Focusing on Art this Summer: The Art-Party Begins with Back to Basics

This summer I decided to do something scary. I decided to not take on any new web projects until August/September. Here’s why.

I usually put myself last. I had an opportunity this summer to focus on art and making art. Learning and building collections. So I am doing it. I am scared but ready. Tomorrow Summer Art Party begins. I am excited to bring you along for the fun and fumbles.

I have been trying to work on building an illustration portfolio that includes art for licensing, art for sale, patterns and pattern collections for surface pattern design and licensing opportunities there too. And I have NOT made time to do it.

Something always comes up. I put my clients first. Which is how it should be. And it’s what makes me a good designer and able to run a successful business for over 20 years.

But it stops this summer. Because I am forcing myself to make, reflect, refine, share, and test to see what works. I will make connections along with art collections this summer.

My husband thinks I am playing. And it feels like it! But I am working. I am making, exploring, and taking things to new places. I am putting things out there in ways I have not before.

I am scared. But Fear will NOT stop me. I am hoping for 50 rejections from people, companies, whoever by September 15.

That means I need accountability from you. I need my feet held to the fire. I need you to ask me, where’s the Summer Art Party video this week diane? Where’s your progress diane? Where’s the art from this week diane?

I am committing to creating videos each week of my creations, my fumbles, my experiments, and my process. Then put them out on YouTube.

I will also be learning a LOT from others and I am excited to learn from each of them. Like in May I have been doing the Strathmore Artist Series and have loved it!

OK, Summer Art Party Begins May 29, 2024.

We had a bit of a last minute snafu with Dameon’s camera and had to post-pone that episode. I decided to take the opportunities God gives me and talk about Summer Art Party!

Which is really how I am spending my summer. I am super excited to share this video with you where we walk through some old work. (Which to me is a great place to start.)

Get Accountability in the Facebook Group

I go over people I will be studying from, rewatching, things I will be concentrating on, and commit to creating an art making recap each week. So here goes. Accountability and encouragement to the max. I am linking the Facebook Group HERE.

Join us every other Tuesday for an Art Share & Encouragement Session on Zoom

Listen here to the podcast episode from May 29, 2024

Let’s go!

Transcript from Video 1

[00:00:00] diane: Hey, did you know that it’s the summer art party? You might be like, what the heck, summer our party. Well, in some, I made up just for me for the summer, but you can do it with me, which means that you can just do your own art all the time. And you can do it with me. You can share with me, tag me. I want to see, I want to be held accountable to making art. Every day. 

[00:00:27] And I really making art [00:00:30] patterns, the goal, my goal. 

[00:00:32] I’m sharing it with you right now. My goal is to have so much art mate. That’s not all going to be great. Like you’re going to throw some things away or I’m going to throw some things away. I’m going to have things in my sketchbook. I’m going to make. Art, I’m going to get frustrated. I’m going to get being that I’m terrible, but I’m also going to find things that I think are really cool. 

[00:00:55] And I’m going to watch lots of things on YouTube and lots of things [00:01:00] on Strathmore does the stuff. I love their little series each year. I’ll link it down below. I’ve already done some of that one for the month of may. They’ve had one every week. Um, it’s just so much fun, but it’s also really hard. The reason I’m telling you about summer, our party. Is because I need accountability. 

[00:01:19] I want, when you see me, you should be like, Hey, where’s your summer, our party stuff. And if I’m like, oh, I’m still working on Pippa. You can be like, no, you’re [00:01:30] not that site launched because. It’ll launch. 

[00:01:34] Anyway, it’s summer art party. I am filling up sketchbooks. I am making patterns. I am doing all the things that I want to do. But I never make time for. Is there anybody like that? Are you like that? 

[00:01:50] That’s how I am. I have a hard time making time. For me and making art. So. I’m telling you, so you hold me accountable. Feet [00:02:00] to the fire. So. I hope you enjoy summer art party. It begins. May 29th. That’s tomorrow. It begins tomorrow. And I can’t wait to show you all the messages. And all. Crazy things. I have been so inspired from this inspiration series that we’ve been working on, which will come back in August because I love it so much. People last week, Marius [00:02:30] was telling us about all the things that inspire him. 

[00:02:32] And then he shows his work and he sees how his stuff gets. You know, he’s inspired from these people doing these things, and then he starts trying something. Meena’s done it. Meaghan’s done that. I mean, so many people have done it and we’re going to continue that on in August. But June is really sketchbooks. 

[00:02:52] Talking about their sketchbooks and how their sketchbooks impact their work. So. I’ll be showing some sketchbooks till. [00:03:00] There is a summer art party playlist. On YouTube. And I hope you join me. I hope you. Watch me struggle and fumble and, um, hopefully soar and fly. And I hope you do it too. 

[00:03:18] I hope you just take some time, even if it’s 15 minutes a day. And you make some art party happened for you. All right. I’ll see you tomorrow with Dameon Williams as he ends the [00:03:30] series on inspiration. For the may month. The may, I don’t know for may is what I should have said. Anyway. Summer art party. I’ll see y’all there. And tomorrow on the show. The end.

Transcript from Video 2 Podcast episode 471

[00:00:00] diane: Hey everybody. Welcome to another episode of, of Creatives Ignite, not design, recharge, but really it’s all the same thing. So today I was supposed to have, um, my good friend, Hey Alan. I not, I just saw Alan come in. Um, I was supposed to have my good friend Damien on and we tested. We always do tests.

[00:00:23] Sometimes we do them three weeks in advance. Sometimes we do them two days or a day in advance. So [00:00:30] Damien was gonna be on, we’ve done plenty. He’s done it lots of times, so didn’t really think anything of it. Him, we did a Sunday test ’cause he is been on so many times. So anyway, his computer. Um, camera broke.

[00:00:47] It was like, so you couldn’t see him. So we were like, well, we could set up another camera or do something. Anyway, nothing was working. He did tech support. It’s a new computer, so pray for Damien’s computer. I always [00:01:00] think, okay, this is the beauty of being a designer for a long time. Stuff like this happens.

[00:01:06] You gotta be able to roll. You can’t be like, oh my gosh, what? I think this is a superpower. It was not always a superpower. That is for sure. So I was like, okay, well God gives you opportunities, I believe. And I’m like, okay, well I’m just gonna take this. This is me to tell you about Summer Art Party. Now I have one more case study to do for Pippa.

[00:01:29] [00:01:30] One, just one, and then I am, um, oh, near Ven. I’m just probably not saying it right. Estella is. I don’t know, to Trita Trita. I loved Italy. You could try to type it in the chat of how to, in the chat. I can’t even say chat today. Um, but Italy’s beautiful. Estella. I’m really glad to have you. So what I decided to do was, I really wanted, the goal [00:02:00] was maybe you’re like me.

[00:02:02] Oh, I would love to spend time doing Blink, but we don’t make a lot of time to do Blink, whatever that is. And I’m like, Hmm. I, I don’t think that this is, I don’t think we’re supposed to just run rat race, rat race, rat race our whole life. Uh, I mean, I think there’s something good about being part of it and then knowing how to get out.

[00:02:22] I actually feel like I love what I do. I love building websites for people, but I really love getting my hands dirty. Um, [00:02:30] not necessarily dirty, dirty. You know, like I like doing things by hand. Um, I don’t want to just be on the iPad all the time. Um, it’s a tool. I don’t wanna be on the computer all the time.

[00:02:40] It’s just a tool. I also don’t wanna just work with one brush all the time ’cause that’s just a tool. And I know this camera’s in my way, but we’re about to use it and I don’t want it to mess up. I already got it set. So what I wanted, I had an opportunity. Um, and during my planning, so I do these planning sessions, [00:03:00] tree esta.

[00:03:02] Tri Asta. Tri Asta. Mm. I’m gonna keep trying Trita. I’m gonna say it fast. So Estella is here from Trita, Italy. Mm. You can tell me if I did. Okay. This is also the problem with me trying to have the chat up because I get, um, my a DD. So, um, I’ve been trying to finish Pippa’s website, which I love. Pippa, I love this website.

