This quick and messy mandala marks the end of the 5th sketchbook I’ve ever filled up.My stack of completed sketchbooks.
It’s always a special day when I finally fill a sketchbook from front to back.
I almost exclusively work in sketchbooks because they’re so easy to store compared to loose papers and canvases. Whenever I make art outside of a sketchbook I generally give it away!
I noticed that my Google drive folders that contain photos of every page of my first two sketchbooks are down. I’ll have to fix that soon, but our computer is currently out of commission.
I may attempt to film sketchbook tours some day, but life is far too busy and messy to devote time to that right now. Plus my phone camera isn’t as good as I’d like it to be for something like that. I don’t even have anything that resembles a tripod!
I just wanted to pop by and share my excitement! I made a resolution to finish filling 3 sketchbooks this year, since I have so many that are partially filled. That makes 1 down and 2 more to go, and it’s only the 11th of January! I’d love to fill more than 3 if possible, but we’ll see about that.
That’s also why I’ve been blogging so much more lately, I made keeping up with this blog another one of my resolutions. So far so good!
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.
Despite the simple design, this mandala took me about two weeks to complete due to perfectionism and procrastination. Most of the work was just trying to decide what pattern to do next!
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.
April’s Mandala coloring page stained glass craft: A collaboration between myself and my mother.
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.
Ari October Art 