A Little Saturday Afternoon Doodling

 

I thought I'd share with y'all the most recent page from my sketchbook. Since Spring seems to be just around the corner, I've been on the look-out for the first signs that Mother Nature is ready to take off her Winter coat and send us some Spring warmth and flowers!...  so "Nature" was my inspiration word for this page.

Often I find that picking a topic or theme word for each sketchbook page helps me to avoid the "fear of the blank white page" that can happen when I'm starting something new. And really, the word that I pick can be anything! 

Looking back in my most recent sketchbook, I've used all kinds of themes to jump-start my drawing... everything from mermaids to space aliens to seasons and holidays. I've got pages about things that make me happy... and pages inspired by our family vacation. Any topic will do!... For me, having a theme is just an easy way to dive in and start doodling!

I think the beauty of keeping a sketchbook is that it provides me with a safe place to experiment. I'm free to explore any idea that I want to. No one is looking over my shoulder, telling me what to do and how to do it. No one will be putting a grade on my doodles. They are just for me... for my learning, for my growth as an artist, for my self expression, and for my fun! And much of the time, my sketchbook provides the inspiration for paintings I create or cards that I design. It's a black and white account of the progress I'm making as an artist, and it's a huge source of my own unique creative ideas.

Over the years I've filled up many many spiral notebooks with my silly drawings. I like to work on graph paper with a plain old mechanical pencil and a kneaded eraser. Nothing fancy, and super portable. I take my sketchbook with me when I go on trips, and I always have it at the ready right next to the chair in my art studio. 

How about you?... Do you keep a sketchbook? What works for you in capturing your creative ideas? I'd love to hear all about it!

Happy Birthday To Me!

 

My birthday was in February... and yes, I'm 39 again! *wink!* My sweet husband surprised me with a trip to the mountains for a weekend with our family! He couldn't have given me a gift that I would have enjoyed more! We rented a cute little cabin near my son's house so we could be with family during the day and retreat in the evening. LOTS of eating out and catching up with each other and playing with my granddaughter!... What could be better?!!

So, I thought I'd do a "Five Different Things You Probably Don't Know About Me" for my birthday post. Starting with...

1. I am definitely NOT a morning person! My husband has an "internal alarm clock" that gets him up early each morning... but that feature must have been overlooked when God put me together! It takes me a while to mellow into the day. I'm good to go about 10 AM.

2. My husband and I were high school sweethearts. I was 15 and he was 17 when we first met. After my Dad was transferred to a different state while I was still in high school, we had a very lengthy long distance relationship (I do not recommend this!). We finally got married after we'd both finished college.

3. I didn't grow up making art. When I was young, I always had an attraction to art and crafty things, but I never seriously pursued arty things until my late 20's and early 30's. In fact, it was only when my son was unhappy at preschool that I started to draw little pictures for him. I drew simple pictures on 3x5 cards to put in my son's lunch box for Lunch Bunch... and I was hooked! I've been doodling ever since!

4. For those of you who know Myers-Briggs, I'm an ISFJ... I'm introverted, so I'm quiet and a little shy. I take in information as a sensor through what I see and hear (I don't just KNOW something by intuition like my husband does). I'm a feeler, so I make decisions based on my feelings instead of by logic alone. And I'm a judger, so I like routine, organization and "everything in its' place." 

And finally... 

5. I'm a vegetarian... and I'm really not a very good (or enthusiastic) cook. Give me all the fresh fruit, salads and veggies. Throw in some yogurt, cheese and whole grain bagels and I'm a happy girl! And my favorite ice cream of all time is Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip... YUM!! 

Just a few words about the silly chicken card above... This is one of the cards I recently made for the Creative Kindness Foundation's "Cards For Kindness" program. This organization accepts handmade cards of all kinds and distributes them to people in hospitals, nursing homes, and people in crisis in order to spread encouragement and kindness. I like that a lot. 

I'm fairly new to card making, so I'm figuring it out as I go along. I enjoy mixed media, so most of the cards I've made so far are a combination of drawing, painting, collage, lettering and a little bit of sewing too. I'm having fun with this!... and I hope that the cards I create bring encouragement and hope to those who receive them!

If you'd be interested in Cards for Kindness, check out their website. They are always looking for more handmade cards!