Are you stuck? Having trouble coming up with ideas for a project? I've found some techniques that have helped me break out of my stuck-ness and I use them with my students. I want to share them with you!
Read More
sketch exercise
Drawing Experiment: Combining Objects /
Drawing Experiment: Combining Objects
This week I wanted to show you one of my favorite drawing exercises that I like to teach. This exercise is great if you are stuck in your head or don't know what to draw.
Take 2 or 3 random things and combine them into a drawing!
The reason why this is great for your creativity, is because it allows room for spontaneity, randomness and the flow of your creative mind. Very interesting things can happen then, ideas that we might not have even thought of!
You want to try not to plan too much or get your thinking/ planning mind involved too much. Your inspiration could really be anything! Last week I just happened to get the new issue of Vogue in the mail. I just sat down with magazine and flipped through to see what caught my eye.
I first noticed this adorable cheetah. I have to be honest, at first I doubted my ability to draw a cheetah, but I did it anyway. Mine doesn't look exactly like the photo, and that is the FUN of it. Every person's drawing is unique, so don't worry about it not being perfect.
Then, I was inspired by the flowers on this dress. Again, mine look completely different because I was trying to stay loose. I also used the lines on the wall as another element.
I'm not sure what exactly is going on in this photo but I thought that those bushes could make an interesting addition to the foreground!
And there you have it! A fun little exercise to do when you don't know what else to do! I hope this has inspired you to get out the sketchbook and try something new. Let me know what you come up with, I would love to see your combo-drawings!
Registration is OPEN for my "Getting Creative with Hand Lettering" e-course!
Class begins November 6th.
Hand Lettering is a great way to express yourself and create work that will make you stand out as an artist. In this class, you will not only learn how to draw beautiful hand lettering, but do it in your own unique style!
I will share with you where I get inspiration, how to use your sketchbook to explore, we will observe different styles of typography and I will show you and combine ideas to create something all your own.
This is a week-long interactive course that consists of videos, and two live-streaming Q&A / Show and tell sessions.
Drawing Fall, an Exercise in Play /
Happy Fall! I hope you all are having a terrific Fall Season. Since the leaves have been changing, I've been enjoying my walks in the evening the beautiful colors and patterns. I get so busy working during the day that having a little break to reconnect with myself, my husband and nature have been essential.
I normally spend time in the morning drawing an inspirational phrase in my sketchbook that I feel I need to remember that day and some sort of freeform pattern. This helps get me out of my head and all of the things I need to do, and connect me with my creativity.
One day on a walk, I began picking up some of these leaves. I had an idea to draw on them instead on in my sketchbook. I wasn't sure how or if it would work. But I like to pay attention when I have the question "WHAT IF....?". This question is the beginning of play and is essential to inspiration.
I loved how that first leaf turned out, so I've been creating more and sharing them on my Instagram feed. This isn't some giant success story, my Instragram following didn't suddenly grow to 10,000 and I didn't get offered a book deal or anything. I just created something that was fun for me and people seemed to enjoy it too. And it fulfilled my need for play, fun and exploration.
So much of the time we are paying attention to deadlines and our to do list and we don't give ourselves time for fun. I find when I haven't made time for it I get grumpy. That's just a sign that I need to do whatever it takes to fulfill that need - soon! Play helps us learn and gets us out of our stuckness. Why don't we do it more?
What do you that helps you get out of your head and into the realm of creative flow? It could be cooking, dancing, playing with your kids. See if you can commit to 5 or 10 minutes of play/ exploration this week and see how it impacts your life and your imagination.
Practical tips for finding an Illustration style /
Hi Everyone! I recently began working in a different style of illustration, one that I've been thinking about and playing with for a long time. I thought I'd share a bit about my process and my creative "breakthrough". I feel that I have a consistent style as far as my illustrations go, but my paintings are a bit more free flowing and intuitive.
Read More