book that our niece gave me for Christmas, but I have felt a glimmer of a nudge to write in the last couple of days, and I got up the energy to scan these images and post them here today, so maybe my little imp of a muse is about to decide to return. Fingers crossed!

Thank you for visiting, take care, and don't give up on  your creativity. Sooner, or later, it will come back!

I don't claim to be good, but I sure do enjoy trying!

Still Here! Painted Quirky Doodles, a Sketch, and a WC WIP

 My creative passion and muse is taking a looooooong vacation it seems! I am still in a slump and can't want to do anything, plus I haven't been feeling well. So, the other day I decided to make myself paint some of the quirky doodle sketches I had previously shared. I got out my watercolors, markers, pens, brush pen India ink, water spray bottle, and sketchbooks and just literally started throwing paint with a wet brush, letting it run and settle on a few of the sketches, thinking it would jumpstart my creative juices again. When they were dry, I added the other media. I enjoyed it while I was doing it, but it hasn't helped me want to continue on, or start new, projects yet, plus I can't get back into my daily sketching practice.

Usually, doing a few quirky doodles or buying a new class does the trick. I haven't bought a new class, because I have about three already that I haven't started yet, and quirky doodle sketches are even alluding me right now.

Anyway, here are my feeble attempts at creativity over the last few weeks. Hope you enjoy them!

The quirky doodle sketch below and the painted version above done with a mechanical pencil, Kuretake watercolors, and an India ink brush pen in my hot pressed mixed media sketchbook from Sophie's Art Supplies online.

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"Alone"-The sketch above and the painted version below were done in my Arteza mixed media sketchbook, on the textured side, with a mechanical pencil, black gel pen, Kuretake wc, a Zig black marker, and Posca markers.

"Me and My Shadow"- The above quirky doodle sketch and the painted version were created with a pencil, a black gel pen, a Zig marker, Kuretake wc, and Posca markers, also in my Arteza mixed media sketchbook, textured side.

"Scotty"- The quirky doodle above and the painted version below created in my Sophie's hot pressed mixed media sketchbook (very smooth pages) using a brush pen filled with India ink over a mechanical pencil sketch, with a little blue colored pencil on top after it was dry.

An accidental painting made by testing a couple of colors of Kuretake watercolors, which are in cakes, with my wet brush. This lady appeared, so I added a face. Later the cat appeared and I added a couple of pencil lines. I like it!

Work in Progress- A background using Kuretake watercolors brushed on with a wet brush, then sprayed with water and let dry.

The only sketch I've done lately. She's imaginary, and I was trying to find an easier way to draw faces, so I used a mechanical pencil to sketch a square instead of an oval, marked the feature lines for eyes etc., added the chin and forehead over and under the square, sketched in the facial features, hair, and ears, and this is what I came up with. I kind of like her. 

The new sketchbooks I'm trying out here for part of the images are from Sophie's Art Supplies online. They have hot-pressed mixed media pages, which I thought would be like hot pressed watercolor paper, although it didn't say that. The pages are 140 lb, very smooth and white, and they are for acrylics, watercolors, pen and pencil, which I like, but it's kind of like drawing and painting on thin smooth cardboard, kind of slick. It also doesn't say it's acid free. I got three for about twenty dollars, 30 sheets each, so I should have known it wouldn't be watercolor paper. A little disappointed, but I will still use them for sketching and journaling, so it's ok.

Anyway, hoping my creativity energy returns soon and I can finish up some of these projects and start some new ones! Plus, I'm now seven stories behind for the Storyworth memory book my niece gave me for Christmas. They send a prompt once a week.

Thanks again for visiting! I truly appreciate it! 💖

A Couple of Sketches and Quirky Doodles

 A few sketches from over the last week.

Inspired by a Vintage Pinterest photo-Charcoal Pencil

Quirky Doodle Sketch in pencil

Quick Sketch with a Frixion Erasable Pen inspired by an Amanda Blake painting

Quirky Doodle Sketch in pencil with acrylic paint and black Zig marker

I haven't been fooling with my art as much lately. I've been doing some writing for the memory book from Storyworth that I was gifted for Christmas by our niece. They send me one question/prompt a week to write a memory about. I was so rusty with my writing that it's taken me a while to get back into the frame of mind to write. So far I've written four memory/stories and emailed them back to them. Our niece also gets a copy each week to read.

I was a little overwhelmed for a few days. I really enjoy writing, but I also wanted to work on a few art projects. Since the writing prompts take some thought, typing, revising, etc., I've been working on those first. I haven't decided yet if I want to post my stories to my blog.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to for the last few days. So many ideas swirling around in my head and so little time left! Hope your creative juices are flowing freely in whatever your passion is!

Personal Note Cards and a One of a Kind Mug

So, I got another order from Vistaprint today and I love it! I had built up some kind of dollars points from my calendar orders that I had to use by January 7, or lose them, so I made one of my favorite quirky doodle paintings, Ze Artiste', printed onto personal note cards and a mug, just for fun. I had been wanting to try some of their other products for a while, so this was a good time to do it. I LOVE them!

I left the note cards blank on the inside, and the front says, "A Note From Sharon". 

The back of the mug; I don't have a business, but it was a dream, whose ship has sailed, once.

Closer up front; I love that the word "love" is written across the bottom corner!

Who knows? I may decide to give these for Christmas gifts at some point. Family and friends on my FB page seem to like them! :) 

I do realize that I have the pictures on the mug reversed, but that's ok. If I have more made, I know to change it. Anyway, I enjoyed the process and wound up with a couple of fun ways to share my art! 

Prayers that we all stay safe, well, and creative!

2021 Calendar Pages

For the last three years I have published calendars of my creative endeavors for the "special" people in my life. This year's calendar is kind of a hodge podge of past art, as was the first one. Calendars two and three contained work I finished that year. For much of this year, my creativity has been blocked and what I have done is still in progress, so I went back and picked out some of my favorite quirky doodle sketch/paintings and a couple of altered album covers, and put captions under them. Things that I thought would make the receivers smile a little.

I didn't re-photograph the art, and the original photos aren't all that great. In fact, a couple of them printed too dark, but I'm hoping the recipients will still enjoy the final result. I think the florals/words on the design I picked out matched my artwork pretty good. At least, I like it! 😀

Most of the art was painted with inktense or watercolor pencils and water on mixed media paper. A couple were painted with watercolors and a brush pen on watercolor paper, and three of them (altered album covers) are mixed media collage on cardboard record album sleeves.

Hoping this year's calendar is enjoyed, hoping I'm still around, that my muse comes back, and that I have some new art to print into a new calendar next December. Who knows, the way the Coronavirus is raging? Praying that it goes away soon!

Stay safe and well!

Quirky Doodle Abstract Painted Flowers

I did a quirky doodle sketch with a stabilo water-soluble pencil in my mixed media sketchbook, which I forgot to photograph, then went over it with a water brush pen to get gray tones.

I later used my pan watercolors and the water brush pen to add some color. I love the looseness of the flowers here.

I wasn't liking the way it looked, so I reached for a handy box of Posca paint pens and went over lines, petals, and smudges on the rest of the spaces.

Then I got the bright idea to go over everything with hard pastel sticks, which didn't cover the slickness of the Posca pens, and I hated the dusty look of it.

So I got the Posca pens back out and touched up the petals and a couple of lines, and this is where it is now. There may be some acrylics in its future, but not now. Too many other things going on to fuss too much over a doodle that I just did to kind of keep in practice while I'm not getting to make my other art.

Still learning and loving the processes!