Why The Change These Days and Another Fantasy Sketch

What on earth is Susan doing these days and why the change????

Trying to keep this as short as I can, here is what has been or is going on...............

1)  I have felt like I've been in a rut losing interest in wanting to sketch.   Sketching the same thing that others sketch or even the subjects I tend to work all the time have become very predictable ... with my lacking desire in wanting to pick up a pencil or pen.

2)  I'm struggling with the ability to feel any excitement or find much in the way of inspiration even visiting all the groups I'm in with regards to sketching and painting.

3)  For the longest time I have felt like I had no imagination and lacked the ability to be creative.  By exploring the fantasy world I've found myself in lately, it's proving to me that what I felt was not entirely true.

4)  The illustrations I have managed have been fun to create (often making me laugh) and I find it's exciting to see what I end up with considering I am not following anything.  I haven't felt that excitement in a very long time!  It's almost like being a kid again not taking things real serious and just having fun!  Often I sit there thinking............"where on earth did that come from??!!"

5)  I'm working strictly in black and white, providing me with practice in tones values....particularly darks I tend to fear.  And instead of worrying about color, I can concentrate on the marks I make and the shapes that start to develop as I work......ending with many of the fantasy creatures I seem to enjoy creating and/or the themes I end up with.

While many who know me have been enjoying this change, there are those who don't quite feel the same .... missing what they have come to know of me producing.   I expect that and truly appreciate their feelings (hugs to those of you who don't much care for what I'm doing these days), while at the same time, I sketch for me and the joy and therapeutic value my sketches bring me.  If I lose that joy, why bother?

So changing direction for a little while is important to me.  I feel to tap into a bit of creativity and imagination is a stepping stone that will hopefully help when I decide to return to my normal that reflects who I am, what I enjoy, and places I've been.

With that said, here's a twist on nature journaling :-D

More of the Same - Exercising Imagination/Creativity

Here are three more I have worked exercising a bit of imagination and letting various marks help form the shapes as I work.

This one was trying to produce mirror images and/or balance in mind as well as imagination.  I love working the various little creatures.

Idea starting with a picture of a gator I saw and worked from there.

Last night/today thinking about art supplies.  My favorite is the little creature holding the coffee cup.........lol.

Where Is This Stuff Coming From??

I'm still in the doodling mode these days with this one born from looking at a photo of our downtown Leesburg.  I have no plan when I start these and amazes me what turns out sometimes.  Truly makes me question what's hidden up inside my brain..........lol

I started out with the clock which looks like an owl's face at the angle view in the photo.  From there just looked at the different components in the photo and just let my imagination go wild and hand making marks. 

This next one was worked tonight since I couldn't sleep.  I (for whatever reason) chose to start with my hand and just went from there.

Working these, I have no idea why I go with any particular shape but instead just start making the marks and seeing what comes out of them. 

My favorite is the little tassel man I ended up with mid bottom.

More Doodling Fun

Here are two more I've worked over the last couple of days.

This first one started out with the three dark blobs that look like brain cells.  Next thing I knew, it was taking on the look of a face and not just any face but my little dog.  With Florida in the midst of rainy/stormy season, our dog has a horrible time of it.  And to me it's reflected in the results of this.  Another look and it says flower petals like those in the bouquet my husband got me the same day.

Last night as I was watching Criminal Minds, I worked on this next one starting at the wheel looking shape to the left.  From there I just slowly worked the shapes and this is what I ended up with.

This one is one of my favorites so far.  So much fun!!!!!

Doodling with a Theme in Mind

This was a lot of fun.  With the doodling, I'm trying to tap into any small trace of creativity I might have hiding in this brain of mine.  Normally it's have to see in order to put onto paper. 

Digital sketching using the technical pen brush tool.

August Challenge - Indirect Spouse Portrait

This month the challenge was set to use the same concept of an indirect self portrait to work one of our spouse.  This is what I came up with for my husband..........

This represents Terry's love for reading (speed reader), fishing, kayaking, boating, and beading.  He is also an Iphone person preferring Apple over Android.  And the brain cell is a joke between us (of his making) due to his forgetting things all the time (he's ALWAYS been that way even as a kid) and having trouble doing more than one thing at the same time.  Or easily getting side-tracked when working on a project.  Then there's the mustache.  Anytime he's in serious thought mode, he strokes his mustache (fingers are there too).

