Sketchbooks Are Exploration Wonderlands!

The past couple weeks, I've been trying different artistic techniques in my sketchbooks to get my creative juices flowing! Yes, I'm almost out of a slump!

Wildebeest

A NEW ANIMAL has arrived in my menagerie! To begin this newsletter differently, I made a demonstration video for you all! This unique and wonderful wildebeest jumped out at me from my research book and I was smitten!

Wildebeest Sketchbook Demo Video

I hope you enjoyed watching this and please let me know your feedback. If you have any questions about any of the art materials or process, I would be happy to answer them.

Old Abstract Finds New Life

I have a true admission! Tearing up old art, especially when it never makes you feel positive, is an activity that I enjoy! When I clean out my full art drawers or look through old sketchbooks, the raw sound of ripping paper as I shred the “culprits” feels good!

“The Exploding Tomato” was an old art piece that needed to go away and was taking up space in my file drawer. Scissors were my tool of choice as the shapes needed crisp lines. As shown below, I started putting the pieces back together, and these bug-like characters appeared.

Abstract Art Bugs

Yippee! I love these two and want to do a bug series! Now, I’m back in the art file drawers to find more art that needs a new life :)

Paper Paint Palette Cut Up Pieces

Continuing on my sketchbook explorations with different artistic techniques, I’ve been keeping my paper paint palettes with interesting mixed colors that look like characters or parts of them. Check out below what appeared as I glued and doodled.

Paper Paint Palette Thingamajigs Three And Four

My favorites are the little alligator with the bird and the red-nosed fish.

For these pieces, I used Acryla Gouache colors, and the finishing details were black pencil or paint lines. The paper palette mixing surface is very shiny, and everything wants to flake off once dry. I have to trim the shapes right up to blobs of paint before gluing them down. In the end, a coat of Modge Podge Matte protects them.

Dancing Crab On The Ocean Floor

I like to imagine what secret things sea creatures do that we cannot see!

Daily doodling keeps my ideas flowing and surprises of characters continue to appear. I’m expanding my inspirational research books to include more exotic animals like wildebeests!

Thank you for reading to the end of this newsletter. Was beginning with a demo video a good way to begin? Please let me know, as I’m always trying to make this a more interesting read for you all.

Night Before Full Moon Rise

Happy full moon rise tonight! I took this series last night, and Seattle has overcast skies for the official moon rise tonight, so I’m happy to have caught this. The atmospheric palette showed off the moon so beautifully! I’m not a landscape artist, but this may inspire a painting or two with my animal characters :)

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