“Fingers Crossed”: pencil, art journal
A bit distracted by the senate run-off election results coming in this evening from Georgia, I did a quick drawing of my left hand expressing my wish for a good outcome.
Doodle in my art journal with watercolour and ink
“TLC (Towers, Lion, Coins)”: magazine collage, art journal
This is a CAA Magazine Challenge using the last of the old issues that I had saved (Fall 2017). Do not ask me to explain it. (These challenge collages almost always come down to composition — shapes, angles, colours, balance, etc. — rather than concept. So they are wide open to interpretation, and if you have one, I’d love to hear it!)
A new year
“Dalmas Road, Wooler”: watercolour and ink, art journal
The new year seemed like a good time to recommit to my daily art project… then I let January 1st slip by without doing it! So today had to do.
It was a beautiful, bright winter day complete with fresh, clean snow, so we went for a drive in the country. We made sure to go along this pretty road with a lovely vista from the top of a hill.
Happy new year to you and yours. May it be an improvement over 2020.
Here’s another CAA Magazine Challenge from an old issue. Once again I am stumped as to what to call it!
Collage on a note card
I used my last blank note card to make this, and my usual art supply stores are sold out of them. I wonder if this is because of the season, or the pandemic?
I’ve added this to the collection of cards (actually mini art works) for sale. You can see them all here.
“Brush with Life”: magazine collage, art journal
And another CAA Magazine challenge from an old issue.
“Mum’s Christmas Bouquet”: ink and watercolour, art journal
A very quick sketch of my mother’s current “bouquet”: an odd (but delightful!) assortment of evergreen boughs, eucalyptus, a big pine cone, milkweed and other things gathered on my walks, and one yellow mum left from a long since discarded bunch of supermarket flowers.
A little weirdness...
Magazine collage, art journal
This is another CAA Magazine Challenge, from an old 2018 issue. I can’t decide on a title. Any suggestions?
Shades of grey
“Barn, Quinte West”: watercolour, pencil, white ink, water-soluble pencil
I decided to do a little experiment mixing different media all in grey tones.
Running out...
Collage of Japanese papers and real leaves on a note card
I was still finding pretty leaves on my walk through the woods the other day, though surely they won’t last much longer. Also, after this one I have only one blank note card left, and they seem to be sold out everywhere. Is making greeting cards another pandemic-related trend, like bread-baking was in the spring?
Just a friendly reminder: all of my one-of-a-kind art cards are for sale. You can see them all here. If interested in making a purchase, send me an email.
Collage on a note card
Milkweed again
“Milkweed Pods 2”: water-soluble pencils, art journal
I decided to try sketching milkweed pods again, this time using water-soluble pencils, a medium I haven’t used much. Like anything else, they’ll take practice, but I think I could learn to love them.
A little silliness
“Eat Your Veggies”: CAA Magazine collage, art journal
This is the result of my CAA Magazine Challenge using the current issue. I couldn’t resist this joyful-looking guy. The skateboard (or whatever it is) and bag of groceries were right proportion-wise. Then it was a matter of adding the veggies and fruits to round out (literally) the composition.
Practice, practice, practice
“Milkweed Pods”: pencil, art journal
Inspired by my sister Alison, who has made a habit of drawing and sketching from life, and my friend Susan L., who sent me a photo of milkweed pods, I sought out some milkweed on my walk today and did this drawing of it. As Alison likes to remind me, drawing takes constant practice, like a muscle that needs to be exercised regularly.
Watercolour on a note card
Back to it
“November Fields”: watercolour sketch, art journal
I fell deep into the rabbit hole of the U.S. presidential elections (yay, Joe and Kamala!) which caused me to neglect my daily art. Time to get back to it.
I have been enjoying driving around on the country roads near here (Brighton/Trenton/Belleville, Ontario), taking pictures to translate into landscape paintings in pastel. I will begin these soon (tomorrow?), but this evening, I just did a quick little watercolour sketch as a warm-up.
Hope and Dread
“Hang In There”: magazine collage in my art journal
As I have mentioned before, when I am feeling really agitated, usually because of the news, I try to express myself by leafing through magazines (usually National Geographic) and tearing out images that resonate with my feelings, then assembling them into a collage. I have been feeling pretty optimistic about the U.S. election, but this morning’s images of armed Trump supporters in pick-up trucks trying to drive the Biden campaign bus off the road were very upsetting. I have tried to communicate this mixture of hope and dread in this piece. The bundled-up figure with the face covered evokes Covid as well, I think.
Play time
“World Pieces”: watercolour and collage in my art journal
When I first did my “daily art” project in 2016-2017 (over 500 consecutive days!), on many occasions all I could muster was a doodle, often with watercolour, in my art journal. Just letting myself play like that produced ideas and techniques that I could use in bigger projects. Besides, it’s fun! This evening I doodled with watercolours, then glued on bits of a map just because the colours worked nicely.
It's coming...
Watercolour pencils and collage on embossed watercolour paper on a note card
Yesterday I made a note card that I decided was a reject, but today I rescued it by adding a bit of collage. Christmas will be here before we know it… but sadly not in a recognizable form for most of us as the pandemic continues to disrupt our traditions.