[ creativity is human nature ]
By this I don’t mean “nonrepresentational” I just mean abstracted
Using Mandoo I was able to combine the concept of neurographic art with mandala and I love the results!
Doing this traditionally would be a lot harder and probably not a “true neurograph” since one is meant to start a neurograph with a random scribble, but with a mandala-making program it is completely possible and very easy!
If you are interested in coloring these I have uploaded them all to my digitally-drawn coloring pages Google Drive folder, so please enjoy!
While it might read like it is, this post is NOT sponsored. I’m just excited about this wonderful tool I recently started using and I want to share it with the world.
These 3 mandalas were made in the android app Mandoo. It is completely free, no ads or in-app purchases! I love this app so much. It’s rare to find good apps that are completely free, but when I do I am so incredibly grateful.
Mandoo lets anyone create a mandala, from absolute novices to experienced veterans. This is because you only have to draw one section of the mandala, the app will automatically copy the design around the facets for you.
This isn’t a new concept, Mandoo is only one of many apps that can do this, but I love Mandoo for being ad-free and very simple to use. Many mandala coloring pages you find in coloring books are made this way with similar programs, and I can see why, It gives you perfect symmetry effortlessly and it saves loads of time!
If you’ve been around here long enough you should have gathered by now that I am a fan of “easy” art that is accessible to all skill levels. I am very much not someone who argues about what is or isn’t real art, I find that all to be overly pretentious and unnecessary. My whole mission is to inspire ALL people to embrace their creative side, so there’s no room for that nonsense here!
What I started using this app for is jotting down ideas for traditional pieces later, as lately I found myself overusing certain motifs and I have grown bored of them. The possibilities are endless and I want to unlock more of those possibilities! Even just by scribbling at random I can find new shapes that inspire me and I can use them again later. I have found myself making finished pieces in this app more and more though, since I enjoy using it so much.
Nothing really beats the experience of drawing a mandala entirely by hand for me, the repetition is actually part I like most. But if you’re someone who looks at mandala art and thinks it’s not for you because it looks too tedious, you might want to try a tool like this, because then you can make the same fancy circles I do without having to do quite as much work!
You may know that I have a Google Drive folder of all my free hand-drawn coloring pages, but I’m going to start a new one for these digital tool-assisted pieces. This will make it easier to choose coloring pages based on what better suits your personal tastes, and I will be able to release new line art faster using this tool. I can’t lie, my traditional pieces are more sentimental to me though since I have to put more work into them. You can expect to see me putting out both traditional and digital mandalas in the future, as I enjoy them both for different reasons.
See you in the next one, have a wonderful day!
I went to my first in-person NA meeting since the start of the pandemic today, and once the meeting actually started I realized I was missing something very important: doodling supplies.
Luckily I had a fresh clean paper plate in front of me, all I needed was some ink. So I asked my sponsor to borrow a pen and with that I was all set!
Personally I find it much easier to focus on listening when my hands are busy drawing, especially something like a mandala or other abstract doodles. Otherwise I get too caught up in my own head to pay attention to what’s being said!
It’s nothing too impressive visually but I wanted to share anyway, as it’s the first drawing I’ve done in a while. I guess lately I’ve been having trouble drawing in sketchbooks and I’ve found a lot more enjoyment from drawing on random objects. I’ll definitely keep this in mind for when my No Buy ends.
Maybe it’s time for me to move on from being primarily a “sketchbook artist.” But I set a serious goal for important reasons so I’m not going to stop my No Buy now just because of this realization. I think I will always keep sketchbooks even if they aren’t my primary thing, and this year will be over before I know it.
Well that’s all for now, see you in the next post! Happy doodling 🙂
I’ve gotten really into reading again lately, and we’ve been frequenting the library. It’s hard to come home with just one book so we often find ourselves short on bookmarks! I’d been meaning to make some personalized ones for a while and I finally got around to doing it.
