Only for my friend Charlie at doodlewash.com would I risk my life to take photos of this bee to paint. Just kidding, I’ve been told these bees aren’t the stinging kind. Of course I snapped the photo at the beginning of June with Charlie’s theme of a nature doodlewash in mind, but waited ’til the last day of the month to finish and post. I do need a deadline to get things finished!
World Watercolor Month starts tomorrow! Watch the trailer here.
I can’t believe summer is just weeks away. School is ending, and summer swim team will be starting! If you’ve been following for a while, you know I find a lot of inspiration at the pool. Here’s a recap:
On Friday, after posting my limes, Charlie at doodlewash.com reminded me that I was “invited” to dinner. Here is an excerpt of Charlie’s original invitation:
“I’m inviting all of you over for dinner, because seriously, how cool would that be? During the month, if at any time you’d like to come to the party, just “bring over” a lovely doodlewash of something delicious to eat or drink by using the hashtag – #DoodlewashDinner.”
But how could I bring limes to dinner?! I couldn’t, so instead I made a favorite in our house – spaghetti and meatballs. Grab a fork and enjoy. And a big thank you to our host Charlie!
It feels really good to have time to paint and draw after vacation (and the time before it – shopping, prepping, and packing). I spent time Sunday starting several paintings. For me, it’s the starting that’s hard, once I have a painting “in the works” it’s easy to pull it out and work on it (unless I let too much time pass).
The three paintings were very different. You’d never guess I started them all at the same time, but they did have something in common. Before I started painting I turned to my Camera Roll on my phone for inspiration. All three were inspired by recent photos I took, or in one case, a photo I spotted on Instagram (that I took a screen capture of).
The orange gerbera daisies (my favorite flowers) were outside of the supermarket. The rooster roams around outside of my son’s friend’s neighbor’s house. Who knew you could find a rooster this close to NYC? The vintage bicycle with the lilacs was posted on Instagram by Kathleen @fadedcharmliving.
 
 
I’m trying to paint more. I had gotten away from it a bit. Not that long ago, I painted in this square size so frequently I put all the painting together and took a photo. My goal is to create another grouping of square paintings. I have a ways to go!
I’m back on track with my creative resolution. I decided on the habits that will keep me creative and successful, and I’m keeping to them, until they truly become habits and I do them without even thinking. I’m working in my sketchbook every morning. Once a week I’m starting the day by painting. It’s such a good feeling to start the day this way. My mind is less cluttered when this is the first thing I work on. It changes my outlook for the entire day.
I had no idea what I was going to work on, as I set up, and taped down my paper. My son’s lacrosse magazine happen to be lying around, and I thought it would be interesting to work with a dry brush – to just capture the shapes and movement. That one little spark of an idea and I was off. I was in the groove. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this way. For the last month or so, when I did paint I was somewhat uninspired.
I really liked how it came out. It felt different for me.
The one negative to painting and drawing a lot, is that those paintings and drawings pile up. I do hang some of them up, but most end up in a drawer. Good thing I don’t work on canvas that much.
So when a friend said “I want it!” in response to my cupcake post on Instagram, I said, “It’s yours!” It’s nice that this painting has a home and isn’t stuck in a drawer.
Today I decided to paint with lots of bright cheery colors. I’ve been creating all weekend and thinking about what to post. Sometimes, when too much time has past, I overthink what to write about. It’s usually a case of too many ideas! I complicate things. So to simplify – this is what I’m painting right now. 🙂
I thought it would be appropriate to design a banner that better represented what I do. So, why not a sketch of my painting setup? I’ve kept my bear in there, on the can holding the brushes. If you are wondering what’s with the bear – read my about page.
The New Year, has given me a recharge. I’m more committed to being creative than I was at the start (of 2014). I’m excited to pursue all the different things I’m interested in (painting, illustration, surface design, animation). I’m trying to doodle in my sketchbook every day. I ask myself for only 5 minutes. Even on the busiest days, I can spare that right? It’s relaxing, and it allows me time to come up with ideas. I usually do it early in the morning, while I wait for the kids to get ready. It puts me in a creative mindset for the day. And because of that, I usually end up creating later in the day.
Hope your New Year is off to a creative start too!
It felt so good, to set up yesterday – take my paints out, tape down the paper, fill the water – just go through the process. I’ve missed it. I’ve painted only sporadically during the holiday season. Setting up is kind of a calming.
I had no idea what I wanted to paint, I just knew I wanted to get back into it. Penguins popped into my head, and orange sunset skies. I looked online for some reference photos and found a great one tagged #penguinlove. I wish I could find the photographer of the inspiration photo. It’s so awesome, I can’t really take credit for the painting. I usually try to take my own reference photos, but there aren’t any penguins here in NY!
How’s your year starting out? Have you starting on your resolution? 🙂
mycreativeresolution.com 