Greetings from a chilly yet beautiful Sunday here in Pretoria! 🙋♀️
I recently discovered ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos on YouTube. I have known about the concept for a while, but some of the things people do in these videos creep me out, so I wasn't a fan. Until I discovered a few bookbinding channels. I have found them to be useful (not silent because I prefer some noise), but still helpful when I am working and need to focus. Concentrating is difficult when I have to write test reports.
Making mistakes will cause problems, and getting distracted by things happening in the background is not a good thing at all. The same applies when I have to do calculations for the report. I never make the calculations during the tests themselves, since I often have multiple tests running at the same time. Often the tests are not for the same client or the same type of product. During testing I focus on capturing the measurements and the condition of the test samples so that I have detailed records for when I write the reports later.
My inspiration this week comes from exactly such an ASMR video ⬅️
I happened to glance up at my second screen (while writing a report) when I noticed the woman use a template for making the holes in the paper which she was going to bind into a sketchbook. Using a template for the position of the holes is nothing new, we all do that, but I have to say I rather like the way she made her template. Might use a similar idea for my templates. I like learning new things, and if they are practical to make my life or a creative project easier, even better. 😍
In our creative group we have been making a Lifebook. It is a monthly art journal entry with a theme. Unlike most of the art journaling you see on YouTube, this project (now going for almost 3 years) is a personal entry for each of us, where sharing in the group is entirely optional. I pick the themes, and sometimes also the medium or colour scheme, and we use that as part creative inspiration, part record of our lives in that month based on the chosen theme.
For August this year, I picked "sketch journaling" as the theme. The challenge is to pick any 7 days in August and then draw items or events of that day as a record. I prefer using ink and another medium to add colour to the drawing. I love urban sketching, and the idea is basically the same with the caveat of making it personal to me.
So far I have drawn three days with the third done at the lab where I work. I sketched a test setup that we don't often have to do and it was rather fun to draw all the test equipment and few details of the test sample. Since this is a reflection of my engineering work, it makes sense as a record of my life.
I am thinking about sketching a day in my studio where I am busy working on three small acrylic paintings of a bird, a cat and a hare. They are cute and fun and I was in the mood for something more playful to paint during the week.
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| Graphite pencil practice |
We had a drawing lesson on Thursday during our usual session since we twisted the arm of one of the members in the group to start drawing again. It has been years since her last drawing, so we decided to draw with her. Drawing practice is always a good thing to keep your pencil sharp, in a manner of speaking. I picked a photo of a daisy from Unsplash.com, made it black and white, and then sent it to everyone with instructions on tools and a bit of prep to be done beforehand.
While I draw for inktober52 ⬅️ every week, it's been a while since I had done a graphite pencil drawing. It was a fun project.
I have also been testing some new watercolour paper I recently bought. I will share my thoughts in a separate post. I still have two more papers to play with, and I am rather excited to see how they perform. I will share links to where you can purchase the papers, the paints and brushes I used - if I can find links for the paper I bought in a local store. This brand is not unknown to me, but I have not seen it in one of our local online art stores.
Living a creative life is really satisfying, but also frustrating at times. I have loads of ideas for multiple projects, but finding time to do all of them remains my biggest challenge. Maybe when I am retired, I will have time to catch up on that ever growing ideas list. 😜
Thank you for reading.
Until next time!
💜🇿🇦 Linzé