[00:03:27] I can’t wait to finish. Um, one [00:03:30] more case study literally was working on it when, uh, Damien called me and I was like, I’m gonna be able to get it done. And then I’m like, no, I’m not. Okay, we’re pivoting. But one of the things I think we have to do is, as, as a creative, there are a business owner, there are things that don’t go the way we expected.

[00:03:49] I mean, what nothing does. You have to be ready and you can’t just fall apart when something. Doesn’t go the right, you can’t get really upset. You can’t, [00:04:00] you just gotta like roll. And I think that because I always figure things out, it just doesn’t bother me anymore. Like I think 10 years ago, it maybe would’ve bothered me.

[00:04:13] I would’ve forced him to be on probably without his camera. And then that, I don’t want that for somebody. I don’t want somebody to have something that they’re not proud of because I forced them. So today you get me and I think, okay, well that’s just the way God wants it. So one of the things, [00:04:30] so today Summer Art Party starts and you’re probably like, what’s the summer art party?

[00:04:34] Well, it’s really just for me, but I think anybody can join and because I need accountability, maybe you do too. But Summer Art Party for me, um, is I am. Committing to making art every day. I am not taking on client work for the, I was gonna be May, June and July and August, part of August, but now it’s [00:05:00] for sure June, for sure, July.

[00:05:01] Now in 2021, I took off in July. I had a lot of big projects and um, I know exactly who doesn’t wanna join a party. Good. Maya in 2021, I took the month of July off. I had done a lot of like, um, publications and then done some really big websites. So it was, I, and I was, I was really burned out. No, maybe I was, no, Hmm.

[00:05:29] [00:05:30] 2022. It was 2022. I took 2022. That’s when it was, ’cause all these dates, these things that I’m gonna show you are 2022. And it was great. But I got covid. I went to Denver. Um, uh, stayed with my best friend Tara, and I got covid and then I came home and the reason I had to take all the rest of July off was because I was sick.

[00:05:52] Um, and then John got sick, you know, whatever. So party with accountability. That’s what this is. So I feel [00:06:00] like I have a goal. I did a goals at the beginning of the year, filled out this, I, it’s just blank and I put papers in it, and I did a, which I’ve had some episodes, which will link up in the, the, there’ll be little cards or whatever if you’re watching on YouTube.

[00:06:17] And I’ll link it up in the description for those episodes. But I’ve done planning and um, Pippa was actually the one who said, do you have to work this summer? Do, could you take the summer? [00:06:30] Because I wanted to be building this art portfolio. Um, for years, but I haven’t ever taken time to do it. And, you know, I’ve taken classes, but it hasn’t really been something that from desk to dawn, I was working.

[00:06:50] I always was doing stuff for clients. Um, to be honest, it was, it’s hard. It’s hard [00:07:00] for me to focus on me because it’s so much easier to do client work because it’s for somebody else. I have a clear picture, so the clarity isn’t always there when it’s for ourselves. I think, well, at least maybe for me, and I don’t know if my husband turned the air up, but it is freaking hot in here now, and I just turned it down and I didn’t turn my fan on because I turned the air up anyway.

[00:07:20] We’ll just be sweating. I’ll just keep my arms out like this. Anyway, so I decided well. One of the first things, I don’t know if you know who [00:07:30] some of these people are. These are people that I’ve taken classes, art classes, or I’ve taken other kind of classes. I’m gonna mention some people. I’ll believe them in the chat.

[00:07:39] There’s nothing, not chat. I’m not gonna be able to do it in the chat today, but I’ll do it in the YouTube link and it’ll also be on the page. But Laura Horn, um, I think it was 2022. I started doing some, I was like working in, I would work on some web stuff for clients and then I’d go, wouldn’t I had to go to the bathroom?

[00:07:58] ’cause I have a tiny bladder, [00:08:00] which was pretty often. I’d go over to my arc table on the way. I’d go to the bathroom and then on the way back I’d stop at the art table and I would make some stuff and then I would, when it was needing to dry, I would come back over. Here and I’d work some more. And it actually was a way for my brain to be able to solve the problems.

[00:08:19] You know, sometimes when you’re making something, it could be a design, could be just a problem that you’re like, I can’t figure this out. I keep trying 8 million things and nothing’s working, and you won’t go to bed because it’s, you’re [00:08:30] like, I’ve gotta finish this. Right? So this was like the first time that I was doing this on a regular basis, kind of changing my brain, um, what it was focusing on, and I was able to come back and solve problems.

[00:08:41] I also would go to bed and I would solve them in my sleep, and then I would get up in the morning and I would try that thing and it would work. It was awesome. So I don’t, I do really like doing web design. I do really like doing client work, so I’m not saying that. So this is actually hard for me to do the focus [00:09:00] on the art saying that, so in 2022, I took a month.

[00:09:05] So this time I was planning to take May, June, July, and part of August. Didn’t work out. Finishing it up May Hey, may is almost over. I will be done with Pippa site. Um, we could have launched yesterday, but I have one more case study. What I decided to do was, I’m gonna show you some old work. I’m gonna show you where I’m gonna start.

[00:09:27] One of the ladies that I started with in [00:09:30] 2022 was Laura Horn. I’ve followed her for years. I love her YouTube channel, but I’ve also taken a lot of her classes. The other one is Jean Oliver. Love Jean Oliver. Love. She has lots of other people teaching on her, um, platform. And I love taking classes from those people.

[00:09:47] And I’ve, I mean, since probably 2010 or whenever she opened her store, I mean, I’ve been taking classes from this lady or people that, you know, her platform thing. Anyway. [00:10:00] I have just finished this bird thing, you know, and I’m still am trying to do patterns still. Also, I am not just doing patterns for, I would like to make some other things that I could license that weren’t maybe patterns, like the birds don’t work as patterns.

[00:10:16] Not yet at least. Um, so I decided to pick up some of the things that I was doing in 2022, which I know you’re like, oh, it’s kind of a long time ago. We’ve probably already seen these. Some of these you probably have and some of them are even [00:10:30] older. But I’m gonna show you and what I really liked, and I have some tools to show you, I just have some of my favorite ones, which, um, I am shipping out the love on designers.

[00:10:42] Way late. Welcome to my world. But I finally got all the pencils. Um, they came in, uh, on Monday. No, not, not Monday, on Tuesday. They came in Tuesday from bl. Finally, one. We’re just not gonna it. So whatever, it doesn’t matter. You get two or two. [00:11:00] Two. So I like to cut things out. If, um, if you don’t, if you’re like, um, Estella, you are new so you don’t maybe know me.

[00:11:11] And, um, I used to so worry about making a something and it had, I thought it had to just be perfect. And that’s why I really hated watercolor because I was just messing a lot of paper up and I just felt stupid and terrible. [00:11:30] And anyway, um, so I started cutting things. So then I started just pasting things on top of other things, and that really worked for me.

[00:11:37] So scissors and they’re just regular old, big, old scissors. So I do have some smaller pair, but really I use these a lot. I think I had some masking fluid where these white things were, I don’t, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t awesome at doing these, so it was masking fluid. Um, but. I like to cut things. So I already, so I went back and started watching, [00:12:00] um, Jean on Jean Oliver.

[00:12:02] She has a lady, Julie Hamilton, and I started watching her course again yesterday. And then yesterday she posted something and on Instagram, and I haven’t seen her post anything, but anyway, in a while. But, and I responded and I’m like, I just started watching that. And she probably, that was her first class she said that she ever taught and she’s in, um, Canada.

[00:12:23] And anyway, so I was like, I just, it’s still, I watch, I have watched that it’s pen paper play or [00:12:30] something. It’s awesome. So, but I cut things out and so some things don’t end up in the garbage because, you know, maybe I could just use this one somewhere, but there’s something to this one. These are all from 2022.

