Peony and Parakeet

Fly to Your Inner World and Color the Emotion

Creative Process

Can Playful Art Be Serious?

This week, I want to talk about my newly finished painting titled Fauna. This is one of my most peculiar pieces, filled with strange ideas. With this, I want to challenge us to ponder the question: Can playful art be serious?

Fauna, oil painting by Päivi Eerola
Fauna, oil on canvas, 85 x 70 cm.

Ideas Have a Mental Age

This painting combines many ideas. I tend to come up with all sorts of ideas quite easily, and I usually try to categorize them: some make it here to the blog, some become sketches in my planner, and others turn into courses. Only the most mature ones are usually included in the paintings.

But let’s think about this word: mature.

Ideas have a mental age. Some ideas are like those of a five-year-old, while others contain ancient wisdom. For a long time, I have tried to ensure that my best ideas are “sensible adults”.

Fauna’s Ideas

Fauna started from an old idea: the Baroque style and historical ceiling murals. So I thought that the painting could feature flowers and have plenty of light blue. Here’s how it started:

Starting an abstract painting process. Abstract art in progress.

But then I heard my inner child whisper that I should include an animal: Fur is so wonderful to paint. Let’s include something like a ferret!” The adult me wondered, “Who would want a painting featuring a weasel?” But you know, some ideas are like tiny butterflies that appear and vanish in an instant, while others are like moose that take over your entire mind. And this was a “moose idea.” It wouldn’t leave me alone, so fine —let there be a weasel of some kind!

But what else could be included?

Words help when I am brainstorming. I read through various word lists and wait for the moment my intuition says “Bingo!” That’s how I found the word “hunaja” – honey. I thought about the intricate swirls of the Baroque style and the way honey drips, and I boldly added them to the painting.

Here I am painting the fur. I use not only short strokes, but also paint small patches with different tones. Layering is the key!

Painting fur by layering colors and strokes.

In the final version, the fur is softer and shorter, and lit by a rainbow. It took some time to decide whether the fur should be spiky or softer.

Detail of Fauna, oil on canvas by Päivi Eerola.

With the idea of painting honey, I found myself on a “mad path” where I stopped categorizing my ideas and challenged myself instead: could I create a painting that looks like a floral piece from a distance, but reveals a more playful character upon closer inspection? Could the animal theme lead toward animal figures—even toys? I wanted to achieve a purity of style that isn’t tied to a single era, but rather to my own way of dealing with shapes and lines.

Here you can see the beginning and the end side by side.

Before and after - creating an improvisational painting. Fauna by Päivi Eerola, Finland.

Playful Art – Drawing Animals

I have always loved animals and have drawn them a lot. Drawing with a pen is much easier than drawing with a brush.

Animal Inkdom and Magical Inkdom have been highlights of my course creation because, while making them, I decided to believe that everyone wants to draw animals. That mindset brought a lot of confidence and joy to the process, which also translates into the atmosphere of the courses.

I have had so much fun with all the animals drawn in those courses. My father used to draw with quite a similar technique, so I have continued on his path here.

Playing with hand-drawings. Hand-drawn collage art.
Playful art. Hand-drawn collage with fantasy zebras.
Hand-drawn playing cards.
Playful horses with wings. Hand-drawn collage art.

The Playfulness is in the Details

Fauna is full of playful details. Many of them are quite subtle, barely noticeable. Here are some detail pics.

Detail of Fauna, an oil painting by Päivi Eerola.
Detail of Fauna, an oil painting by Päivi Eerola.
Playful art. A detail of Fauna, an oil painting by Päivi Eerola.
Detail of Fauna, an oil painting by Päivi Eerola.
Detail of Fauna, an oil painting by Päivi Eerola.

I see myself in this painting—all the versions of me at different ages, with ideas of all ages.

Fauna, an oil painting by Päivi Eerola. Creating playful art but still serious art.

Even if Fauna was a challenge to create, it was also fun. I think I will create more of this kind of playful art.

Age of Ideas – Just Playing or Only Focusing on the Serious Side

This painting process made me reflect on how people who start making art often fixate on the “age” of their ideas. Some decide they are just having fun and playing. Others believe that skills—and thus art—can only be born through realism. But as artistic thinking and skills develop, there is an opportunity to combine the playful with the more serious. It is possible to be a child, an adult, and an elder all at once. Art doesn’t need to be narrowed down, because creating is a search not just for oneself, but for a broader understanding of humanity.

Fauna is a bit different from Halo – the painting that I showed last week.

Halo, an oil painting by Päivi Eerola.
Halo, oil on canvas, 85 x 70 cm.
See the blog post about creating this painting
See more pics and a video at Taiko Finnish Online Art Store

Which one do you like more – Halo or Fauna?

Päivi Eerola and her paintings.

Exploring Light and Mass When Creating Semi-Abstract Art

This week, I show my latest painting and talk about creating semi-abstract art where some details are quite realistic, and others are more abstract. I also give five concrete ideas for creating semi-abstract drawings or paintings.

Halo, oil on canvas, floral abstract painting by Päivi Eerola, Finland
Halo, oil on canvas, 85 x 70 cm

For the past couple of months, I’ve been working on four “sisters.” They are all the same size, yet each possesses a distinct personality. Halo was the first to be completed. She is the most delicate of the sisters, and perhaps the most beautiful. Fauna is nearly finished, just awaiting the final touches. She is a rule-breaker and a trailblazer who faces the world without fear.

