The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: J is for...

Journaling

A journal in any form, shape, or size is the best friend of the creative person. Whether you like to craft or do art, a journal is a space for thoughts, ideas, and experimentation to explore new ideas, or revisit old ideas.

Today I am sharing a book about journaling as a form of self-expression and growth. Ok, I wrote it, but it will be the only self promo post this month so I am entitled, yes? 😏

As always your comments are most welcome on Twitter. Thank you for visiting my blog today.

❤️ Linzé 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: I is for...

Inktober

A daily challenge for October now also running as an annual weekly challenge. Ink drawing is the challenge, but many artists prefer mixed media too. Find out more at inktober.com

Here is a drawing from last year's challenge 😎

Comments are most welcome on Twitter, thank you for visiting my blog today.

Until Monday!

💙 Linzé 

 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: H is for...

Hardness

Graphite pencils are graded for the hardness (H) or blackness (B) of the graphite. The harder the pencil (rated H to 9H) the lighter the marks on the page.

The softer the pencil the more dark or black the marks (B to 9B) will be.

HB is the "middle" pencil if you like, and the one we all used at school for writing and drawing.

Here is a graphite drawing made with a few of those pencils.

Comments are most welcome on Twitter, thank you for visiting my blog today.

Until tomorrow!

❤️ Linzé 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: G is for...

Gouache

A painting medium popular with designers before computer software became the first choice. It is water based and opaque. It has the odd characteristic that it can be reactivated even after it's dry.

This makes is also highly useful for paints (tempera) for children since it can be washed out of clothing or from other surfaces.

Here is a monochrome gouache painting I did on gouache paper, of the Edinburgh train station.  I used a photograph taken by my husband as the reference.

Gouache painting on white gouache paper

Comments are most welcome on Twitter, thank you for visiting my blog today.

💙 Linzé 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: F is for...

Fixative

Fixative is used to prevent changes to a painting after it is completed. But, there are fixatives that can be removed should you need it.

Using fixative is choice, because the colour and values of dry mediums like pastels and pencils can be affected by the application of fixatives.

Fixatives can be applied with a brush (typical for oil paintings) or as a  spray (airbrushing or spray can).

If you want to preserve a painting made with pencils or pastels, rather have it framed behind glass then it will remain beautiful for years.

Your comments are most welcome on Twitter, thank you for visiting my blog today.

💗 Linzé 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: E is for...

 Encaustic painting

Encaustic is a wax medium applied after melting the wax. You can either use a brush or other tools, but it is not a medium suited for children because of the hot wax.

I have not used this medium but I love seeing what others have done, although it is not commonly used today. Check out these YouTube artists for more techniques and tips to use encaustic wax in mixed media projects.

Comments are most welcome on Twitter, and thank you for visiting my blog today!

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: D is for...

Drawing

The most basic skill needed for creating art is drawing. And anyone can learn how to draw. I am not going to jump on that soap box again, so I will just share a drawing I did for the first SA Drawing Guild challenge and a link to the website of an excellent online art teacher.

Enjoy!

Shells and ropes - a graphite drawing on white paper

Comments are most welcome on Twitter, thank you for visiting my blog today.

💗 Linzé 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: C is for...

 Colour pencil

Sharing another drawing today. This is a colour pencil drawing of a moth that my art group and I did last week.

The "underpainting" if I can call it that, was done with two Chameleon alcohol markers. The dark areas were done with a warm grey (WG3) and the light (areas not left white) were done with the sand (NU0) marker.

I used Faber Castell polychromos pencils for the details on the moth.

Moth in coloured pencil and alcohol marker

Comments are most welcome on Twitter, thank you for visiting my blog today.

Until Monday!

💜 Linzé 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: B is for...

 Brush care

While it's fun to paint with all kinds of mediums, we should not forget to take good care of the brushes after we finished. Most mediums, like watercolour and acrylics, are water-based so it takes only a few minutes to clean them.

Oil-based mediums will require a solvent, but it is still a good idea to clean the brushes as soon as possible to ensure the quality of the bristles.

It does not require expensive brushes to produce a painting, but not taking care of them will be a waste of money.

Using ink with a paintbrush can be a particular pain since the ink will not only stain the bristles but can also cause damage if the ink becomes dry. If you paint with ink, like I sometimes do, it is a good idea to have a brush or two specifically for use with ink and to rinse it really well after use.

Comments are most welcome on Twitter, thank you for visiting my blog today.

💙 Linzé 

The #CreativeLife 2021 A to Z Blog Challenge: A is for...

Alcohol markers

An interesting and surprisingly useful medium to use in mixed media projects with other mediums such as colour pencils.

Below is a drawing I did in January.

These posts will also be shared on Twitter, where you are most welcome to leave a comment.

Please share your own experiences with alcohol markers. Which brand is your favourite?

Until tomorrow!

💙Linzé

The #CreativeLife 2021 - review of week 12

Not much of an eventful week, for which I am grateful. Life's ups and downs can throw a nasty spanner into anyone's planning. It was still a good week though and I completed three art projects.

Work is still taking up a lot of time, and with the blog challenge, April is going to require discipline and planning to get everything done every day.

A last note before I end today's short post: it is customary for blog visitors to leave a comment or link to their own blogs during the April A to Z challenge. Since the comments are disabled on my blog, please take a moment to pop over to Twitter to say hi. I would love to hear from you.

Please stay safe and healthy. Until April! 

Linzé 💜

The #CreativeLife 2021 - could boredom help your creativity?

Today I am not going to say anything except that this was an interesting concept for me, and I am going to share it with you.

Enjoy!

💚Linzé 💚

This image will be better understood if you look at the YouTube video. Also subscribe to Adam's channel for more inspirational videos like this one.