Welcome!
On most Wednesdays, check this blog for a strategy, process, or reflection for illustration with the iPad app ProCreate or Affinity Designer. This week my art and photography was inspired by a few challenges, with another challenge about to start. Read on to see if you want to join in!
Photography
Photography is an art, and responding to a prompt helps you frame and focus the subject. One of my favorite platforms is Flickr, and this year, Flickr turns 21 with Flickr’s 21st Birthday Photo Challenge.
I’ve been a Pro member since 2009, for sixteen years. I love Flickr — sharing, albums, descriptions, groups, license choices. It’s a great way to connect and share with others– and stay in charge of your own work.
So I decided to accept the 21 day challenge and join the Flickr 21 Birthday Challenge Group pool here. I’ve added these photos to a new Flickr album, Challenge Photography, which will hold any photos I take for different photography challenges. When you click the tag for the challenge #flickr21challenge, you’ll see a list of your own submissions, recently tagged photos, and then all the photos with the tag. Pretty sweet, right?
Come along, join the fun! Here are my first three prompt posts:
Artist Challenges / Draw Alongs
I love when artists live draw and we follow along. If you follow an artist and their live draws long enough, you’re soon able to adapt the idea to add your own twist on it. That’s my illustrations for this week:
- Lisa Bardot drew a teddy bear, but I chose a bunny
- Liz Kohler Brown drew a botanists “messy desk,” and I drew my own artist desk.
Take a look and then draw and share your own take!
New Collaboration to Join with MaddaMom
A few weeks ago, MaddaMom [@jamsolutions ] served as a guide to a group of surface design artists striving to improve their Spoonflower designs and shops. We worked together on the Minimalist Cheater Quilt Design Challenge. You can see mine at the top of the post and in the image above, which is MaddaMom’s curated collection of our group’s submissions. We had discussions in different communities; I joined my discussions in Jennifer Nichols Creative Journey community [affiliate link*].
The conversations and suggestions were spot on. I also took MaddaMom’s Skillshare class on ChatGPT and her plugin. I was able to use the ideas even without the plugin. Take a look at my project to see my revisions on my shop/design and MaddaMom’s encouraging critique in the comments. I still have a ways to go, but I will be reviewing my next entry more carefully before submitting, with the advice from MaddaMom.
Guess what? MaddaMom has invited us again to discuss the next challenge, Novelty Paisley.
Follow along on her blog MaddaMom for more information.
Thanks for stopping by!
If you’ve been hesitant to share your art– go for it! Start a shop. Enter the Spoonflower Design Challenges. Join a few friends and brainstorm together. Take MaddaMom’s class.
The more you design, the better your art develops, along with your confidence. We were all beginners once! If you have any questions, just ask! I’d be glad to help with what I know. Find time to make art every day!
Follow a few teacher artists — I am so thankful for Liz, Lisa, Jennifer, and MaddaMom for sharing their processes and strategies for creating digital art. You can find many on my Artist Resources page. Take a look at their IG and YouTube. Find one that fits your learning and art preferences and stick with them a while to develop your skills. Every day, another aha!
You’re welcome to follow this blog for art inspiration. We can share with #warmup4art to enjoy our work together! I look forward to your sharing and find me at @42Sheri, on Mastodon Sheri42, on Flickr teach.eagle Sheri 42.
* I earn a bit if you click and join Jennifer’s community. It’s my only affiliate link. Thank you.
I wonder, if I draw a line... 