Daily Drawing Challenge and A Belated Happy New Year to You!

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it's almost the end of January, but 2016 has been slow going for me. I'm finally getting into the swing of things, and now I am ready to kick some 2016 a$$!

I'm taking part in the Creative Bug 31 Days of Drawing during January 2016. Click to see all of my daily drawings.

Daily Drawing Challenge 2016

To kick-start my creative practice in 2016, I'm taking part in a daily drawing challenge, organized by Lisa Congdon, one of my artist heroes. Each day in January, she has selected a different subject to draw. It's been awesome to have someone tell me what to do, and I look forward to drawing each day!

But Sometimes It's a Challenge

Some of the subjects we've drawn this month have been totally in my wheelhouse. Drawing these root vegetables was a breeze. Other subjects, like watches and cats, were outside of my comfort zone and I had to really push myself to do the drawings. Even if I'd have varying degrees of success with these daily drawings, I've learned and grown much.

Daily Drawing Challenge - Days 7-12, January 2016

Follow Along on Instagram

I've been documenting each of my drawings on Instagram. I invite you to follow me there. It's been fun to see how other artists have approached the same subject matter. I'm learning as much from my fellow artists as I am from doing the drawings myself!

That's all for Now

I've got lots of big plans for 2016. Check back soon to see what I've got brewing. Ciao!

How to Get Out of a Creative Funk

Hi there. How are you?  

I drew this pattern in my sketchbook the other night. I must admit, I love this one! It's organic, a little bit elegant, and very much me.  I don't know how I will use this new pattern yet, but you will see it somewhere. Maybe on a card? Maybe in a coloring book? Perhaps on a textile? (Stay tuned!) 

This drawing came to be after hours of creative struggle. Read on.....

A pattern drawing from my sketchbook.

In a Funk

Before I made the drawing you see here, I was working one some drawings for a new coloring page. (I'm not going to share it with you because it was CRAP!) Everything I was drawing looked forced. I was frustrated. No good was going to come from these drawings.

Instead of sticking with it, I opened my sketchbook to an empty page and let my pen wander.

I came up with this new pattern by loosening up and letting my pen wander around the page.

Loosen Up!

This is what I drew. The shape that became the repeating element in my pattern organically emerged from this doodle. Just as I've said time and time again, the looser I am the more the work flows. All I had to do was loosen up and turn off my inner critic.  Just moving that pen along the page with little thought and absolutely no judgement was enough to get me out of my creative funk.

If you're struggling with your creative work, try this!

Seriously, just get out a piece of paper and your favorite drawing implement and let your hand wander. It's terribly therapeutic!  (If you do try this, I'd love to hear about it and see your efforts.)

My other favorite ways to get out of a funk include walking, cleaning, and organizing. Just a change of scenery, rote, mindless movement/activity is usually enough to get me in a better space. (The time I spent today removing excess mortar from the shower floor tile we are installing in our new bathroom was incredibly therapeutic!)

What do you do to get yourself out of a creative funk? Do share!

That's all for today. Ciao, and Happy Thanksgiving Week!

PS. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your pals

Back to the Book

Hi there. How are you?

My sketchbook has again been calling my name and I've been spending time with it every day. I pulled out an old sketchbook with 8.5" x 11" pages, which allows me more room to play than my usual 3.5" x 5.5" sized Moleskine does.

My current drawings have been a little bit looser than usual and I have been drawn to pattern making. Making these drawings is relaxing, almost meditative for me. I don't know where I'm headed with these drawings, but I do know that I'm having fun making them. And at this point, that's all I'm concerned with.

If art isn't fun, why make it?

I'm just allowing myself to create without any pressure to make sale-able objects. I know that I am lucky to be in this situation, that I'm not forced to sell or make money with my art at the moment. All I'm trying to do right now is enjoy the artmaking process, which I'd sort of lost lately. Read more about that here.

My favorite pen these days is a Pilot G-2 (seen in this picture right above.) It is oh so silky on the page. Though not quite as precise as a ballpoint pen or a Micron, which I've used much of over the years, I really like the way the Pilot feels as I draw and the lines that it makes.

I realize that my art practice has very much been inconsistent.  One day I'm making mixed-media bird illustrations, then next I'm painting, and now I'm drawing patterns. Some will no doubt see this as a fault. I see it as a journey. I'm taking steps to recapture my joy for making, and it's going to take some time to find my way.

Thank you for following my along on my journey friends. I hope that you enjoy this glimpse into my life as a creative. If you'd like to see what I'm up to on a daily basis, do follow me on Instagram. I've been trying to post a new drawing every day.

Ta-Ta for now. Jen