Mixing it up

I'm continuing to challenge myself, and feel very privileged to have the time to keep this up.
The brilliant Illustration Friday website posts a theme each week so I'm attempting to do a piece for that (if I'm inspired by the theme! The challenge is to do something even when uninspired...). This has really helped me to continue to experiment, try new things and get a bit competitive have fun!

 

Here's what I came up with for the topic of 'Sleep'.

 

 

Here I've placed pen drawing over watercolour for the first time, something I've been intending to try for a while. Mixing it up was great, and I really like the result.

 

Also I've posted more pieces on my tumblr page.

 

Working through it

I had a bit of a disaster week. I gave a lot of time and energy to a couple of pieces that really may end up in the bin. Grrr. It's a little soul-destroying to put in so much effort and not feel as though you have made much progress.

But then last night I took the pressure off myself, and went back to doing what I love - brush pens and ink.

Pushing yourself is great and a vital part of achieving those goals or learning new things. But then I'm trying to cultivate, remember? And part of that is saying 'okay, this is not working - but I know what does.'

Taking the easier route is sometimes okay. Sitting where we know we can find rest is not always lazy, or cheating. It's being honest about who we are and what we need.

 

So here's the piece that took flipping ages, and I am really NOT happy with:

 

Here's some sketchbook practice for the upcoming wedding fair I'm showing at (more of that soon):

 

And here's the beginning of something I am quietly confident about... can't wait to see how it turns out!...

 

Freezing

I love winter, but I am shivering more than usual today.

Busy trying new techniques.

I enjoyed doing the detail on this...