A Few of My Favorite Things

Hi there. How are you? 

I was recently invited to become an Amazon Influencer.  As an influencer, I have my own page on Amazon.com where I can recommend my favorite products and earn money on qualifying purchases made through the page.  I don't expect to make millions, but it is nice to have a place to share all my faves while making a little pocket change. 

As I'm often asked about the supplies I use to make my ballpoint drawings,  I thought I'd start by curating a list of favorite drawing supplies, all of which can be found on Amazon. 

These are my go-to supplies for ballpoint drawing. Click through for the details and more of my faves.

1. BIC CRISTAL X-TRA BOLD BALLPOINTS:

If you're just going to buy just one set of pens, go for these! They're inexpensive, smooth and have great color.

2. PENTEL RSVP RT BALLPOINTS:

(RT stands for retractible.) I like the Pentel retractibles better than the capped Pentels as the ink tends to flow better in the retractibles. Overall, Pentel pens have a finer ballpoint, which can make it more difficult to achieve smooth values, but are good for making sharp edges. 

3. PAPERMATE PROFILE BALLPOINTS:

Papermate Profiles come in a huge range of colors, but are more difficult to find and are more expensive than the Bics. The ink doesn't flow quite as well as the Bics, but they're my runner ups. 

4. SMOOTH BRISTOL BOARD:

There are many different brands of Bristol board out there and there are also different finishes available. Look for smooth Bristol board when purchasing. Don't want to spring for Bristol board? Any smooth paper will work (including copy paper!)

5. MOLESKINE SKETCHBOOK AND TOOL BELT

Moleskine sketchbooks have been my go-to for years. Right now I'm partial to the 5" x 8.25" size. The paper is thick but smooth and the pages lay flat. The only downfall with Moleskines is that the paper has a slight yellow hue to it.  Add a Moleskine tool belt to it and you've got a fabulously portable drawing kit.

All of these are supplies I actually like and use. 

I only add items to my Amazon Influencer list that I can vouch for! 

I've finally found a yellow ballpoint pen! Meet the 8 color Yoobi. Click through to purchase.

And my newest fave.....

I've been on a hunt for yellow ballpoints for over a year now. Up until recently, I couldn't find them for purchase anywhere in the States. Until now.

Meet the 8-color Yoobi pen, with yellow! Isn't it cute? All of the colors are nice and bright and the ink goes on smoothly.  With a whole range of colors in one, this is going to be a great pen for my trip abroad this summer. 

I made an entire post about my quest to find yellow ballpoints. Find it HERE.

What are your Amazon faves?

Do tell. I'll try them out and if I like, I'll add to my list. 

Well, that's all for now. Thank you for supporting my artistic endeavors by shopping my Amazon list. I'll be back soon with some of my favorite motivational books for creatives. 

Ciao, Jen

2017 Sketchbook Flip-Through

Hi there. How are you?

I recently used the last page in my current sketchbook.

It's fun to look back at all the drawings I've completed over the past 9 months in my trusty Moleskine. It's even good for me to look back at the failed drawings too. I've even gone back and reworked those once abandoned pages. (See a great example of that HERE.) 

I made a quick video of myself flipping through my 2017 sketchbook. I thought you'd be interested to see all 40 of the finished drawings along with the unfinished as well. 

So without any further adieu,

Here's the sketchbook flip through video, warts and all:

Click that arrow to start the video!

If you liked this, do check out and subscribe to my YouTube channel. There you can see all of my process videos. It is my intention to add more in the coming months . 

Well, that's all for now. Ciao!

Every Vote Matters: Postcards to Voters

Hi there. How are you?

I’m always looking for new and creative ways to utilize my abstract drawings. When a friend of mine asked me to to design a voter postcards to send out in "get out the vote" campaigns, I was happy to oblige. 

My "Every Vote Matters" postcards are ideal for "get out the vote" campaigns. Click to purchase. 

Every Vote Matters

Now that it's 2018, we can start to focus our attention on the midterm elections. If you're unhappy with the way things went in 2017, now is OUR time to make a difference. Enter the "Postcards to Voters" campaign. 

Postcards to Voters are friendly, handwritten reminders from volunteers to targeted voters in close, key races coast to coast. This grassroots movement started in March 2017 with just 5 volunteers writing postcards to voters in one special election in Georgia. There are now over 10,000 volunteers writing postcards in all 50 states that have written some 500,000 postcards to voters. 

It's an easy way to make a positive, political impact. 

Interested in volunteering to write Postcards to Voters? Click through to learn how. 

So, I decided to volunteer!

I just finished up my first batch of voter postcards on my very own postcards. In just one evening, I was able to crank out 20 handwritten postcards to Pennsylvania voters. Postcards to Voters provides the "talking points" and the address, so all I had to do was write, stamp and send. 

Postcards by Karen Fiorino of Clay Lick Creek Pottery. Click through to purchase. 

My friend made some too!

My good friend Karen of Clay Lick Creek Pottery has also made some voter postcards. It's cool that she was able translate her signature pottery motifs onto 2-d postcards. I'm particularly fond of the top design, and the play of the organic shapes against the bold blue stripes. It's sure to grab the voter's attention, don't you think?

Postcards by Mary Hawkins on Etsy. Click through to purchase. 

Other Voter Postcards on Etsy

I found these voter postcards by Mary Hawkins on Etsy. I'm totally smitten with the US map design. It's a good reminder that every vote, every where is important. She's got a whole shop full of postcards and other voter themed goodies, even washi tape! 

Every Vote Matters postcards feature my abstract ballpoint drawing. Click through to purchase. 

I'm so pleased with how my postcards turned out. This design really pops. The blue ballpoint drawing provides a great backdrop for the very simple, but important message. I can't wait to send more of these out! 

If you'd like to purchase these and start writing postcards to voters yourself, click HERE.

One last thing!

I can't end this post without giving a shout-out to my friend Emily, who encouraged me to design these postcards and to volunteer for Postcards to Voters. She's the mastermind behind Ekra, a fab handmade shop featuring customized map art. She's also an awesome, political animal! I admire her willingness to step up and get involved. 

That's all for now. Ciao! 

Just one more thing....Don't forget to Vote!