In my previous post I mentioned I had gotten rid of all my art stuff and taken over a year out from everything. In about October 2017 I started getting slightly into art once again. I bought myself a Roald Dahl notebook from Haskins Garden centre and what I liked about it was that it was quite wide.
New Notebook
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Before with my art I had become a little bit stressed with all the options for different mediums and the use of canvas, rag paper, watercolour paper, paper on boards, acrylic paper and I had a lot of art materials. I don't have very much space, firstly my room goes for music production and the running of our film production company, art is secondary to that. With my new notebook I thought about ways I could still do art but save space and stress.
Sketchbook Journaling
I have been in awe with people's different Sketch Journals available to view online. Still not having really reached a point of drawing originally I found the samples breath-taking, beautiful paints, colours, drawings and all themed too. I decided this would suit me with my new book.
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Sketch Journal sample found online 1 |
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Sketch Journal sample found online 2 |
I found that everybody's style was different. I knew I did not yet have my own style so I thought that I would take some of the ideas and try to draw according to what is taking place that day. One of the major spoilers and stresses I found before was wondering what on earth to draw! This way, I would be guided by the daily events.
Keeping a Journal?
Still feeling raw from life's troubles I did not yet really wish to keep a diary form, I mean, what if something else traumatic happened I did not wish to have to draw another pet loss or something else traumatic, I just wanted to draw. Some stamps arrived in the post on a letter from the USA and I found the pictures inspiring so I used these as my starting point with my first sketch journal entry:
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First journal entry, sticking in images and information |
At this point I decided to leave off any dates and just mostly stick interesting things in, working with art and creativity in my layouts and colour choices and then drawing if and when I felt inspired.
We took a trip to Hobbycraft and I got myself some very basic supplies, cautious not to overindulge or overwhelm, not wanting too many things. I got some basic coloured pencils and used them to draw on this page, drawing of the actual art materials themselves:
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First drawings, feeling the way after a long break. |
I was pleased with the result and I went along like this, page by page, trying to draw at least something per evening and I found that it gave me the opportunity to draw interesting things. I stuck mainly to pencils and coloured pencils at this point.
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Drawing a Ranchu fish - copying from Google Images |
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Pencil drawing and shading |
In the above entry I started working on my shading again, I drew Patching church from a photograph. I find it easier to draw from a drawing but drawing from a photograph was really good practise!
In the above I drew a pancake stack and the next day a burger. It was great not having to wonder what to draw but to be guided. I still felt my work was a long way off of other people's sketch journals but it was a least getting me to draw again. I found that I would miss letters off and not notice which was weird, this has happened a few times.
With each day I tried to lay out the page more creatively. If I did not know what to draw I would find it on Google Images and copy it but try to make it my own. As with the wshing machine and the hoover and washing on the line, I copied those. The Worthing Seafront picture I copied from a photo.
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Creativity in my Sketch Journal |
In the above entry I got really creative with the layout of the parking metres and the road. On the right hand page I felt an itch to do shading, I firstly love shading and pencil and am not too keen on coloured pencils but they did look nice. Spontaneously I thought about what I would like to draw and what inspires me and I found a gorgeous fence pencil drawing so I copied it:
I incorporated the pencil fence into the journal entry. Here is a close-up:
Feeling the itch to draw pencil drawings started to get me a little frustrated but I decided to try and incorporate pencil sketches in the sketch journal when I could. All in all it was great to be back drawing but I was feeling the itch to do more. I thought, I won't try acrylics as I got rid of them all and I don't want big canvases everywhere. I won't use soft pastels as my lungs didn't like them. I never used watercolours so perhaps I will give them a go.
Watercolour
I followed a simple watercolour instruction book and drew a nice broody sky with watercolours and some dark crows and trees. The good thing was - it fitted into my journal so still everything was contained!
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Watercolour painting - trying out watercolour paints |
In the sketchbook:
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Sticking in the painting to the sketch journal |
The good thing about sketch journaling is being able to add bits and pieces, kind of a mixed media but more adding things that you gather. I try to focus more on drawing but occasionally I stick things in too such as these leaves/seeds and a funny email:
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Sticking other things in the Journal around the drawings |
IN the next entry I was able to focus a bit on perspective with the bathroom drawing. Although copied it looks 3D and before when I had tried to study perspective I had quit because it seemed to difficult. Gary Gumble was right in saying that some artists start by copying, I find copying very helpful indeed and it is working to make me better!
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Finding copying very helpful. |
These are several examples of my sketch journal over several months. Alongside this I got myself a Leuchtturm drawing book. The Roald Dahl lined or spotted paper plus its thinness sometimes restricted me from things so I decided to try and draw randomly in another book too. This was difficult for me as I am a bit of a control freak and found having 2 things on the go not as organized but with the Leuchtturm I decided it would be absolutely random and also enable me to try other mediums more freely as the paper is more thick and plain.
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