Hooked

Here is a page from my larger Moleskine sketchbook with 48 'inchies' I doodled when my eyes were having a good day. Never one to overlook a good idea I discovered the concept of "art journals" earlier this year. This seemed a wonderful solution to my problem of having lots of art projects floating around on untidy bits of paper and the feeling that when I did feel in a creative mood I had to produce something for a wall. An art journal is the perfect solution. My art had a valid home and the whole philosophy of art journaling is to free yourself from restrictions so:

No. 1 Rule of Art Journaling: anything goes.

I started my journal in rather nice 'Pink Pig' A4 spiral bound sketch book I had bought sometime ago, because I loved the cover, but hadn't know what to do with so my first journal was started. But then on flickr everyone was talking about moleskines, which I had never heard of. Well after a quick 'google' to the Moleskine site I had to have one or two or three. I am not one usually to jump onto a bandwagon, but I have to admit I am hooked.

 "Inchies" are another thing I discovered on flickr and as a veteran doodler the idea of producing a one inch square of art really appealed so I had to have a go. I posted my first attempts onto my flickr page and then kept a few ready cut blank inchies for those moments when I wanted a little doodle.

And then there is my pocket size notebook moleskin which is just for me - and an occasional share.

Here is yesterday's page.

I try and write/draw/paint/doodle in it most days.

Oh then there is my Art journal calendar... another time I think...

Landscape Inchies

and

Marvin Inchies

Glorious September

I am feeling much better and this glorious weather is helping. I'm back to the land of the living after a few days of a cold and I have been enjoying sitting in the garden with my pen and water colours. This is what I was looking forward to when I retired, last year's miserable autumn was such a disappointment. So far we have had mostly blue skies for at least a couple of weeks. I feel obliged to make the most of every hour so I have been gardening and out with my camera, cleaning windows and doing plenty of laundry. The garden seems to be having a last flush of flowers and there are plenty of insects about. I want to plant bulbs and move some shrubs, but the ground is so dry I am postponing these jobs 'till we've had some rain. I'll share some of the photographs I have been taking later.

I'm a bit disappointed wth the way this has come out even though I adjusted the colours in photoshop they seem to be really unsubtle - I just need to experiment.

Cone flower project

I've been working on images of echinacea or cone flowers. A flickr friend suggested this image would make a good place mat, something that had already crossed my mind. Something I must investigate. 

I drew these with fine pigment liner and scanned it into photoshop elements. I tinted it using elements editing which gives a great even coverage something I haven't managed to do with paint.  It printed out quite well.

Meanwhile here is another photograph which I have done some work on.