[00:12:45] I don’t know. Well, I’m just gonna leave the line on, sorry. But there’s some, um, do you see the sparkle. It’s kind of hard to see a little bit, but this is probably like something from, um, I was working really [00:13:00] small. I mean, it’s pretty small. Um, this is like, um, Laura Horn and then sometimes there, and this has a little bit of gold in it.

[00:13:08] Um, again, I’m masking things off or with tape and then I was just making messes with a certain color palette. There’s some gold in there as well. It’s really hard to see. I do really like this with a lot of gold, but I like this one. So there’s something maybe, but I do kind of like it vertical like this, but I like the, the little dashes.

[00:13:29] [00:13:30] So to me, these are good starts. This is something that maybe I could do bigger, um, but I would analyze what I’m liking about some of these things. And maybe this would go in another pile. These were some of the first ones I did. I mean, look how small these are. This is just washy tape. Um. I mean, look at the tiny little, I mean this is small.

[00:13:52] I mean, I don’t have big hands, but I really, this is the inside of the envelope. And then some ink, oh, I think I had it like this. So again, just sometimes [00:14:00] working in squares. This was just a stamp. Um, this was again, cutting and then seeing, I had done some jelly printing again. Some of this is stuff you’ve already seen.

[00:14:11] This is a card I made for my dad. Not this one obviously. This is the practice one. And I wonder if this wasn’t, oh, I think it was CC create, CEE dash CEE creations on YouTube. She had something sort of like this. And so I made my dad a card. He has the card, it’s silver, [00:14:30] but this was, um, a jelly print. And when I went to Denver, Tara and I did a bunch of these, and then this is like this fine liner pin, and then this is.

[00:14:41] Karen Dash, whatever, that’s neo color twos, and then maybe that’s some pencil. Um, and so I did some other things on top of, but I still really like this, but again, if I was going to, um, like somebody I’ve shown this to and they were like, this some is something you could get licensed, this could be like on, uh, [00:15:00] oh, the jelly pre is awesome.

[00:15:02] Um, you know, maybe you have some work, but I really need it to be bigger than this and I need to it not to go all the way to the edge probably. But these are two that I actually made cards out of and I wanted to show you. So, um. I have this book, and I know it’s hard to see because this thing doesn’t get up any higher.

[00:15:23] Sorry, just gonna have to, so I do, I’m not great with color, so I just would go through magazines and just [00:15:30] cut out little pieces that I liked. The color, I, this is some swimsuit magazine and I have no idea what this was, but I liked, like the gray, the blue two colors are blue, and then, um, this white, maybe even how that’s dogeared over.

[00:15:44] And then these three colors I liked. So sometimes that’s where I start with just color palettes and I just glue ’em in. They don’t have to be, you know. Like, that’s just a lamp. And, but I don’t care about what it [00:16:00] is I’m caring about contrast or color and just the, the colors that are in there and the percentages.

[00:16:05] And then there’s this lady that, and she has Adele Stip Center. I don’t remember how Art with Adele is her name. I love this lady. And that summer I paid for her membership. And you get to watch, I mean, she, I couldn’t even watch everything. It was so much I would watch it every night. But this is one thing that she taught me to do that I have, it’s been a game changer.

[00:16:29] And this is kind of [00:16:30] how I ended up, um, doing a lot of these. So these were two things that I did in Laura Horns. They’re not like LA’s. Um, but I, I go back and I try to look at my old sketchbooks and see things that I was drawing a lot of. And Adele says, well then put those on, these clear. Um, you know, like transparencies.

[00:16:53] So say, and I have some of these, so say this was something that, I mean, I made with Jelly [00:17:00] Plate, I actually really like this. It’s on part of, this is used on my YouTube channel. But so what happens is, so say I was like, okay, well obviously this is not a finished piece, so. Um, I, Hey Will, um, so what I would do is I would, I have this drawn, ’cause I draw this a lot in my sketchbook, Lord knows, y’all know I draw rocks, but like, okay, well I’m just, you.

[00:17:23] She calls it Adele calls it auditioning the piece, uh, the thing, you know, in spots. [00:17:30] Okay, well then you could take a picture and then you know where to draw. On top of this, you’re still gonna do something on top of this, but this sort of just auditions some marks before you actually have to commit to it.

[00:17:41] And so the reason I got this, um, little folder was like, I thought, oh, I can just put all my additions in here. And I tried to write like what kind of pin it was, but like, this one was these, um, it was a Windsor Newton. Azure was the [00:18:00] color a pigment marker? And pretty sure if you look, okay, so this is, I, I used this actual piece.

[00:18:09] So this was the piece. It needed something. I don’t even think I had that in there. Maybe I did at this point, but I would like pull and look. What I did is I just put this in this spot and I was like, okay, yeah, there’s something there. So I kind of get an idea of what, and it kind of faded. And look, that’s what I did.

[00:18:28] I just used that [00:18:30] actual Windsor Newton, Azure, whatever thing. But then I can just audition things and be like, oh no, just, it’s too much. You know, maybe I, do I need one? Can I just, you know, to make this feel better. There’s lots of mixed media here and it really helps to have these, these tools. So. One thing I’m doing, obviously doing it with you is I’m going back through and Remi reminding myself of some of my favorite tools.

[00:18:59] So I have to put it [00:19:00] back. Oh, burger snot. There we go. Um, but I like this, uh, idea of auditioning. So I did keep this like really light, transparent thing, so I also did some that were cream. Um, I draw this one a lot. I’m not gonna pull it out, but you get an idea. And so this one I used the cream and I actually, or I think I used a white, it might be the cream psa, but I used it as, I think I even had [00:19:30] some dots in here somewhere on something.

[00:19:32] But anything that I was drawing often in my sketchbook, even some flowers I just would draw on these sheets. So to me it was helpful. I don’t know if I’ll ever use this chair. I don’t really know why I think. I was just putting stuff in. I do draw cotton, sometimes I draw those just kind of like, um, m’s. I have some birds, lots of, [00:20:00] um, whatever, like dandelion things.

[00:20:03] Um, I really like this little guy. Oh, can’t see him yet. See him. I like him a lot, but it just has the, it comes with this like really flimsy paper in the middle, but I wanted it, so I still have some pages to fill in. And then at the back was just some of my favorite, like artists, some inspiration. I ended up getting another one of these because.

[00:20:28] I really want this [00:20:30] one to just be the one that is not a their artist inspiration. But since we’re talking about artists, this whole series was artists. I think this is like Julie Ham Hamilton. This is kind of what she does. This is like a photo. When I was doing so many Zooms, I’m pretty sure this is Vans Plant.

[00:20:46] So my friend Van, uh, and I would take screenshots and then I just really liked the plant and just looking at the, the waves, so it doesn’t have to just be that you’re inspired. That’s another one of Van’s, [00:21:00] plants, um, this is, what is her name? Um, I have a, I have a book, I can’t remember what her name is, but I’ll try, and this is hers too, but it’s like she’s just cutting up, making marks on paper and just cutting it up.

[00:21:15] And to me that’s inspiring. I just like the simple black and white of this. And then Tom froze. Everything Tom froze does. I love, I love the texture. I know his is digital, but it doesn’t always feel digital, but I wanna be able to create the texture manually. [00:21:30] And I don’t know really what else is. I think it’s just extra of the blank, um, overhead projector things really.

[00:21:37] Those, um, those things are pretty cheap. The. Um, whatever. I’ll try to link it in, in the thing, but like, this is something I haven’t done. I don’t love this part. So maybe I covered over this. This sort of reminds me of like surfboards and I really like the colors. So again, I have some pieces that I think are, they’re ready.

[00:21:59] They’re, [00:22:00] again, they’re small and maybe I should work bigger. And so sometimes I just need to come back to this and see, okay, this is a really clear palette. This was on that Strathmore paper, which I absolutely love. It’s tone tan. Um, and this is just, I mean, I. I would use things that I had ruined, I think on the other side, and I don’t know why it says breakthrough, but because I had already ruined one sheet, it didn’t matter.

