coloring

7/2021

pattern design

Feeling really tired. Lola is pushing my arm and preventing me from typing because she wants to be scratched. It was a terrible cold week with lots of rain which turned to ice overnight and for two days I was not able to unlock our gate and had to use car entrance to go out. Thankfully that did not freeze. I think it’s time for this winter to end, because now I feel I really had enough. Tired.

I am also tired of Instagram and constantly trying to keep up with every day posting, so this week I wasn’t posting or engaging in any way and I have to say that it felt good. I had to ask myself why do I keep trying to win likes and followers and to tailor my posts and accounts to what people like. It makes me frustrated and feels fake and I don’t achieve anything. So, I made a conclusion that it does not really matter and that I should really focus on what makes me happy and stop thinking about how to please the people.

In that context, I was mostly drawing on iPad and concentrating on Spoonflower challenges. My Ox pattern ended up on 82 place which is by far the best placement ever and it makes me really happy. To celebrate that, I created a coloring page based on the design, which I give for free and you can download it here.

Here are the two pattern that I submitted for the next two Spoonflower challenges. The first one I already mentioned last week, it’s challenge called patchwork and my entry is this one:

I think it will make a great cover from my sofa, so I am planning to order it very soon, just waiting for a couple more designs to order samples at the same time.

The second design I just submitted today is for the talisman challenge and I really spent a lot of time on it, choosing colors and making all the little details work together. I am still not completely happy with it but I think it looks bold and interesting:

And, as I said, I really enjoy drawing on iPad and exploring what can be done. Getting an iPad was the best purchase I made lately. This one was just a quick play, but possibilities are almost endless.

And finally, today I managed to squeeze in a little carve and print time:

That’s it. I listened to a good instructional presentation in Flourish hosted by Bonnie Christine, about web site design and message you need to convey and how to structure pages and links. I did learn quite a bit and will be working on implementing some of it soon. Still struggling with my page but I am working on it whenever I have time. A page a week will do and I will get there eventually.

Black Book January: Update #4

black book, Colored Pencils, doodles, Mandala, Ornaments

Today I finally completed this mandala:

The yellow parts are actually gold gel pen, but it’s not photographing well. Yesterday we went to Austria to that outlet, did some little shopping, had lunch and came back to our hotel. We spent the afternoon in the pool and sauna. It’s good, there are other guests, but nobody is really noisy, so it’s actually possible to relax by the pool, which I really like.
Today the weather is funny: there was sun in the morning, so we headed out for a walk in the park. By the time we came out, the sun was gone and it started snowing, so we cut our walk short, because it was cold and windy. By the time we were back to our room, it was again sunny… we decided to get down to the gym and do some exercise, which was quite nice, as the gym has big windows and view to the park and it was very calming to exercise and look out at the snow falling (it started again). Now we are resting and contemplating a visit to the pool and sauna. Life is good.

Black Book January: Update #3

black book, Colored Pencils, doodles, Mandala, Ornaments

I’ve been working on this one mandala for several days now. I used white posca pen for contours, and had a lot of trouble with it.

It did not want to work and I started to shake it and then the paint came out of it on top of my drawing. I managed to clean it up with black colored pencil, so it did not do much damage. But I am rather upset with posca pen. Why does it stop writing when there is still paint inside? It’s not that I abused it, such as dipped it into the wet acrylic paint or used it over a particularly rough surface, no, this one was used only on paper or on top of coloured pencil, it should not have cause damage. Anyway… I get upset because these pens are expensive and I am pretty sure that the cost-benefit analysis is not favorable for me, and I get even more upset because those pens are not easy to get in shops, I have to order it online and I did not have a spare because this one was new and, you know… I wanted to finish my mandala and the only thing I could do is press the tip to the paper in order to get paint out and then dip the tip back into the paint and use it as a dip pen on my drawing, which produced uneven lines I was not happy with, like this:

 

This morning I started doodles on top of it, but could not finish, this is how it looks now:

I had to stop and pack because we travelled today to a place close to Austrian-Hungarian border, which is called Rojtokmuzsaj. It’s a village with a most amazing old castle spa hotel. We were here last winter too, and decided that we need to come again.So, it’s four days of swimming pool, sauna, walks in park and a shopping excursion (because an Austrian outlet is close by, so we can’t miss it, right?).