First I removed a sheet of paper from my sketchbook and divided the sheet into 6 neat rectangles on what would become the back side. My partner helped me with this part, I kept doing something wrong with the measurements and it became very frustrating. She managed to make perfect sixths. Thanks, Jazzy!
The second step was to lay guidelines for the mandala. I used an orange colored pencil so I wouldn’t have muddy graphite lines. Decided to use tools this time, even though I love fully freehanding mandalas. I knew if I wasn’t satisfied with the artwork I would start from scratch, and using guidelines usually prevents that from happening, so I decided to play it safe this time.
Then I doodled away until finally all of the white space was filled! As a finishing touch I added some glitter pen here and there, I just can’t resist sparkles! ✨
Next up was slicing up my work! A bit nerve wracking but I knew the results would be worth it. I signed each bookmark separately on the back before arranging them in the plastic lamination sheet.
Finally, the part I’d been waiting for, running it through the lamination machine! It’s my mom’s and it’s over 15 years old now but it still works like the first day we got it. Shout out to my mom for her help with this project! Couldn’t have done it without her. We ran it through twice, then I cut out the bookmarks to their final sizes and then ran each through the machine one last time.
And there you have it, some cheap DIY bookmarks that are built to last!
I used Tombow water based marker and INC glitter pen on Strathmore mixed media sketchbook paper. I want to try doing watercolor bookmarks next time!
Lamination machines are probably not a common household item, but if you know someone who has one or happen to have one yourself I really do recommend trying to design your own bookmarks. There are some alternative methods to “laminate” things that you could also try.
It’s really nice to have that personal touch added to a frequently seen and used item. I know these babies are gonna be used a ton and I’ll always remember making them! Hopefully they will even motivate me to keep up my reading habit!
After reading the wartime diary of Yevgenia Belorusets I felt the need to share it with others.
I created this mandala to vent my feelings, as an act of prayer for peace in Ukraine (and the whole world!) I am sharing it here now to have an excuse to talk about the matter.
I grew up going to school with several Ukrainian immigrant kids and that makes this horrible event just that much more real to me.
Of course this is far from the only important thing happening in the world but it is certainly a reflection of the state of the world as a whole. Too much violence, too little compassion. Civilians suffering the consequences of their political leaders’ greed. Same crap that’s been going on for thousand of years.
I will always side against injustice and violence. My hope is to inspire others to do the same.
We can’t do all the good the world needs but the world needs all the good we can do.
I recently discovered the joy of creating neurographic art. You can learn more about it here (click me!)
Neurographic art is rooted in psychology. It is a method to use artistic action to soothe oneself and problem solve. With Neurographic art you can turn your troubles into a colorful composition!
I’ve been so afraid to create lately. And by lately I mean the last several years. If you watched the short video I shared previously you will have some insight into how I’ve been feeling. So often making art feels fruitless to me and because of that I put off doing it.
Discovering neurographica has been a game-changer. It is soothing and grounding in a similar way to mandala, but with absolutely no skill requirement. Even with my freest of mandalas I still find myself trying to make them look good, but when it comes to neurographs it doesn’t matter.
I made one the other day in which I didn’t like the colors, one was too dark and it threw off the entire composition, so I simply discarded it. It was easier to move on from my mistake with a neurograph than it is with other forms of art. I didn’t feel that my time spent creating it was wasted, because it’s all about the process itself. Happening to like the finished product is just a bonus.
If you are feeling troubled, I recommend trying this craft. It’s fun and satisfying, and a great way to dip your toes back into creating if you’ve been struggling with fears about making art like I have.
You can use this technique to work through all sorts of hard times though, not just those pertaining to art! So if you’re interested give it a go, you might be surprised by the results!
This last week I made some art, as my mom specifically requested art she could hang in her house as her birthday present.
I decided to use the opportunity to try something new, I wanted to try using my Molotow chrome marker on black canvas.
Luckily for me, Michael’s was having a huge sale on all of their Artist Loft brand canvases! On top of that, I had a $5 coupon with them to use up, so I got 4 canvases for pocket change. Awesome purchase!