[00:22:28] It could, I could mess [00:22:30] up. So there was freedom in it. I do think working small was really helpful for me. It still is helpful for me now. This was brand new, really nice, thick watercolor. You can hear it paper. Um, when I am, I don’t know, this relaxes me to make these, I use it with my brush pin, which I don’t know if I use this actual one.

[00:22:54] This is a ranger one, but um, it’s like a big one. It’s one I use mainly for wash now, and it’s all [00:23:00] jobber up. Like, it’s like it’s really not happy with me, but I like it. And then I drew on top of it, probably did the auditioning thing, seeing how these things could come in. And I just really like that. I like this black paper.

[00:23:14] Again, maybe it wasn’t something, you’ve probably already seen this. I’m glad I found it ’cause I had lost it. It needs to go to my friend Debbie. She’s already bought that one. I’m glad I found it. But then that summer I did this lady’s website. [00:23:30] Her website is W-R-D-O-U-T, and I did all these little scribbles and I loved this.

[00:23:38] And I ended up using these, scanning these in and using them on a website, which I’m like, because. Why not? You know, she’s a artist because she’s a writer and then it, there was no visuals, so she needed something. Um, or I felt she needed something. So I just did these. And then now these are, I think some of these are just really [00:24:00] beautiful little pieces.

[00:24:01] Now I did this with the, it won’t rere react, so they’re, um, solid marker. I think it’s Kora. Maybe it’s a paint marker, but it sort of, it’s like a waxy, but if you put water on it in the beginning, it’s acrylic. Anyway. Look at how old this one is. This is the original drawing, which I’ve had stickers of. And this one ended up on my, [00:24:30] this was the main, oh man, there she is.

[00:24:34] There’s her. This is the original. Um, I guess I don’t have her in another spot anyway, but that’s her. Uh, and I just added. Whatever. But see, it was one of those that I cut and then I put this is inside of a, um, envelope and I just cut it. So it was like, this is the ticker tape or something. So there’s something, and this is probably, I don’t know, I didn’t write my [00:25:00] name.

[00:25:00] I mean, I didn’t write then when I did it, but again, I cut it out, it’s flat, just black and white with a little bit of gray with a marker, and then I cut things and I added to it. So again, I’m going thinking, ugh, what do I really like? What works? How do I solve things? So me going over things that I think are successful is helpful.

[00:25:19] This is the original. Um, so this is from 2019. This is a card now. So sometimes you guys, if you get stuff in the mail, I send this to [00:25:30] you. Um, when everything is falling apart, um, it says, don’t, this is a song by Cory as Asbury a s. BURY. I don’t remember. He’s a Christian singer. Anyway, so I think I was drawing this at church, not this, when I came home and I redid it.

[00:25:46] But you know, I drew out where this is all hand done and then, you know, I can adjust anything in the computer. But this was, you know, I thought, oh, a T [00:26:00] square. I, I guess I couldn’t think of anything that sort of looked like a R, but the top of pencil and then again, oh, there’s Bruce. Bruce ends up, there’s Bruce.

[00:26:11] This is the original, original Bruce again. Um, oh yeah, I remember. ’cause I did send it to you Ann. Um, but like some, some things are never got adjusted. Could I still do something else? I ended up from this, I ended up making like [00:26:30] a carved little, um. Uh, rubber eraser thing, you know, with this. So again, things end up and I think you have to go back through, but I don’t often work outside of my sketchbook, but clearly this was like me cutting a piece of paper.

[00:26:46] But there’s something to be said about that. This is me going, I don’t remember what year this was, but Tara’s parents are both artists professionally and, um, both do watercolor. And so [00:27:00] I was like, I need a watercolor, um, I don’t know, lesson. And so, oh, hey Carrie. Um, so Tara’s mom sat down with me and she, we just made a mess with like two or three colors and she said, what do you see?

[00:27:14] And I said, well, I kind of see like that’s a koi fish. And so then we drew it, we looked up koi fish, so it was kind of like my blobs, but for like, I had no plan for this. And to me this was so, um. Eye-opening. This was like a breakthrough [00:27:30] that I actually could make art from something that I saw there was nothing there.

[00:27:34] And then she’s like, oh, well just start emphasizing these things. If the tail isn’t really like that, then, you know, maybe that’s not how the tail was in my, you know, it needed some adjusting, but you can adjust. Like, I don’t remember what the yellow was, but she’s like, just start drawing in some of the, um, rocks.

[00:27:54] And we did some with pencil and we drew some with just like some of the same [00:28:00] colors in the watercolor, uh, that we were using, which I really, really, it’s not a great COI fish, but that, that there was nothing. It was just splotches. And I made something that was really awesome to me. And then there’s this lady I watch on Skillshare a lot, and I can’t remember, it’s like something little owls.

[00:28:21] Um, and she’s from Georgia. She’s a photographer in Atlanta, outside of Atlanta. And there’s a lot of gold in this one. She uses a lot of gold. Um, but [00:28:30] this is again where I kind of made a background and then auditioned some of these elements that I like to draw a lot and then had a really kind of solid color palette and put this, so this is last year.

[00:28:44] This is after my mom died. I did that. So this was the year before that. That was that summer. Me doing an abstract. I don’t really remember what I was watching at this point. This is one of those other ones that I did in September. I think my mom [00:29:00] was having teeth surgery and I went home and I did all of these, these ones at the same time, which I’ve sold one of those.

[00:29:08] This is me doing that same thing but with silver on those black. This is awesome black, but it’s really, you know, it’s just postcard. This one I also really like, but I haven’t done anything with it. Does it need something else? Probably. I don’t love that part, but maybe I end up ripping it. Or I’ve already scanned these in, so there’s something, this is me, you know, when [00:29:30] you’re really stuck.

[00:29:31] Um, summer Art party is a lot about experimentation and figuring things out, but it’s also, for me, it’s about making something. They’re not gonna all be awesome things, but I do need some wins kind of early, to be honest, because I don’t know if I would keep going. So this is a easy win. I had done things like this smaller, where it looked like little, um, stained glass windows, so I just taped things off and I just flooded [00:30:00] these little sections.

[00:30:01] I don’t really like this one to be honest, but it achieved what I wanted. Um, is this a awesome thing? No, but could I do something in these spaces? Yes. So a lot of these are unfinished. Um, I think this one might be finished. Um, limited color palette. I. Kind of like what I did with, um, Tara’s parents is I went back, I drew this in and then I went back around it and darkened it up so that [00:30:30] these would be lighter.

[00:30:30] A lot of times people do masking. So this is, I added this piece. These, everything else was done with the jelly plate, but I added this one piece. This is not done. It needs to work. I think Tara did this one, and then I just added, um, I added these marks. She didn’t like it, so I cut it down. But I really like that I’ll do something with it.

[00:30:52] Um, this little XI cut out and put on, again, not finish, but I think it’s about [00:31:00] playing and seeing, you know, you need more, I need more difference of things. This is one I did like. Um, this is also something that I drew. It was like a real thing that I’d gotten from my friend Debbie’s yard. Um, again, that was a jelly plate.

[00:31:15] I. This is like a piece from an envelope that I just think is beautiful. It’ll end up somewhere. I’m pretty sure I’ve scanned it in already. These are three, um, things that I glued down. I think this is another piece that I glued down. You can see it a little bit. This whole [00:31:30] piece, I guess it’s like that.

[00:31:31] And then I glued those on top and I drew on top of those, maybe glued something there too. But I’ve, I’ve looked at some of these old pieces. See, okay, what works, what doesn’t work? Where can I go from here? But I’m returning to old pieces so that I can, I know I can do it. I’ve done it before. I can do it again.

[00:31:54] So I also wanted to show you, I had, so I don’t remember when this was. [00:32:00] This is a pretty old, um. Sketchbook, I don’t care. 2021. I never finished going through it, so, um, I don’t often write bad words, but, Ooh. O-S-M-S-U. Anyway, I didn’t know what that was. Somebody I had to ask probably. But sometimes I just see, I do draw these things a lot, but they’re, everything in my sketchbook again, is not beautiful.