Of course, I have my Black Book and my pens with me, so I will continue with my mandalas during our stay here, of course.

Black Book January: Update #2

black book, Colored Pencils, doodles, Mandala, Ornaments

This morning I finished the mandala that took several days to do:

 

There were large areas to color with color pencils and then doodles also took awhile. Color pencils make the surface waxy and slippery, so doodling with ink on top is not very easy. I made lots of mistakes, but I am rather happy with the end product. It looks quite good.

Today was another freezing cold and beatifully sunny day. I went skating anyway, because I felt like going crazy from inactivity. It was very nice on ice, not cold at all and not crowded, probably due to low temperatures. Now, however, I can feel the skin on my face burning and I have a mild headache. I hope the headache will not develop into a migraine. That would be really bad, because I want to go skating again tomorrow.

Yesterday we went to the local tropicarium and watched sharks and fancy fish. It was very pleasant distraction from the winter outside. Afterwards we had coffee and cake and then we had trouble falling asleep because the coffee was big and strong. But it’s all fine, because we do not need to get up early or be anywhere.

That’s it for this Monday. I am off to make buttery popcorn and install myself in front of the TV. Orange is the new black is on.

Black Book January

black book, doodles, Mandala, Ornaments

I did this challenge last year in January, I was probably inspired by #carveDecember and wanted to try something new and do it for a whole month. I called it Black Book January. Even a friend from Instagram joined and did several pieces. The goal of the challenge is to create something on black background. I bought a Derwent Black Book and did the challenge for the whole month last January. I did not create 31 pieces, because these are a little bit more complicated and time consuming than carving a stamp every day, but I quite enjoyed exploring what can be done on black paper.

This year I am repeating the challenge. I will be doing mandalas, because I am currently inspired to do them and I have already tried some supplies that can do wonders on back paper. I finished two mandalas until now. The first I did with white UniBall pen, Carad’Ache Luminance 6901 pencils and Liquid Pearls.

 

For the second I used UniBall pen and Sakura Metallic Gell pens in gold and bronze.

In parallel I am also doing the first lesson of Life Book, actually not the main lesson, but the warm-up. I did the meditation and for the first time I actually saw a symbol and an animal. I decided that I would include them in the painting, so it’s not really a simple warm-up exercise, but a whole thing, with the animal and the symbol. So I am a bit stuck, because my animal (which was actually a fawn in my meditation) does not look anything close to what I saw, meaning that it’s as far from the fawn as at all possible, but I am accepting it, as there is no choice, it’s either that or nothing at all. I think I will finish during the day… I keep wondering why I cannot draw cute animals… Maybe I should make it a challenge… Maybe in February…

Anyway… The weather is beautiful and sunny, but so horribly cold that I think I will not go out today. Last two days I went ice skating and enjoyed it enormously. Yesterday was also nice and sunny, but very windy and the day before was snowing and that day was actually much more to my liking even though it was cloudy, because the snow made it so calm and charming. So, off I go to nurture my muscle fever and wrstle with the ‘fawn’ 🙂

Have a nice day!

Mandala: 27 December

Mandala

Finished coloring the mandala which I made using one of my stamps:

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Sorry for the light… It did not want to be photographed under natural light: the whole piece had a blue tone, including paper, and I could not get rid of it. The artificial light actually helped in this case… Weird…

Anyway, if you would like to color this one, please go here and download it.

Mandala: 25 December 

Colored Pencils, doodles, Mandala, Ornaments

I finished it several days ago but waited for some light to take a photo. It was raining in the morning but it cleared now so I grabbed my phone and made a shot.

It was a nice Christmas Eve but a bit too much food, as usual. But that’s ok 😊

I hope you are enjoying your holidays!

Mandala: 14 December

Mandala

I finished coloring the mandala I drew two weeks ago.

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I used mostly water-based markers. I did some details with gold gel pen and white acrylic ink (which could not stay white because of markers bleeding through, but I am fine with that).

Here is a detail:

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I got the cold from Mother, so today I am nursing my sore throat with garlic, honey and tea. I feel sad and worried about how I will drive to Munich tomorrow. I hope I will feel better…