I also used my circle template and ruler to make guidelines this time. I wanted it to be as symmetrical as possible, especially since I was working with a perfectly square canvas. As much as I love to freehand my mandalas, I think that technique is best for sketchbook pieces rather than these finished pieces intended to be viewed often by many.
I’m quite happy with the results. So happy in fact, I jokingly told my mom that I wanted to keep it for myself! I’m obsessed with that contrast and that shine!!
On the day of her birthday we had quite a while between waking up and leaving for her house, so I decided to also make her a birthday card to pass the time. I wasn’t sure if I’d have the energy and I knew she would understand if I didn’t, but I felt good that day and had a fun idea for the cover art.
I used the wet on wet watercolor technique to make the balloons have a tie dye effect. I started with just the middle balloon, and let that dry fully before moving onto the background balloons, so that they could all be different and not bleed into each other.
Once all of the water had dried, I added the chrome details. I knew I could have left the balloons with just the tie dye effect, but I enjoyed doodling on them. I’m really happy about how it turned out, it’s very much a birthday card! Simple but effective.
Both of these pieces were very satisfying to make. Very sensory pleasing experiences.
I’m glad that when I’m presented with a reason to make art, I’m generally able to make myself do it. A lot of the time I can’t get myself to create on a daily basis like I would like to in theory, but when I have some outside motivation I muster up the courage and creativity necessary to get the job done.
I’m proud of myself, and my mom loved her present. Nothing makes me happier than giving my art as a gift to a loved one and having them be over the moon about it. I’m so glad to have had this opportunity!
Quick side note: Our daughter’s due date quickly approaches. Most likely she will arrive in 3 to 4 weeks, but it could be any day now. So do expect a long period of silence on this blog while I adjust to our new life, though I’m sure by now you all are used to that haha. I hope to return sooner than even I expect though, hopefully with new art to show off to you all! So until then, I wish you all the best!
Sorry to all who follow this blog with genuine interest- I’m so bad at remembering to do things! Even things I like doing!
Although a lot of the time it’s not just a matter of forgetting, it’s also a matter of a mental wall that makes me not want to do things even though I actually enjoy doing them. I think this is what a lot of people call art block. For me it is also a product of my neurodiversity, from the executive dysfunction. My combo of ADHD and autism makes it to where I don’t want to do anything that isn’t the easiest thing a lot of the time. Art can be hard, so my brain likes to prevent me from doing it, even though I usually very much enjoy myself when I actually get around to doing it. Blogging is never really that hard per say, but it does require me to actually take time to use the computer and write, and a lot of the time I just can’t be bothered.
So anyway, here’s an update. In the past several months I’ve been playing around with different mediums.
For example, here is a Molotow acrylic marker painting I did on a wood cutout from The Dollar Tree that I did for my partner’s dad. We have a very limited number of colors in Molotows, and he’s a veteran, so I figured it was a good excuse to use a color pallet I don’t use very often: red, white, and blue. He likes to garden too, so the flower shape is also fitting.
Another medium I’ve taken up lately is a collaboration with my mom!
She likes to do “coloring page stained glass” crafts. She’s not much into drawing herself, so she generally just traces free-to-use coloring pages. I create free-to-use coloring pages, so I offered to do the tracing part of the project for her of some of my pieces! I love to do elaborate designs on my mandala which were a little intimidating to her, so doing it myself allowed me to have a piece of the action and let her just color the piece stress-free!
I consider any instance of someone coloring one of my coloring pages as a collaboration between myself and the person coloring, so it was especially meaningful to me to have my mom be one of those people.
The first one I did for her was April’s Mandala, which she colored, backed, and framed for me as a gift. It now hangs on the bedroom wall in memory of our lost daughter.
I have done several more of these for her since then, and I always find it very enjoyable. Retracing my line art is very soothing and nostalgic for me, and I have the opportunity to correct tiny mistakes I made in the original line art which is so satisfying!
