December 2023 Update
“Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate, inspire and motivate.”
—Harvey Fierstein
I am so grateful that you have Joined this Journey with me as I share what I am exploring, learning, and creating! As we head into the craziness of the December holidays, we need to remember to pause and reflect on the true meaning of the season. Taking time to reflect daily and participate in creative activities helps me stay grounded.
EXPLORING
I am a planner, a note-taker, and I love bullet journals. One of the exploration strategies I have utilized during my Art Journey is keeping an art journal or digital sketchbook. I try to document what I am learning, whether it be from classes, listening to podcasts, reading or just exploring different mediums. For me, a digital art journal works best.
Goodnotes is my favorite journaling app, hands down, because I can create beautiful covers, chapter and section pages, import images, PDF’s, and write of course. Goodnotes is available for iOS, Mac, Android, and Windows.
Keeping a monthly journal/sketchbook is working best for me now. Even when I feel overwhelmed or that I am not making progress, it is so powerful to see what I have accomplished in a month! Do you like to journal? What tools do you use?
LEARNING
As a teacher, I believe in lifelong learning!
“If you learn something new every day, you can teach something new every day.”
― Martha Stewart
For the past five years I have been signing up for art classes as I discover things I want to learn. My life was so busy that I didn’t have time to do any of them…..hence “The Spreadsheet” came about to organize all of my classes. If you know me, you know I have a thing for spreadsheets. I have sorted these classes into categories: watercolors, acrylics, procreate, art journals, alcohol inks, mixed media, etc.
“The Spreadsheet” was one of my motivations to retire….I want to spend my time with my family and doing the things I love. My friend, Rae, famously calls it “Funtirement” and I am totally on board.
This month I am finishing up “Learn the Art of Procreate” with Beth Berns Buffington in BDI-Creates.Today. While I knew a lot about Procreate, Beth’s class has filled in a lot of holes and I am finessing my skills. This is a project that worked on shading using different brushes, sizes, and opacities. Beth gave us the cherry sketch and we had to do the shading.
I also joined my friend, Delores Naskrent’s Art School. I mentioned her last month….Delores offers various class bundles for a monthly fee. I subscribed and have access to hundreds of her classes!! I recently completed “Intense Alcohol Ink with Pen and Ink Foliage in Procreate”.
Here is my first project from the class, and then my second attempt using different colors. I believe that one learns by studying other artists and emulating styles that you are drawn too. Then you take what you learn, practice it repeatedly, and then put your own spin on the techniques to make your own style. By posting pieces done in a class, it is important to give credit to the original artist. In this class, I learned a lot about creating an alcohol ink background effect which is one of my favorite styles. I love how Delores uses a floral overlay to create interesting pieces.