[00:32:28] And it was, these are markers that I [00:32:30] don’t really love. Um, but I do make a lot of faces, make a lot of daisies. I liked him, you know, maybe he’s another little character that I could continue working on. I think that was Doc. My friend, doc Reed. Um, just some other fun little characters, but you’ll notice there’s certain things that end up coming over and over.

[00:32:58] I do draw this little guy a [00:33:00] lot, kind of, um, I think that was somebody else’s thing. Um, and sometimes I’m working out something that’s on a website and I take notes at church that look a bird, it looks like a penguin to me. Um, more birds and maybe some of these birds show up again. And this is me testing out different, um, materials.

[00:33:26] I’m gonna flip through this one pretty quick. [00:33:30] So this was about the same time that I was doing that. No, it was before then, but sometimes you just make me messes. And then what could you make out of the messes? And I started this kind of like before the blobs, I think. Some of those things that I draw a lot.

[00:33:44] Certain pens make it really easy to draw these. Um,

[00:33:53] anyway, I do draw those fun little robin kind of heavy down there. You got a low, low hanging [00:34:00] thing up. I think that’s kind of a cool pair. There’s a deer, really bad looking deer, but I kind of like it. But sometimes if you just go back through how I remember, this was one of the first times I had used, I think I had just gotten these durwin ink tints pencils, which I um, I use them all the time now, and I think that my friend Ben had at school, Ben Shaba, he has a great YouTube channel, so he’s a great painter.[00:34:30] 

[00:34:30] He had said, oh, Diane, the top of somebody’s head is always yellow. The middle part of their face has more. Pink tones and then the bottom is more blue. And I thought, oh, that is amazing. Um, so, and this is me figuring out, and I would do it with this, this is my very first Ranger. What? Well, it’s not the first one.

[00:34:58] It’s the best one. Still the one I [00:35:00] recommend the most, especially for people who wanna start small. But this is when I’m trying new materials out, but I still, this was the first time me using ink tints. And then sometimes I just make weird shapes and then I make a face. Um, I think that looks like a, like a, what do you call it, dragon?

[00:35:20] Um, but maybe I come back to some of these, some of these are just strong shapes. I do tend to draw a lot of noses and I always feel like you need to kinda looks like a [00:35:30] peepee. So I always draw le or, or, um, not legs. I draw. Uh, that would be a peepee. This is like lips and eyes. I try to always draw that.

[00:35:40] And then I don’t even know what this was. Oh, this must have been mindset reboot. Oh, it says mindset reboot. That was who was speaking and obviously something wasn’t working like this pen was not working. Um, this is me trying to do something with flames. Probably sort [00:36:00] of looked more like water. Um, church.

[00:36:09] Okay, so there’s a monster. I, I don’t know, this looks like it was blind condor where I wasn’t looking. And then I always have a couple pieces in the back. I’ve been trying really good to, um, this is a sketchbook from Art Snacks, I believe. Yep. Um, okay, so now here’s one that I [00:36:30] did, I think this, and there’s Amy’s, um, Amy this from last year.

[00:36:36] Amy, is it last year? May 25th, 2 20 23. I don’t know if it’s Amy’s last year, but it is hers. But I know this little girl, um, Sophie, she wasn’t there, so I must have, anyway, so this is after my mom had died, so I probably already showed all these. So I’m just gonna, I was looking at tree books at this point and just drawing things from, [00:37:00] and there are certain things that I liked.

[00:37:01] I liked that and I tried to. Write things down the Magnolia. I was telling Paul about Magnolias, how big, I mean, the, the blossoms are this big. They’re huge. I know. Not everywhere in the world. They’re, it’s really blue again. Let’s see. That’s a little better. I’m just gonna let it be naturalized. It’s pretty dark for me.

[00:37:20] But, um, some things that I remember when I would talk to John on the phone at night, I would draw while we were talking. So [00:37:30] there was something distracting. And when I was doing distract, um, I. Mark making. I ended up, there were certain things that I kind of really liked. I don’t love the little red here, but I like the stripes with the little mark.

[00:37:45] I really liked this one. I ended up doing two different one. I liked that one. So there are certain things I ended up liking, so maybe being distracted talking on the phone or listening to a book is something [00:38:00] that I need to do. Oh, Paul, this was, um, are you still here, Paul? I don’t know if you’re still here.

[00:38:05] Hey Joanna. Um, this was Paul was this, this was a picture that Paul sent me from his trip to Ireland and I started drawing it with these pencils, which are some of my favorite. I know it says luminance, but it’s really the durwin drawing pencils. They are fantastic. The luminance are really good too. Um, okay.[00:38:30] 

[00:38:30] Um, even just little things like this, little studies. Oh, and this is, this is Paul in his, um, kayak. I never clearly finished that. Blueberries that were purple. Uh, I think I’ve shown you all some of this in another video. So, and some of them are upside down because sometimes things are upside down. Um, this is, I went and saw Anne at the beach and I get to see her next week.

[00:38:58] And we did this, I [00:39:00] did this one drawing at Navarro Beach with Anne. Um, and I still like this. I love carrying a sketchbook, even though it was a really sad time. I remember feeling that was one of the best days I’d felt since my mom had died. And this is me back up with my dad. This is just Washington.

[00:39:20] Probably need to pull it off, but this probably was over here. It was just some wheat fields. But in a year, so the last [00:39:30] sketchbook was 21 to probably some of 22, and then this is 23. This is, I know like it’s a salt and pepper shaker. More than likely, this is at two 11 where my dad likes to go eat or a cracker barrel.

[00:39:45] And then this is me figuring out like how would I do my portfolio, my, these PDFs that I wanna do, how could I break down this? And to have the hero pattern, the coordinates, and then the blenders, and [00:40:00] it’s like, I’m figuring this out. This is why this is in this spot. I also really like that little bird.

[00:40:06] This one, I didn’t like this tool. I don’t remember what it is, but I don’t like it. I was trying to draw the same thing with different tools. Doesn’t always work. I remember this is all, I was outside, it was raining. I mean, I was under an overhang and Mike was getting my oil changed and John was coming to pick me up.

[00:40:24] So I stayed outside and I did all these, I know they’re upside down because I would turn my schedule. This [00:40:30] is Cracker Barrel for sure. Um, it’s Father’s Day, so coming up on a year. But little things, so that’s church. These are, you know, maybe there’s something in here. So I actually think me going back through old things before I do art, summer art party, like I even really like this.

[00:40:52] Can you imagine this is a building? Like, because I don’t really, it’s, it’s not a piece, but I could draw this and maybe this is the beginning of a [00:41:00] building and this is like a little person walking down the street or something. Like why couldn’t it be a cheesecake building? And maybe some of these are windows, like there’s something, and then maybe I just take a little flag and I then I can go back.

[00:41:16] ’cause if you’re stuck, if I get stuck, sometimes I need a prompt. But sometimes even a prompt isn’t, I can’t start with a prompt sometimes. Sometimes I just need to go back to other things that I’ve done that maybe worked and maybe didn’t work. I have taken tons more [00:41:30] pictures. Um, sometimes I just put something in, but I could easily tear this back out and put this in a piece.

[00:41:36] This year, this was, um, Maru, gods and Domestica, her class loved these trees. I really like this one. This is just ballpoint pen, my favorite V and some maybe GU or watercolor. But I, I tend to do a lot of the [00:42:00] same things and these not so pretty, but that’s okay. Um. I, I was taking notes. Um, taco love. I don’t know, maybe, obviously I wasn’t super paying attention at church that day.

[00:42:15] Um, taco, if I started talking about tacos, this was me working out. This thing I did for my sister. Again, colors. I did do all of those. And I love these. These are my favorites, the low sketchbooks, [00:42:30] because they have a pocket, but anything like this I could use in something, right? I guess it’s a note. Anyway, I just, I love the Los Sketchbooks.