I am now getting back into watercolor and I’m in the process of creating my own palette using a nice little tin I picked up off amazon with empty half pans and tube watercolors mixed with glycerin. I don’t have much of anything to show for it yet, as this is quite a recent development. It is getting closer to September so my anticipation for autumn is building, I think I will be doing some seasonal pieces soon.
Our rainbow daughter is due in October (yes I know, how perfect!) so I think I may create some autumnal birth announcement cards to send to the extended family members. I want to get on that sooner than later so that I don’t have to think about it postpartum! I am sure I will not have the energy for any sort of creative endeavor for quite a while following her birth.
That’s all for now folks, I’ll try to update you again at least once more before Birdie gets here!
No promises though unfortunately, hahaha.
I practically haven’t drawn in months. I did a little bit of vent art earlier on in the year, and then a little bit of doodling here and there on my 3DS, but nothing aside from that.
Now that the weather is nicer, and since my partner and I are under quarantine due to her testing positive for COVID-19, I started thinking about picking up my markers again.
Last year I did a 90 day video game “detox” during the warm months and I used that time to do a lot of drawing while lounging outside in our backyard, so I guess it’s only natural for me to associate this time of year with creating. I like allowing myself to play as many video games as I want during the cold months when I can’t spend as long outside, and then taking extended breaks from them when it warms up again.
I don’t know if I’m ready to undertake another daily drawing challenge just yet. Since she’s had COVID for about a week now and we haven’t had any symptoms yet, I’m worried it’s going to hit like a brick in the next week. Though I haven’t tested positive yet, I know I will absolutely get it because there’s no way for my partner and I to isolate ourselves from each other effectively in our current living arrangements. Getting sick would definitely make me have to postpone any challenge I take up.
If I don’t catch COVID this entire time, that will be the craziest stroke of luck I’ve ever had. Maybe it does help that we got vaccinated, even though it was only days before the COVID exposure. If I test negative again this Friday, we will be able to end our quarantine a few days later on Tuesday. If either of us start having obvious symptoms, or if I do test positive on Friday, we will be restarting the two week countdown from that day. We will be playing things incredibly safe on the 3rd week, whenever that is, only extending our freedom to large outdoor spaces and drive-thrus.
Regardless of all that, I hope to be making more art soon and posting here more often again. Stay tuned!
As the name implies, this sketchbook was originally a planner.
I wanted to do something like a bullet journal for the conversion classes I had been attending but I didn’t realize how difficult that is to do without a dotted notebook.
I gave up quickly, and the book sat in my shelf for a long time. I realized that paper planners aren’t really for me anyway, I do just fine using my phone’s calendar app.
In October 2019 I started drawing in this sketchbook, but the 1+ page per day challenge wasn’t started until late December 2019(?), most of the sketchbook was filled between January and February 2020. 133 days total, from very start to finish.
But here are the rules I lived by for this particular sketchbook challenge:
>I, Ari October, had to fill at least one page per day with a drawing.
>Other people could help me fill pages, but those were bonus pages.
>The drawings didn’t have to be good, they just had to get done.
So not 100% of the works are mine, my partner also assisted me in my goal to fill this baby up ASAP 🙂 You can tell which are hers because she signs them as Jasper or Jazzy.
And quite a few of the pages in this one are just lazy plaid patterns and other very lazy pattern doodles, because it was a good and safe place to experiment with color pallets.
This time I didn’t include 100% of the pages like I did in the last sketchbook folder, because many of them were just journal entries that would not be of interest to anyone but myself. I included pretty much all the doodles though.
There’s a page where I left the journal entry visible because of the placement of the mandala doodle, but you can easily just not read it. I don’t mind either way.
I had a lot of fun filling this guy up. Not so much fun taking pictures of every page though, my legs went numb @__@ Had to make use of that morning light though! It’s the only way for me to take decent enough pictures of my art without extensive editing of each image.
Ari October Art 