Walk in the Forest

Take Me With You

Last night when lying in bed, the idea of this image came to mind. An instagram-photo I took last summer of a hot-air balloon and my french girl you might have seen before ;-).

Moleskine pages

When I start a new sketchbook, there's always an idea I have about what I want use this sketchbook for.  Ideas about perfect drawings, perfect sketchbooks....the kind of drawings I want to make in it; 'I want to make this one all about flowers'. Along the way, the sketchbook turns in to something else, because I don't feel like doing flowers all the time, get bored of it, want to try something else. Plus it feels good just to draw and make something, just having fun. Not to try to make a 'perfect' drawing and don't think about it to much, but just do it. Without any goal in mind. Even when I do start a drawing with an idea in my mind, often, along the way of making it, it turns into something I didn't expect. Serendipity. Sometimes with a drawing I'm happy with as a result, sometimes with a drawing that didn't particularly turn out great. But who says  what's great? I just want to draw and sometimes things work, sometimes they don't. These are the things I say to myself at good days ;-). At more insecure days I'm not so sure anything I'm doing has any purpose and is any special. Still I just have to draw. I just know and feel that. I  feel  I'm myself when I do it. And happy. Here are a few of yesterday's 'playing around' pages of my Moleskine watercolour sketchbook. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a good, joyful day! 

On to the paper, out of my head

Friday is blogging day, as it appears to be....;-)

The illustrated story I've been working on for my drawing lessons is still work in progress. I feel like I've got a couple of nice drawings and  the story in my mind. Only one or two drawings are needed to finish the story. I want to make a little book of this story eventually. First there are a few things I need to do. I have to work on my Photoshop skills to be able to present the story the way I'd like to, the way I have in my mind.  I've been experimenting a bit with Photoshop, but there are things I'm stumbling upon every time, while experimenting. Frustration all over....but....after an afternoon of experimenting, I decided to let things rest and see how this challenge will find it's way to a solution. I didn't have to wait that long; the next morning, I found a solution in my email inbox. An offer for an online Photoshopcourse with a very lage discount! Funny how solutions have a way of presenting themselves to you if you let things rest, having faith answers will come your way, one way or another. :-)

Something else I 'd like to share is that I've started working in -yet another- new Moleskine sketchbook. I have several sketchbooks laying around. Some cheap ones which I also love, some Moleskines. All for different purposes. Watercolour, botanical/nature drawings, ideas/journaling....and so on...A couple of days ago I got the idea to start working in an new a4 size moleskine sketchbook a still had. I want to make this one into an art/illustrative-journal. A place to write and draw and glue things down that are on my mind. Where I can express my thoughts and emotions. Especially thoughts have a tendancy to stay with me too long, so I hope this journaling will help them stay in the book. And out of my head.

Fluffy & Aki

My 4-year old nephew made up a girl named Fluffy (don't know how he came up with this name, because he doesn't speak english ;-)) and a sea-gull named Aki. Don't know where that came from either, except for the fact that we were on the beach and he saw a sea-gull, but I found it funny. This is how Fluffy and Aki look like in my imigination ;-).

A New Header

I've been working on and experimenting with my blog's header. I had to find out how I could get the image to fit the width of the blog, taking pictures of it and scanning it. Just to figure out which one will give the best result. I find it kind of hard to get the colours right, both by photographing and scanning. The way it looks now it reflects the 'handmade'. I hope this is charming.....:-).

My Cup of Tea

I bought a watercolour sketchbook yesterday, and some waterolour paint. When I see other peoples work in watercolour, I like the effect you can achieve with it. I'm not experienced in working with it, but I thought: let's give it a try. And it's always so much fun to go to the art-supplies store and buy some new stuff to experiment with.
So this is yesterday's watercolours result! I must say I like how it worked out. It's done in watercolour, Chinese Ink for the text and some coloured pencil and Faber-Castell Artist Pitt pen.

The story is developing....Week 3's assignment for visual journaling; adding text to the story.... These are a few pages of my work so far.
(My cat thinks this book gets more attention than she does these days. So the best place to get some attention is on top of this object of my affection :-))

Magic happens when Lily is reading a book. :-) This is a page from the story that is developing for visual journaling. Painting over what you don't like and altering...I kind of like how this page looks now. Needs a litle bit of paint to cover up previous layers and some finishing touch maybe, but other than that, I'm satisfied.
Visual journaling is fun. :-)

I recently made this for a friend who moved to another place.