[00:42:41] Those are my favorite. You can get ’em. Onlo, ILLO. I can’t really see it ’cause it’s whatever. And I think the little thing broke, but it usually has a thing. So what I wanted to show you was that, um, and then when I was at my dad’s last, now this is huge. I know you can’t even see how [00:43:00] big it is because it’s too big.

[00:43:02] But I started doing, um, again, I don’t care. Who cares? It’s my phone number. But there, and it’s so big. But this was like Jan. I do did write it over here. Let’s see if I can adjust this. Ooh, it’s like, nope, can’t do it. But do you see, I wrote Janine Van Goul. Rupert Uppercase Magazine number 58. So this was her photo because [00:43:30] again, we can’t use things that we don’t have the rights to.

[00:43:34] Um, there was something, I liked this, I liked this one little thing, but then I started doing wish, this is the only thing with the sketchbook is that is so big. I like this. There’s this little bear over here. He is. The suit is too big. Um, these are all, not these, but these was from an uppercase magazine.

[00:43:57] So I wrote it [00:44:00] and this is this new kind of crazy quilt that I’m working on. There’s the duck with the bill. See? He, it’s upside down. This is gonna be one of the patterns that I work on today. This is one that I did last or a couple weeks ago. And then this is a big, this is a beach more, um, books. Um, I got a bunch of different colors.

[00:44:25] I didn’t realize I was buying as many, um, but they were, it was cheaper if you got more, [00:44:30] but, um, and it does have a little, uh, rubber bandy thing. Um, but I’ve also have, you know, lots of other regular, but one of the things I was gonna show you was, I don’t even remember. I think this is from.

[00:44:48] Jerry’s art. Maybe I do like this one. Okay. I know this is not three. I need to change that. This is five. Pretty sure. I don’t think I did it anyway. [00:45:00] This is me watching some Omar Wynn on YouTube. Um, I do, I am a patron on Patreon of her, but not good. Some parts of this are good. These, I do not know what I was thinking, but I liked the payer.

[00:45:14] Again, small. Maybe I just worked small and I know it wasn’t three 11. ’cause this is, I was at, I was at my dad’s. I don’t know. I kept the five and the threes have problems. I like this bird. I don’t really know. This is a church. Again, I liked these [00:45:30] little guys, him, so I’m still gonna work some birds. And then I did Strathmore last year.

[00:45:37] I did Strathmore too. If you don’t know, I do have this. Oh, Estella. It’s. Great. Um, great to have you. Let me put this one thing, oh, in the chat, if you don’t know, Strathmore does this series in the summer. Well actually they do it all year round. Everybody’s on top of this, so I can’t grab it, but [00:46:00] it’s free and you should do it with me.

[00:46:02] I think if you’re, there’s some accountability, again, taking people through your process or doing something that they’re doing. None of these use masking fluid. This is just me using a small brush. This is like wash more geese. And the other thing I realized that when I was at my dad’s trying to do it, so it’s straight, I guess this thing got off.

[00:46:29] [00:46:30] Um, I started, I would test things out in the sketchbook and this is pretty rough sketchbook. And then I put them into, um, a bookmark for my dad’s. I guess Woody’s my friend too though, for Woody. And then I did, this is a ink intense Durant pencil. Um, so here’s how this works. So it goes on nothing, you know, it’s just like a regular, really nice, this one’s chili red, and then can you see that?

[00:46:59] [00:47:00] Whoa. You can get so much and it goes pretty. Let’s see if I can zoom.

[00:47:09] Oh yeah. Um, it gets, of course, did I put the Strathmore? Yeah. Okay. Um, but like, oh, I’m circling it on the computer, but it really, you can’t see a ton of the marks. I mean, I’m just kind of scrubbing it out, right? Obviously I probably [00:47:30] wouldn’t, but you can really, the Durwin ink tints are awesome. Now, here’s the thing I love about Durwin Ink Tints, as opposed to other watercolor brushes.

[00:47:39] I mean, watercolor. Pencils. And this is just a water brush, so there’s just water inside here and you just squeeze it a little. And the thing, the reason I like the ranger ones is ’cause not a lot of water comes out. And the other thing is that it has a black thing here, but it also has a black, like it has two ways so that a [00:48:00] ton of water is not coming.

[00:48:02] Um, out. Glad Carrie, it’s kind of last minute thing, but, um, but Ink Tints doesn’t reactivate once it’s dry. So this here now, all of this side didn’t get wet, but, um, like it, I can’t reactivate the ones that I’ve already, that are already dried because it, it’s already, it’s already done. But if there was a [00:48:30] part of it I hadn’t done.

[00:48:31] So again, oh, let me on Zoom. This is just from a magazine. These were. I, I mean I was pretty proud of how some of these turned out for, you know, palm trees. This was that Strathmore. It says day two, I think, and then the plumeria I haven’t done yet, but it will go in here. And then I did, this was just like [00:49:00] looking at a magazine, don’t really like these.

[00:49:02] This is another one. I haven’t finished this one. These, because I could do those from the Strathmore. I just decided to pick some of my own. This is another one from, I just looked on Pinterest and Drew kind of my own things, and some of this is gu. And then I started doing a landscape, this is just a washy tape, so I’ll take that off, but sometimes I remember.[00:49:30] 

[00:49:31] Um, when I was working on those other landscapes in September, when I was at, when I was, my mom was alive and doing her teeth thing, um, it looked terrible like this. And to me, it’s, I’m glad I took some photos like that because it was so bad. Some people I showed only said, well, the, the thing around the edge is really nice.

[00:49:53] I was like, that’s the washy tape. I didn’t do the washy tape. I just thought it was funny. But I’m glad I [00:50:00] actually abandoned some of those. And then that was a piece that I sold. So again, I like this little sketchbook. It also has a pocket. Sometimes you just find some things, oh, there’s some things in here that you, uh, see.

[00:50:14] I did a little, this is some of the Coty paper. Um, and then I did another, but it was kind of blue colors, but a little landscape that I made outta my head. And then I try to keep the, of course it doesn’t say. [00:50:30] Uh, Jerry’s art, that would’ve been most helpful. Um, but sometimes I just put little things in the pocket that I’ve done at the same time.

[00:50:38] So, um, I actually have done, I have this little one, I think I got this from Temu. Only thing I like really is the dandelions, but the lightning here is really bad. So it looks really, but again, trying to think about patterns. ’cause I would like to do patterns, but it doesn’t mean that I have to scan these in.

[00:50:59] It just means [00:51:00] that I’m getting some ideas. And I do take notes, like, um, like these are just little studies. These are hats, but maybe they’re something else. Maybe they’re a skirt, you know? But this is like a limited palette study. This is a chair that was in a magazine, looked like a cactus. Not good. Some raspberries.

[00:51:20] ’cause I didn’t have the right colors, so I made ’em orange. You know, maybe there’s some things. That this was one of my ostrich legs. [00:51:30] But there are, because I’ve drawn so many birds now, I can draw birds without, um, without much, uh, I don’t have to look at anything, but like, I like that tomato. Maybe there’s something about the tomato.

[00:51:47] I didn’t wanna ruin that, but I, anyway, those two birds are Okay. I didn’t finish. This was like a Scott Swenson. Oh, this is from uppercase. [00:52:00] Um, and I’m just writing things down and I’m trying things. I’m trying to do limited color palette. Some things don’t work. Some things do work and I am okay and I just need to keep going.

[00:52:13] So I wanna still do collage. Some of stuff that Anne is doing is super inspiring to me and some are just really old sketchbooks that I just never finished. So there was something interesting here. Don’t think there’s much other interest in this one. [00:52:30] Um, and all my kids for my birthday made me stickers.

[00:52:37] Are me. I guess these are things I say Alan would know for sure ’cause I definitely get too close. ’cause when I’m teaching, um, I started drawing the driveway, which it’s not finished, obviously uppercase. Um, that was I guess the new home of uppercase. This is just outta my head. This is a really creepy girl.

