This was the last lesson of the Wanderlust "rivers" theme and we were back with Kasia Avery (website, Instagram). I was working out of order here. I'd put off starting this lesson because it felt like it was going to take a while to do. Rather than just a single page in an art journal,… Continue reading Wanderlust: concertina flow
Series: The Daily Marker Art Card #07 For this one, I returned to my default, bold, Copic colouring style, taking extra care with the shading. I wanted to create a rainy feel to the background; I laid down a gradient of three blues and then drew sketchy lines over it in the same colours. I… Continue reading Rainy rabbit
Series: The Daily Marker Art Card #06 My other half backed Stephanie Law's Succulent Dragons book on Kickstarter for me last year. The book has a mix of full page and smaller images and this is a section from one of the smaller ones. I'm rather taken with these slightly surreal hares. After I stuck… Continue reading Surreal hares
The last week of the Wanderlust "Patterns" theme and we're back with the organiser Kasia Avery (website, Instagram). It was too much to hope that there wouldn't be any more faces... and as for creating an "abstract self-portrait", well, it's only my determination to have a go at all of the Wanderlust lessons that meant… Continue reading Wanderlust: pattern portrait
Series: The Daily Marker Art Card #05 I used the full version of this digi stamp to make a birthday card for my mum last year. I coloured this one without looking back at what I'd done before and it turned out completely different: none of the colour choices or shading patterns are the same.… Continue reading Bee on blackberry flowers
All the time I was making the art cards for the Daily Marker colouring challenge, there was a nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me that it would be my other half's birthday only two days after the challenge ended and I really ought to be spending a bit of time making… Continue reading Twist-and-pop bots
Series: The Daily Marker Art Card #04 The Paper Shelter is another reliable creator of interesting digi stamps. I really ought to put together an up-to-date list of suppliers I use; a few have unfortunately closed down in the last couple of years. I added texture to the hair with a sharp coloured pencil, the… Continue reading Beach girl
The guest instructor for week three of the Wanderlust "Patterns" theme was Kellee Wynne Conrad (website, Instagram). Kellee's lesson was inspired by traditional tile patterns and the first thing we had to do was create our own. I've done a little bit of stamp carving before — including making the swallow stamp for my "two… Continue reading Wanderlust: doorway patterns
Series: The Daily Marker Art Card #03 I'm really enjoying making these art cards; having a proper finished artwork at the end of the process is rather satisfying. I kept to a muted, natural colour palette for this one — it seemed in keeping with the calmness of the image. I wanted to add a… Continue reading Girl and cat
I've been thinking about getting some Powertex for ages. At its simplest, it is a fabric hardener, but it can also be used for all sorts of modelling and mixed media. It has the advantage of being weatherproof once it has cured for a few weeks, so you can make things for display outside. Rather… Continue reading Powertex hares
The instructor for week two of the Wanderlust "Patterns" theme was Eliza Trojanowska (website, Instagram). I always have a problem with the projects that tell you to make something meaningful to you. That is a sure-fire way to get my inner cynic going and, at the same time, set me into full-on over-thinking mode. Meaning… Continue reading Wanderlust: journal boxes
Series: The Daily Marker Art Card #02 I've said it before and I will say it again: Power Poppy digis are gorgeous and even the simplest colouring makes a beautiful image. There is so much detail which means that any cropped section is still full of prettiness. After colouring with Copics, I added texture to… Continue reading Flower spray
Rather than automatically make a new card every time someone’s birthday comes around, I’ve been trying to use up some of my card stash, but there are exceptions. The birthday of my other half’s twin nieces is one such occasion. I’ve been seeing a few mentions of bridge cards recently and decided that a pair… Continue reading A pair of roses
The fifth theme of the Wanderlust year is "Patterns" and, as usual, we're starting off with inspiration from the organiser: Kasia Avery (website, Instagram). This project introduced the theme of patterns in the most straightforward way: paint some squares in flat colour and then create different patterns on each of them. I was in need… Continue reading Wanderlust: hexagon patterns
Series: The Daily Marker Art Card #01 Another 30 Day Daily Marker Colouring Challenge started in the middle of June and, to be honest, there was a brief moment when I thought I might give it a miss this time around; the last one was in February, but it really doesn't feel like it was… Continue reading Overthinking bear
Crafty Rat 