Cheating the Muse - Letter V

Hey there, fellow creatives!

Do you hoard your expensive art supplies? I confess that I do to some extent. In my previous job (I am now self-employed), I earned a massive salary for which I am grateful even to this day. That salary allowed me to buy the best coloured pencils, watercolour pencils, and watercolour paints that I cannot afford today.

Back then, I bought the sets, and since these highest-grade materials are available in open stock, I can replace only the colours that I use up. But I haven't used up anything except acrylic paints and acrylic mediums. My acrylic paint brands are not recognised outside of this country, but we are fortunate that they still are of high quality.

The imported materials pose that hoarding problem: they are available, only very expensive.

I use all my art materials, but I am definitely not pulling out the Caran D'Ache museum aquarelles for group projects or sketchbook practice.

For artwork that does not need to be lightfast, I use student-grade materials, especially coloured pencils. When I use the big guns, I appreciate what they bring to my art to level it up to the highest level.

I have learned something valuable even with student-grade materials: my skills don't depend on the price of the materials. I can draw and paint with student-grade materials just as well, and maybe even better than with the best materials, because I don't rely on the materials to create but on my skills and continued practice to keep improving.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter U

Hey there, creative friends!

As we get nearer to the end of the alphabet, choosing a theme makes the letters more challenging. Then, the word unstructured popped into my brain.

I see this as a means to explore and experiment. There is no plan. No commission. No reference to paint. Of course, a reference can be used as inspiration, but not to copy. We are going to do just that as our next project in my art group.

It is a more expressive way of painting and is difficult to teach. I will give directions to the members who want to try it, but none of our efforts will look the same even if we use the same reference.

I love this kind of painting, but we will see if the rest of the group agrees once they have tried it.

Lots of fun to do, but with an unexpected and often surprising outcome.

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter T

Hey there, creative friends!

Sometimes we run out of ideas. Or we want to try something new or different. In times like these, I do a lesson or a project presented by someone else. I am sure you have done those as well.

They are fun and easy because the thinking and planning have already been done by the artist presenting the project. My favourite artists to learn from are Tamara la Porte for her mixed media work and Paul Clark for his watercolour and ink. (Their YouTube channels are linked in their names)

Last week, in the Letter O post, Lissa mentioned that she sometimes makes the same mistake more than once because she forgot about doing it the first time. I used to do that until I came up with an idea so I didn't have to remember everything. As someone who paints and draws in various media and does mixed media, I find remembering everything exhausting.

My solution: I have two sketchbooks. A small A5 landscape-bound sketchbook where I plan paintings for competitions. Competitions have themes and rules, so I plan my entry with this sketchbook. Colour palettes, composition thumbnails, and other ideas I might have. Once the painting is done, I go back and make notes on what worked, what didn't, and how I could improve the next time I use that medium or idea.

The second sketchbook is for practising a skill or making notes during an online lesson about a medium or technique. At this point I haven't created an artwork yet, so the notes (sketches or collages) will be helpful before I make a mistake.

This is not a perfect solution, but it saves time, so I don't repeat mistakes often. New mistakes are learning opportunities because I like to experiment. Although not ideal, learning new things makes for better art skills.

How do you keep track of new things that you learn?

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter S

Hey there, fellow creative!

For all my confidence in my abilities as a consulting engineer, artist and writer, the one thing I don't do well is marketing my art and books. Other people do the engineering stuff, or potential clients find me by word of mouth. You get the point, yes?

It's not that I don't know what to do; I just don't spend the time to do the work. There is a tiny post on Instagram, which is the extent of my marketing efforts. (My Instagram) I prefer doing other things with my time, like painting and writing the next book.

Okay, this post is not about any tips to cheat the muse, but as mentioned a few times this past few days, I have a surprise for all of you.

My new book, Tiger Gold, is coming out on 30 April, but it is available already for presale at only 99c. The publication price is $7.99.  You need to provide your email in return, but I don't have a newsletter any more, so there won't be any emails from me. Spam or any other kind. Ever!

You can find the special presale link to Tiger Gold only here.

Don't click the link to the right of my blog, it will not go to the presale discount offer.

Thank you for visiting today; I truly appreciate all of you 💜

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

Cheating the Muse - Letter R

Hey there, fellow creative!