[00:52:58] She didn’t look like that. I made her [00:53:00] creepy. It’s from Better Homes and Gardens, I think. And then another one of those that I just haven’t finished, but I’ll use my, um, derwin ink tents. This is what, these are ink tents, but I started it at, um, cracker Barrel and in our food game. So, and then I’ve just done some more.

[00:53:18] I, I really want to do some things with scissors, but it’s hard for me to do that when we’re watching tv. So I make things like this or things like this that I think could be easy patterns. [00:53:30] The point is to say is that I am taking things that I used to probably would’ve thrown out. Um, this was like one of those pieces of paper that I’m probably, it’s this one.

[00:53:42] I’m trying to clean my brush and I just squeeze a little, the salsa, this, the bigger Ranger one. But I do use this room for, um, gache a lot. That’s what’s pretty ruined. But I do make these, these elements a lot, so I need to probably put some of this stuff in and it’s okay. Like there’s [00:54:00] the yucky piece of a paper and then I just put it on top.

[00:54:03] But I have kept this because I really like this little piece. There’s nothing else on this. This is literally, this would be a great bookmark, but I keep this because, let’s see. I really like that this tiny little line, I don’t love that it’s so coming out of the thing. But I also, this was like I was doing something and I freaking love this sheet of paper.

[00:54:29] [00:54:30] Now I don’t even remember what I was doing here. I don’t remember if this is like a, like the door would be here and this is the second story. And this is like a, and this is, you know, like in New Orleans, and this is like flowers streaming down. But this was, I think when I was painting some of the blobs or the blob book that I just used this.

[00:54:53] But I will use this piece of paper in something because I just went back through my stash. Now these are [00:55:00] some of the things that Tara and I had done when I was in Denver, and these are just the side things where you’re just clearing your roller. But I actually feel like I could take. Maybe it’s this or maybe it’s a piece like this that comes out.

[00:55:14] So I’m gonna start cutting some things ’cause I don’t think they’re anything on their own. But why can’t I start? Oh, and the reason I had this out was for the audition. I was like, okay, so the Laura Horn class talks about just taking old books. I have a ton of old books and then just painting. [00:55:30] Um, I think there’s probably too much contrast between this color and this color.

[00:55:35] So this is probably why it didn’t ever end up. But now that I know that I can either darken some of this or I can lighten some of this stuff. So sometimes it’s not that it’s not good, it’s that you just need to wait until it’s time. So. But I will use those, um, audition sheets to see once I get this to a point.

[00:55:59] ’cause I feel like [00:56:00] it’s just too all over the place right now. I always have really liked this one. It has a bunch of holes cut in, like somebody was cutting out a, a note, you know, which I think is kind of interesting and maybe this one doesn’t work with this leaf, but maybe this idea works. So I save that.

[00:56:17] Um, this is, I think this is one of yours that you sent me, Amy, and I just took one of these so it has a little bit of texture. Um, some of the same like [00:56:30] paint acrylic and just put it so it makes kind of a different, but again, I can use this as a background, I can rip it. It’s just the inside of a thing and if I want it so that it doesn’t, huh?

[00:56:45] Uh, if I, if I’ve, um, thank you, Amy. If I’ve done. Something like this, and I know this, this envelope’s probably not acid free. I could easily code it in like gel medium [00:57:00] or something so that it’s not gonna affect the rest of the stuff on my piece. This is something I really, I put, um, what’s that stuff you put on thing paper to make it so that it doesn’t bleed through?

[00:57:14] Obviously I didn’t get it all the way in spots, but it did do really well. Most of it, um, you know, gesso, so it feels very gross to me. Like, I don’t like the way this feels. It’s I sandpaper, but again, I can audition some of [00:57:30] those white things on here and maybe I make something, or maybe it’s just a background or maybe it’s just trash or maybe something I pull out.

[00:57:37] Again, this isn’t a winner on its own, but there’s something, maybe it’s this hard line that I like, so I have to go back and reflect, but I things that I really would’ve thrown away. I’m trying to think, okay, well what, what can I do? And here, in the beginning when, when it has been a hard, long time for me making things, it’s really important for me to go back to [00:58:00] some things that I’ve made that I already maybe feel like are trash or it’s just a lot of play and just start cutting and making things with those.

[00:58:09] Sometimes I even just make, take certain brushes and make, um, repeating shapes, but I think these look like popsicles. And then I made some into mushrooms, popsicles with two. These were not as good as those, I think. And then I don’t know why I pulled the chair, but again, working with bigger [00:58:30] tools that I don’t normally work with.

[00:58:32] But for me, just going through and seeing some of the things that I have, I don’t always have to make all new things, but here’s some of the things that I’m gonna try to learn, um, this, this summer. So the goal is to make art every day. And may have patterns by at least three collections. Alan, you can hold my feet to fire on that by June 15th.

[00:58:57] I have one full collection of 12 [00:59:00] already, and um, I’m gonna do something with those birds, but my cloudy, I’ve taken a course, I need to just finish watching it. This, if you’re on, um, Meg Armstrong is somebody who’s in New Zealand, I believe, and she has a thing, um, about how to use notion for service pattern design.

[00:59:20] Or maybe it’s just your organization, Joanna. I can even see how you would use that in like keeping track of who your, um, patrons are or [00:59:30] who has bought artwork that, and this is from Skillshare, so there is always a link in every piece that I give you. If you are not a Skillshare member, let me find that link.

[00:59:41] This is not what I’m looking for. Um, the. The let me do a find or Skillshare. Oh, it’s already up. Um, you can get one month for free, uh, if you use this link and it’s down below if you’re [01:00:00] on wherever. Um, Bonnie, uh, Christine, uh, doing immersion. She changed a bunch of her stuff, so I’m gonna re-watch those again.

[01:00:10] I’m not trying to do a whole bunch of learning all at once. I’m actually trying to learn a little and then make a lot. So there’s a small batch bootcamp, which I already did in this Stacy Bloomfield hustle. Look at the new, uh, face I got yesterday. It’s a Snoopy [01:00:30] face. It actually is very active, usually.

[01:00:33] See, look at him. Oh, you can’t see him. He is. Oh. Anyway, he’s like, no, all my pencils boogers. Oh, well, I’ll get it in a second because it’s already, so, the Scott Swenson, he’s a, he makes amazing watercolors. Um, there’s something with Art Summits, Laura Horn’s, always a good one. Um, Rebecca Woolbright, she’s the one who did this small batch bootcamp, [01:01:00] so now I’m gonna, she has another one that’s, um, overseas and getting washy tape.

[01:01:03] That’s one of the things I can’t wait. I’m gonna do that. I always love Amarillo and her Watercolor Bold. Um, I thought I would have the list of Skillshare ones and, uh, domestica ones that I wanted to do. Uh, indie Bloom. The Copy Cure is something about writing. Loriann is about selling, um, your art prints.

[01:01:25] Omar Wynn. I’m just a patron. Just so, just watching certain things or staying, [01:01:30] who do you wanna learn from? And then can you hone it in for. Six weeks, eight weeks. Can you just watch those people instead of going on other tangents? Can you really start? And there’s, there’s some others that aren’t on here that need to be on here.

[01:01:44] ’cause they’ve been on my list, like Stanley Hester’s, uh, birds. And, um, there’s some other people that I do on Patreon, so just being, watching some of those. So to me, [01:02:00] just, just these that are already in my queue focusing on this. But I always kind of go back to Longhorn a lot. And, um, that pen paper play with Julie, Julie Hamilton.

[01:02:18] Okay, let me stop my share. At least. At least. See now it’s dark, but now I’ll turn my light back on. Um, anyway, I’m excited. About these. I wish they [01:02:30] weren’t all over the floor. Love, Durwin. Love, um, these pencils, so luminance by Karen Dash, I love these. There’s some really good, just really light colors. Uh, and then the durwin drawing pencils are really good.

