WrapUp July 29 Carnival And More

Welcome

On most Wednesdays, check this blog for a strategy, process, or reflection for illustration with the iPad app ProCreate or Affinity Designer. I’ve been busy:

1. I continued Lisa Bardot’s Art Makers Club Carnival theme for Founders Month –the fourth birthday for the club. I am a founding member and find inspiration and tutorials there that keep me making art every day. Everyone can join in with her free Make Art Everyday prompts and some of her tutorials on YouTube.
2. In addition, I added to the Spoonflower Design Challenge, Herbarium Botanicals. I also created a hero illustration to accompany it, and I would like to add to that collection. I gave the design a story, and I’d like to continue it. See below for more information.
3. I think I’ve mentioned the Cornell Lab’s Live Draw session where I followed along drawing with the artist while watching birds at a bird feeder. Wow. That’s a challenge.
4. And, I’ve started a class on 21Draw on drawing pets with artist Rodgon.

1 Art Makers Club

For July 23-31, the Carnival Theme at Lisa Bardot’s Art Makers Club included the prompts:

• unicycle bear
• strongman
• hoop-jumping tiger
• tightrope walker
• photo booth
• souvenir pennant
• goldfish in a bag
• blue ribbon
• fireworks

I mostly used Lisa’s brushes from various member sets and the Print Shop paper texture template. Lisa’s prompts link to a Google Search of the prompt so you can get a variety of ideas from which to start.

I either just start in inking if the prompt is fairly simple, or I sketch on a layer to get the main lines and placement the way I want.

Lisa provides a help document with suggestions and a place to document your daily practice.

2. Spoonflower Design Challenge, Herbarium Botanicals.

There are not as many design challenges as previously and I missed the Opulent Halloween challenge. But I like the idea of this challenge, and I think I’ll make a few designs, even though I already entered this one. I created a tear sheet of the hero illustration and the pattern I entered.

Spoonflower Design Challenge, Herbarium Botanicals

I decided to change it up a bit and create a story to fit the challenge.

Herbarium Botanical Field Journal for Gramma’s Cottage

Remember your visit to Gramma’s? Botanical hand-labeled sketches on old-world paper texture based on a walk around Grandma’s cottage near the pond. Soft pastels with inked detailing; a vintage look as curated collections.

My field journal included possible botanical finds: “in the drylands,” “on the path,” “on the sunny side,” “edge of pond,” “near the pond,” “by the dock,” “edge of meadow,” “near water pump ,” “climbing the fence,” “edge of forest,” and “seedbeds from autumn.” I also included a moth, dragonfly, and bumble bee.

The hero illustration included four pages of the field journal, art pens, and a letter to Gramma about an upcoming visit.

I drew the outlines with Jennifer Nichols micron-like pen and inked on another layer with Jen’s Smooth Thin Gouache brush, just as if I’d actually been drawing in a field journal and adding color.

I have photos of wildflowers in our area, and I think it would be fun to create field journals of those actual wildflowers. For several of these wildflowers I have created patterns already in a Coulee Country Series; they could use a scientific page for each of them, like this arrowleaf balsamroot sunflower poster / tea towel

Currently, this design is for sale on Spoonflower:

3 Live Draw with Bird Cam

If you want an absolutely fun and engaging sketch session, try sketching birds at a bird feeder on a web cam. The Cornell Lab All About Birds has several bird cams. Check it out here: Bird Cams. Don’t think you’ll get finished sketches, but you will get practice with quick drawing at least part of what you see. Then you can return to finish a sketch.

You can get practice with this free lesson from Cornell Lab with artist Liz Clayton Fuller. You can even pause the video and take a bit longer to sketch. I suggest trying along with her first with quick draws, then return to the video to pause at place that interests you, or for which you caught a good sketch during the session.

Here are my quick draws during the session. I plan on watching again and capturing more, then returning to the places where I actually captured the essence in my own drawings. For now though, here’s what I captured:

4 21Draw Rogdon the Artist Learn to Draw Pets

I just joined 21Draw, and the first class I’m taking is Beginners Guide to Drawing Pets. The teacher is Rogdon the Artist, and he’s excellent — lots of fundamental information to begin using immediately, plus more advanced suggestions as we continue through the course. There are 39 lessons, and I’ve only watched the Basics so far [45 minutes], and I’ve already improved my animal drawing. I have a ways to go and lots to learn, but look at these! Aren’t they fun? I’m excited to continue. Thank you, Rogdon and 21Draw.

One more thing

I also made a card for each of three friends with a cupcake drawing from last month. Remember to find ways to share your art with friends. A hello, a greeting, a birthday surprise — get your work out there to make someone else happy.

Thanks for stopping by!

This is a fun month for drawing — quick and fun drawings for the Carnival theme. Take a look at prior week’s Carnival drawings: Week 1 Week 2. Remember that Lisa Bardot’s Make Art Everyday prompts are free and open to anyone to follow along; some of her tutorials are available as well. So join in! Members receive free brushes, which I use frequently. Give the prompts a try– try a new style or keep with your own. 

I’m still working on this week’s CatCoq’s Mini Collection Challenge , which is a perfect way to learn how to create a collection, complete with information on hero and blender illustrations in a surface design collection. Check out her many resources. This is free too.

Jennifer Nichols [affiliate link] community, newsletters, and blog provide the artistic techniques for Procreate and analog art for beginners to keep you improving day by day. I often use her brushes too. Check it out.

You can find many helpful artists teachers 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. 

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. And, I’m so thankful you’ve been joining me with art this year! Take care!