I was not inspired when the letter R came up on my list. Until a few hours ago, I had no idea what I was going to write about. I even Googled a few ideas, but not the AI version. I am not a fan of AI for writing. Anyway, I spotted a few artists' names next to recycling art, and I went, I do that!

Most people associate recycled art with big and bold sculptures, and those can be awe-inspiring. But that is not what I do.

Nope, I stick to small things. Let me give an example. When diamond dot painting became a craze, I wasn't keen. Until about October two years ago, I decided to try a project featuring a peacock. I loved the colours.

I finished it, and it was fun, but not for me. If you had done these, you know they would give you loads extra of those tiny plastic dot things because losing them is too easy.

Stuck with the extra dots, I contemplated throwing them away because I didn't plan on doing any more diamond dot paintings. But, I decided to participate in a national art competition again, and would you know it, those dots were just what I needed.

No, I didn't win, and if they run it again, I probably won't win it either because only portraits have won. I don't paint portraits. But to get to the end of a long story, you never know what you can or cannot use in art. Even those tiny plastic dots! 

Until tomorrow!

💜 Linzé

PS: Don't forget to visit tomorrow. I have a special surprise just for my blog visitors.

The 100 day project Week 8 (Day 50 to Day 56)

Hey there, creative friends!

When I started this challenge, I just hoped that I could keep up with a daily creative practice, but this week started with Day 50. Mind blowing that we are halfway already!

I do have a problem now, with the next novel which is scheduled for release at the end of the month, my time is getting really limited until I finish working through the edits.

Any painting, or writing words for the next book, have to wait until the edits are done.

But I did manage to finish the Raven drawing, and did some more sketchbook work to start the second half of the 100day project challenge.

Until next week!

💜 Linzé

Day 50

A small (10cm x 10cm) canvas done with acrylic markers. The sun looks more like a fire than our star. Oh, well. 😏

Time: 30 minutes

Days 50 to 53

I got the final edits back from my editor on Thursday last week. With the release date at the end of the month, I had to commit my time to working through the edits and the comments she had made to fix some issues.

Visitors to my blog have the opportunity for an exclusive discount and getting the book before it is officially released on 30 April 2025.

Use this link to Tiger Gold - the Strike Masters, to see if it might interest to you. Please note there is an email requirement. I don't have a mailing list anymore, so there won't be any spam from me.

Day 54

And it's done. A challenge for sure because of its size, but I loved doing it. Graphite is one of my favourite mediums, so I will definitely do another big drawing. But my next big project is an acrylic / mixed media painting on canvas.

Time: 30 minutes

Total time: 16 hours 30 minutes

Day 55

I made tags from tags attached to some socks I bought.

They are small and could easily be used for spine dangles on a junk journal or to decorate a bigger tag, or something else. I haven't decided yet where they will end up.

I also finished another sketchbook. It had just one spread left. Stickers and collage spreads only - no drawing or painting.

I picked two spreads to share.

I made the sketchbook using craft paper. It is 6cm wide and 9.5 cm high. It is now filed with the other full sketchbooks. Awesome feeling! 🥳

Tags: 1 hour

Sketchbook: 20 minutes

Day 56

An abstract coffee cup painted with gouache in my TBS sketchbook. Only three pagers left.

I really enjoy painting with gouache so it will be great if I can finish this sketchbook soon. 

Time: 3 hours

Cheating the Muse - Letter Q

Hey there, creative friends!

Thank you to everyone who has visited my blog. If I missed your question when I wrote this post, I promise to answer it in the comments.

So here is Lissa's question: "Why is your blog named 'Butterfly on a broomstick'? This could have an easy explanation. But I'm curious if there might be something special to it."

My reply: To be honest, Lissa, it took me a while to remember 🤦🏼‍♀️ because once I created the blog in 2011, I didn't think about it again. Until today. 😃

Although the dragonfly is my favourite insect, it is a predator and not quite the image I wanted for my blog. I do like butterflies and picked them for the aesthetic side of creativity. The broom can represent many things, but when it comes to creativity, to me, it represents the "work and effort" side of things. Not in a negative way, but art or any creative project requires some effort to make it happen.

Thank you for your question, Lissa, and the reminder of why I chose the name.

Don't forget to visit for the Letter S post (Tuesday, 22 April 2025). I have a special surprise for my blog visitors.

On Wednesday, I will share a few tips that have helped me improve my artistic skills - in the Letter T post.

Until Monday!

💜 Linzé