[01:02:49] They, um, are more good for landscapes are natural, so they’re not like super bright. The luminance has lots of bright ones. Um, but if [01:03:00] you’re looking for more kind of earthy ones like John Engles, if you’re drawing out, uh, in Colorado or some has some of the same colors that actually would be there. So it’s just fun.

[01:03:10] So The Ranger are my favorite water brushes. The Durwin Ink Tints are still my absolute favorite for watercolor brushes or. Water reactive, but they’re not re reactive. Um, I thought we wouldn’t have enough time and I [01:03:30] brought my watercolors out so that I would, I was just gonna draw another, whatever it is, um, on Sarah, or, I don’t know how to say that word.

[01:03:41] Anyway, I think you should go through some of your old stuff, old sketchbooks, pull some things from those and then fix them. Because I actually think iteration is really good, especially when you’re stuck and if you haven’t been making in a while, then iterating on something. Even the same thing. Trying to draw the same thing three times [01:04:00] really helps paint the same painting three times.

[01:04:02] But if it’s like, if I want to be better at painting landscapes, then that’s what I should work on. If I want to be, I can’t be better at everything. Um, all at once. I have to take time. I. I know when I was at my dad’s, I realized I do better drawing when I’m outside. I wasn’t even drawing what was outside.

[01:04:22] I was drawing ducks and geese or whatever, right? There were no geese and ducks where I was sitting, but I was outside and my [01:04:30] inner critic shut down. So that was a win for me. It’s freaking hot as Hades here. My mom would say it was hot as blue blazes. Um, but I just need to, you need to find what works for you to shut down that art.

[01:04:46] Art, well, not art critic, but the inner critic. And I’m not trying to overwhelm and do so many things, but sometimes when I want, I have big, big ideas, [01:05:00] big, um, dreams. It actually gets in the way. So that’s when I need to come back to things I’ve already messed up on or things. That I didn’t throw away, and maybe I cut things out.

[01:05:13] And because scissors are one of my ways that I always feel like I can always make something, I can always do just some color studies. That’s where Julie Hamilton starts. So I’m just starting with back some basics that have worked for me in the past. And if you don’t, then maybe take some of those classes that will [01:05:30] help you just get more.

[01:05:32] And you know, there’s lots of things just free on YouTube. Watching people, their process or them testing things, how their brushes work even is helpful because sometimes you don’t know what marks to make. And I know I tested all my brushes. I have brushes that I don’t use anymore, and they’re in one of these little drawers over here.

[01:05:52] But all the brushes that I do use, and I know. Then I don’t have to buy new brushes ’cause I have them and I have a little [01:06:00] card that has all the different size or has the sizes. And it also shows me what that brush can do. So if I’m stuck and I’m like, oh, I need this look, I can just go through that and see what my brushes can do.

[01:06:12] So sometimes it’s just doing things like that help you get warmed up. ’cause I feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself to make things really pretty. So it helps to work in a sketchbook, but it also helps for me to see, hey, I did that card or that Bruce, I did on a sheet of [01:06:30] paper. I didn’t do Bruce in a sketchbook.

[01:06:32] I think I did do Bruce. Maybe a rough Bruce in a sketchbook or maybe, I don’t know. I don’t remember when I, but I ended up redrawing Bruce. On a piece of paper and keeping that, um, this is something that I keep around. Oh man, I shouldn’t have done it. Oh, well, I’ll show you next time the end. I hope you, I hope you do Summer Art Party with me.

[01:06:54] What that means is you commit to, um, making [01:07:00] art, whether it’s 15 minutes a day or it’s 15 minutes three times a week. Not like five minutes, five minutes, but like, whatever. Or maybe it’s like, I’m gonna commit my whole weekend to making art three weekends outta the month. Um, that’s, that’s Summer Art party.

[01:07:18] And then I, I’m going to figure out some way that we will be able to. Come together and share these. Maybe I’ll make a Facebook group or something, a private Facebook group that’s free. And [01:07:30] then, um, sometimes we’ll do some live things to just show and get some feedback. Um, we’ve, I’ve done that in the past art group and um, I know I’m gonna do some of that this time too, but Summer Art Party had to kind of have an intro today because I, we gotta be able to pivot when somebody can’t make it or something’s happening.

[01:07:52] Technology breaks, so, oh, well, I can always fill up an hour, unfortunately, for my [01:08:00] students, maybe, or y’all. Um, I appreciate y’all listening and if you have any questions about any of these things that I showed, just tell me and Maya, it’ll take a little bit to get to you, but I. Um, here are the winners. Let me tell you who won.

[01:08:18] ’cause they, I mean, I did it every week, but then I didn’t do very good job at sharing it. Daniel Ey. I did give him all his stuff except two of the Durwin tens pencils, and I’ll give you, I’ll send those to you. [01:08:30] But I did give him his, when he was at Creative South, um, Eric Schafer in Fort Collins, Amy Lynn in Napa, California, Maya in Norway, and Brian Yan in Blacksburg, Virginia.

[01:08:43] Those are our winners and they get a pile. I’m gonna make another video and overhead and show how I’m using some of the tools. I get some water brushes and they get some different things as well. So I’m excited. They also get some cards, so you’ll get to see what then maybe more people will want to play [01:09:00] and win next time, um, which always is in February.

[01:09:04] And the next thing everybody does after Summer Art Party is imagine number. So I already have some ideas for Imagine Number, but those are our winners. I, next week we have Katie Marin, and we are starting kind of our sketchbook series. So, um, not at all. Oh, well thank you Paul. So there was, did you get to see those things of your, things that you had sent me that I just [01:09:30] haven’t finished, but I need to go back and finish?

[01:09:31] I really liked those pictures, Paul. The, I think I shouldn’t have used the tools that I was using because it was, I was working too big. Um, hey Benji, um, next week, Katie Marin, she is in the uk so it’ll be seven 30 for her, and Pippa will be done and Summer Art party will be in full. Uh. Right. I’m gonna do that.

[01:09:57] I’m gonna do, I don’t know, people don’t like Facebook, but [01:10:00] I’m gonna do a, or it’ll be, hopefully I can get a summer art party. It’ll be a Facebook group and it’ll be private so that you don’t feel like everybody’s seeing everything, but it’s just free. And I will put a link in the bottom, wherever in YouTube, I’ll send you a, a email that you can sign up and it’ll be on the list.

[01:10:23] And then you’ll be able to get to the summer art party and share work. And so maybe that’s your accountability that once a [01:10:30] week you share what you’re making and if you want feedback, you ask for feedback. And if you don’t, then maybe you’re stuck and you just need to see what other people are making.

[01:10:41] That’s, that’s what we’re gonna do. I just think it’s important for me. To make with my hands and not just use the computer. Okay. The end man, I can fill up an hour. My mom would be like, Diane, you went on and on. Um, I will come back to those, [01:11:00] uh, Paul, ’cause they were really beautiful. But I think I’m gonna use a different tool.

[01:11:04] The other thing I’m going to do is print, go to school and print out some of the. Pieces that I want to draw ’cause it’s too hard to just have it on my phone ’cause then it goes black too quickly. Um, so that’s something I know I will do and I can go back and do that. And I’ve also have books out in, um, certain things that I’m looking at and reading.

[01:11:28] Uh, this is a book I’m, I [01:11:30] started and I’m almost finished with it. It looks like I haven’t opened it, but I haven’t really opened this one. I’ve just been listening. But it was so good, you know, if a book is so good for me that I actually buy the real book. So be, and I thought, oh, this is hokey, hokey name of a book.

[01:11:45] But his name’s Ben, uh, Benjamin Hardy, Dr. Benjamin Hardy, and it’s a really good book. So be your future self now. It was good mindset stuff, but it was [01:12:00] anyway. I was having a lot of epiphanies listening to it, so I bought the book and I have like an hour left of the book, so I mean to listen at 1.3 speed.

[01:12:10] So maybe it’s a little faster than other people. Okay, the end now. See you next week with Katie [01:12:30] Marin.