Illustration Friday - Sight

The creature was a scary sight.

This is a monster from my book of splotch monsters. Page 4.

Splotch Monster Book Page 2

Cats

Two new watercolor pencil cat portraits. I love how they turned out, but I didn't really enjoy making them. Making these requires a lot of time and concentration for me. Sometimes I am fine with it, but most times I am not, so I rarely do them.

After I finished the second one I noticed it looks fine when it's turned up side down. I think it might even look better the other way around. See:

What do you say? Which orientation is your favorite?

Cat Fest

I am still playing around with cats. These are the latest four:

Illustration Friday - Puzzled

Illustration Friday subject for this week is puzzled. Here's my take:

Watercolor pencil on heavy watercolor paper - 6x4".

Drawing Lab - Exercise 1

A few weeks ago I bought several drawing related books. One of them is Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists by Carla Sonheim. I didn't know anything about this book or it's author before I bought it. I just liked the art on the cover. At that time I didn't even register the additional text on the cover. It says: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun. Wouldn't you know it, that's just what I needed. I often struggle with that. I love to draw, but it often feels tough and a not fun. so, the promise to make drawing fun is very appealing to me.

The first exercise is to draw cats and so I drew cats. Lots and lots and lots of cats. I must have drawn at least 100 of them. The exercise definitely loosened my hand and gave me confidence, at least when it comes to drawing cats. The final result of the exercise is this 4x6 watercolor pencil drawing:

 I really enjoyed the first exercise and I am looking forward to exploring the book and the remaining 51 exercises.

Splotch Monsters

Two new splotch monsters. I did them on small atc sized cards this time. My splotch monster faces look too much like humans. I want to try to let my imagination run wild in the future and go for creatures that are completely out of this world.

Whimsical Floral ATCs

I really enjoy whimsical art, but I am terrible at making it. I would like to learn, so I am going to practice. For a start I made these 3 floral atcs with watercolor pencils and gel pens.

The Naked Gardener

Splotch monster #3 has arrived. It's a gardener and he's naked, but hey he is wearing a cool hat. 

Frolicking

A splotch monster #2. This one is actually loaded with different splotch monsters. This is not only fun but also a great exercise in releasing our creative side.

Did I scan the initial splotch. Nope, again. I was so eager to start, I forgot. I'll be making more of these, so lets hope I remember the next time.

Illustration Friday - Swamp

The topic of this weeks's Illustration Friday is Swap. I went with an obvious association - a swamp animal, Egret bird to be exact. It's a watercolor pencil on a 6x4 piece of watercolor paper.

Bamboo

Quick and simple atc card made with watercolor pencils and pen.

Shades Of Grey

Illustration Friday topic this week is "shades." For my entry I played with shades of grey using just a black watercolor pencil and drew a nude. This one:

The right edge didn't scan well, so it looks edge-less and lighter than it really is. I can't be bothered to scan it again, sorry. The main part of the image is still there and true to the original.

Kitten

Today I took a break from tangling and did this cat drawing:

It's a mix of watercolor pencils and gouache on a 6x4 paper. Not my best work, but much better than I expected it would be considering it's been years since I last did this sort of drawing.

An Introduction

I used to draw and paint a lot. I used to trade atcs and postcards and loved exchanging art with wonderful artists from around the world. Then life got in the way. I neglected creating art while I handled first a new career and then health problems. Years have passed and I am happy to report that all is well both with my career and health. Finally, I am ready and eager to create once again.

Back in the day I had a blog where I displayed my art. It was a nice little blog, but I decided not to go back to it. I'll start fresh. This will not be only about my adventures in creating art, but also about my craft projects, travels, interests and whatever else is going on in my world.

This whole comeback was initiated by my recent numerous visits to various museums and escalated after I got back in touch with my dear friend Danny and hearing his encouraging words about my artistic abilities. Unlike me, he thinks I am talented. It's incredible how just a few kind words can make a huge difference.

I picked up a pen and after one very unsuccessful abstract doodle which shall not be shown here (or anywhere else) I doodled another picture. This one:

Except the nose, which I very much dislike and didn't know how to fix, I was quite happy with the result. So that made me want to go on and make something else.

Next stop a nude. Those were among of my favorites to create. I decided to go simple. This is the result:

Finally, I tested myself with a portrait. Black and white again. Here's how it turned out:

Both the above black and whites were done with a watercolor pencil, again one of my favorite mediums.

That was that, I am hooked again. This will be my place to share my creations and experiences. You are invited to follow my journey. Welcome!