True Doodling

The last few days I've been just putting pen to paper to see what marks I could make and ending results.  True doodling. 

I stumbled across an artist who makes a living from 'just' doodling and amazes me the results this guy ends up with.  I like his method...........no patterns to have to remember but instead just making marks.  YouTube Channel - Peter Draws

Fabriano Venezia sketchbook and Micron 02 pen.  LOVE how this paper takes pen and ink!

This little 3 x 3 inch square took listening to/watching several episodes of a TV show to complete...............ALL those tiny dots with the Micron 02 pen.........lol.   I had nothing in mind...just started stippling and as I worked, the shapes started forming.

Brush Play with Found Brush Pen

Besides sorting through my books, I'm working to organize my art supplies and probably donate those I seldom use or don't think I'll ever use.

In one of my drawers was this red box with two pens and a single refill received as a free gift years ago in an art supply order.  Looking online, I can't find anything on these pens or how to obtain refills.  I love the pens but not much good if one can't find the refills and I can't see a way to add ink.

Just for fun, I thought I'd see if they even made marks figuring they'd be dried out.  They were indeed rather dry but still made light marks.  If I dipped the tip in water, I could obtain the darks you see.

The ideas for the little illustrations come from a Sumi-E painting book that is in my stack of books to donate.

Stillman & Birn Alpha journal

People Gesture Practice

Had an itch to practice people again.  First used pencil scribble lines to get the shapes down and then tidied up with pen and ink.

Think what I need to do is a page of hands and feet....especially hands.

S&B Epsilon journal
Mechanical pencil
Platinum Carbon pen with Black Ink

Lost Mojo

Now and then I go through slumps (as I'm sure everyone does at various times and I've mentioned before)..........some lasting for long periods.  Not sure what's going on with me right at the moment; but, I don't think it's one of my normal slumps.  Instead it just feels like I've lost my mojo.

If I were to say that to my family, they'd say I'd lost more than that (which may be true...ha ha ha).

I try combing through books and pictures hoping to initiate some motivation.  Thought I had last night but the results (to me) were .......... disappointing.  Another trick I use is playing with the online scribbler.  So far I'm still feeling like I've lost it.

Not sure if it's the weather or after holiday blues or what.  In all honesty, I just haven't felt up to doing much of anything to include my normal computer regime of reading my favorite art blogs, answering correspondence, etc. etc.  And going through books and photos has only been a half effort.

I did manage this using Scribbler hoping it might help....so far - not really.

And although a bit hesitant to share, here's what I managed last night.  Maybe when I'm in one of these moods, I should NOT try something totally foreign to me.  With this I was trying a brush pen, which at this point I can say I do not much care for.  Why, is a question I can't answer even to myself.  I even tried to dress it with some watercolor hoping that might help.............nope.

Here's hoping this lost mojo feeling doesn't last long!!

Landscape Doodles

The page I did the last mini landscape on I finished off with various landscape elements like trees, rocks, etc.  The mini landscape looks like an odd ball on the page though considering the overall usage of Fr Ultramarine versus what went into the doodles.  It definitely stands out!

Doodles:

W&N - Fr Ultra, RS, BS
DS - Sap Grn, Phthalo Blue (green)

#8 Round and #2 Rigger

The Langton 140lb Cold

I think what I'm learning about the ink I use in the Noodler's Flex pen is that it does not dry very fast or sits on the surface of the paper that has any amount of sizing in it.  It bleeds when watercolor washes are applied.  One reason I went light with my washes just barely applying pressure with the brush.  I had to go back over some areas with the pen to emphasize some of the detail.

The ink I'm using is Noodler's Black and it claims it's bullet proof (water proof??)  I think it definitely depends on the paper.  Maybe if the ink sits for a few hours, it might not bleed.  I'll have to test that out.

Just Doodling - Pad Paper

For Beads2Yarn...............

Wanted to share where I do this quite often with pencil, pen/ink, Tombow markers and waterbrush, and even light watercolor wash.

These doodles were playing with the Noodler's Flex pen.

I don't worry about perspective or anything.................I just play.................often watching TV or while on the phone.  Sometimes just to fill a little time.

And I keep everything to include post it note doodles as well as record digitally.  All my pad papers are bound together later when I have enough to create a bound sketchbook.  The post it notes are just stuck on one of the pages within the same date period.