Sometimes, it seems so difficult to settle on what to draw that I end up drawing nothing at all. I have done prompts in the past, but I don't think I have ever done a "series". I do enjoy working in the mandala form so December saw me designing/drawing snowflakes, one snowflake each day.
Drawing this way (in a series) meant that even when the stylus was not in my hand I was thinking about what I wanted to design next, an excellent way to keep the creativity flowing. These were all drawn on my iPadmini2 using Concepts.
Thank you to Singing Bell for allowing me the use of their music for this video.
In an earlier post, I talked about having had the privilege of designing a "Bee" for The Canadian Quilter's Association to use in promoting The Big Quilt Bee ( an initiative with a goal of creating 1,000 quilts for kids at Ronald MacDonald Houses across Canada)
The quilts will be made up of slab blocks.....having never made one myself, I thought I should give it a go. oh my.....they are quick and fun to do....and yes...perhaps even a little addictive as well.
I decided to document the process of one of them and create a short video showing just how quick, fun and easy these block are to make.....plus it is a great way to use up bits and pieces in your stash!
Learn more, join in and become a part of The Big Quilt Bee here
I am really, REALLY enjoying using this technology for doodling.
It is a fantastic fit for the way I like to draw.....(and change my mind, erase, and draw again) over and over. I don't plan to take photos along the way with every drawing, but I thought this might be a good addition to my tutorials page. To better create a "visual" of the way I develop each of my doodles for those who come here seeking that info.
Whether I draw digitally, or use plain old paper and pen, my process is the same. I draw the basic outline of my subject matter, break the drawing into smaller shapes and simply fill them in with pattern.
For this fish, creating smaller areas within the tail and fins, placing arced lines to better define the shape of the body and head gave me lots of opportunity to place many different patterns.
Some patterns make sense (note the "scales") most do not...polka dots, checks and stripes for instance....but they all work wonderfully together to create a fun drawing
here you see the beginning outline paired with the end result
and here is a look at all the steps to get there
and finally.....a quick video so you can "watch" it come to life
Doodling without paper and pen?........I suppose it was bound to happen. A few weeks ago I was given an iPad mini2 and have since been playing with it to see if it could be used to doodle with reasonable results. WELL....I am loving it.....truth be told I just might be a little obsessed with this.
I downloaded and tested a few apps....but...once I began exploring the app, Concepts by the folks at Tophatch......I could tell pretty quickly that I was going to really like what it had too offer and wasted no time purchasing the full app. It is perfect for my needs (wants)....actually, it does way more than I need or will likely ever use. I also ordered a particular stylus called Pencil by Paper 53
At this point, I am not doing a review about these products...just telling you what I am using.
I may never doodle on paper again.....These were created completely on my little iPad
and so was this one.
A great thing about drawing directly onto the screen is that I could simply take screen shots every so often allowing me to later 'go back" and watch as the doodle developed.....I used those images to create a short video
Joining in over at Nina Marie's Off the Wall Fridays......lots of inspiration to be found over there
I have been blogging for quite some time now, mostly about quilting, surface design, papercutting and doodling. Do you know what my most popular ......and most viewed post is?
It is this one on cutting snowflakes
Since I am trying to teach myself how to make and edit video, I decided to record myself making one of my "themed" snowflakes. Up until last week, our winter has been pretty mild and without much snow, that all changed over the last few days......it has gotten cold and the white stuff has arrived.
Has me dreaming of spring..... which inspired this snowflake
If you are interested, you can watch my latest video to see it develop from start to finish here
I also cut a slightly different version
Linking to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday....where Nina-Marie has offered some excellent advice for all of us who find ourselves not spending enough of our time "creating"
I tried to cover as much as I could in one post last time....photographically attempting to show you that various steps involved in the process.
Then I thought...gee...could I make a video? I have never tried to make /edit video before but decided to give it a try, so, I am hoping that together with my last post you will know what to do and perhaps be inspired to try it yourself.
This is the Rosette I created from the hexagons I am painting in the video.....and it is this rosette pattern that I am sharing with you. Download, print, and make your very own, I only ask that you link back to me when showing off your creations. You can get the file here
Note: this rosette and pattern is comprised of 1" Hexagons....print at "actual" size. If you want to work with a different size you may have to play with printing at the desired percentage
I am not providing instructions for the actual paper piecing part...you can find those all over the Internet as well as some great You Tube videos. Check out my previous post for part 1 of this tutorial
I did it!...my very first video, my first time trying to upload to YouTube.....fingers crossed that it works! The video covers the painting process....hope you find it helpful
I plan to try this technique in a variety of mediums......starting with these.....I have had this lovely set of watercolour pencils sitting in a drawer for years.....will they work?....lets find out
I began by testing the permanency of the colour on fabric. I doodled, laid on colour, activated with the Aloe-Vera Gel, let dry, heat set and then submersed it in water. It worked...the colours stayed put and equally as important, the hand of the fabric remained unchanged
In the image below, the hexagon on the left with just pencil applied....on the right the hexagon after the gel was applied
here they are left to dry
and this is the finished rosette
The process for this is just a little different than with paint, I will attempt to make another video soon.
Merry Christmas! Nina Marie is hosting her "Off the Wall Fridays" so I am linking up there where lots of creative stuff is happening