Then there are the two who are still so early in their journey that they only have working titles. I often give my paintings temporary names that may change many times before the final version. The third sister is currently Ikigai, referring to “meaning of life.” She reminds me most of my mother; despite her shyness, she is strong, and though she might wish to blend in, she never truly will. The fourth sister, with the working title Jade, is the only one who has a landscape orientation. As the youngest, she views the world with the brightest, most optimistic eyes.

You will get to see Halo’s sisters once they are finished and photographed. I also always update the new paintings in the gallery page at paivieerola.com.

Light and Mass – Spiritual and Concrete

As an artist, I am fascinated by light. I often feel that once I’ve captured a unique atmosphere and lighting — something you might even call its temperament—the most important work is done.

A detail of Halo, oil on canvas, floral semi-abstract painting by Päivi Eerola, Finland

Beyond light, I think deeply about the physical mass within a piece. In the case of Halo, for example, I contemplated how realistic the vase needed to be versus how abstract I could leave the flowers and other forms. After all, the phenomenon of light carries an inherent sense of mystery.

A detail of Halo, oil on canvas, floral semi-abstract painting by Päivi Eerola, Finland

When light plays, it blurs the line between the concrete and the abstract. Just by looking, it becomes difficult to distinguish what is light and what is physical matter. I believe the same applies to us as human beings: the physical affects the spiritual, and vice versa.

Creating Semi-Abstract Art

This interface between spirituality and reality exists in all art, but it is, of course, most visible in semi-abstract art. Whether it’s a small sketch or a large painting, it’s fun to analyze which parts are tangibly real and which are spiritual in nature.

A detail of Halo, oil on canvas, floral semi-abstract painting by Päivi Eerola, Finland
One of my favorite details, just careless strokes, but they look like flying parakeets!

And when creating, it’s good to stop and think about which parts can remain abstract and which could be more concrete.

I challenge you to look at your own work through this lens! I also have some practical tips for …

Making Your Art More Abstract – Five Ideas to Experiment with!

For simplicity, I’ve used colored pencils and drawn flowers in the examples, but you can apply these tips to any medium and any realistic object.

Vanishing – Let some of the petals fade away so that the flower is partly invisible.

Vanishing flower, creating semi-abstract art with colored pencils

Lightline – By erasing, create a line that travels over the flower. The thickness of the line can vary, and it can also continue on the background.

Drawing lines over an object, ideas for creating semi-abstract art

Living Line – Draw a contiguous line that lives, breathes, and touches your soul. The line can form a part of the object, for example, the center of the flower, or express the object’s spirit and stay in the background.

Exploring a living line with colored pencils

Echo – Repeat the object so that its color is weaker and its position slightly different. You can also make the echo smaller or bigger than the original object.

Echoing a shape - tips for drawing freely

Geometric – Include geometric shapes in your organic drawing. A geometric shape can be partly on the top or in the background, or become a part of the object.

Including geometric shapes - ideas for making art more semi-abstract

I hope these tips inspire you to create semi-abstract art!

Learn more about creating freely – welcome to my courses!

I Did the Same Drawing Twice!

I rarely sketch my drawings beforehand, but this time I wanted to try something different: creating the same piece twice and recording the process.

Same drawing twice: first with watercolor pencils, then with colored pencils, watch the video!

The first version was done freely with watercolor pencils. The second was a study of the first, but created using traditional colored pencils. These drawings have many kinds of flowers, including roses and tulips, but I don’t think you always have to know which real flower you are creating; you can have fantasy flowers as well.

Same Drawing Twice – Watch the Video!

When I began the first one, I didn’t have a reference or a model. I simply decided to draw flowers. Watch the video to see how it went!

Which Was Faster?

Both of the drawings took me about the same time—around two hours each. Watercolor pencils are definitely faster for covering the paper, but since I was starting from scratch with the first one, I had a lot of puzzles to solve with the composition and the overall mood. With the regular colored pencils, the process itself was much slower, but since I was just following my first drawing, it didn’t take nearly as much mental energy.

I hope the video inspired you to pick up your colored pencils! I am also curious to know: Have you ever tried an experiment like this?

Try Intuitive Coloring for a simple start to coloring freely, or explore Joyful Coloring if you’re into watercolor pencils. And for those looking to combine watercolors and colored pencils, check out Freely Grown!

Colored Pencil Tutorial “Limitless World”

This week, I have a step-by-step colored pencil tutorial for you. It’s called Limitless World. We color without outlines and end up with something that is partly realistic and yet more creative and limitless than any traditional drawing.

Limitless World, abstract colored pencil art by Päivi Eerola
Here’s my version of “Limitless World,” but everyone’s is unique!

Supplies

This tutorial uses regular colored pencils, but feel free to try it with watercolor pencils, watercolors, or any media that can be layered. Choose the paper that goes with your supplies and is durable. I used Fabriano Accademia Drawing Paper (200 gsm/94 lbs). You can create the drawing in any size, but my piece is A4.

Introduction to The Colored Pencil Tutorial

You might be familiar with the work of Hilma af Klint. She is a wonderful example of how our inner world and intuition can guide the hand. Her art has been the main inspiration for my course Mystical Minis. In this project, however, we reach from the inner to the outer world—making the outer look limitless, too.

Before you start reading the step-by-step tutorial, watch a 5-minute introduction where I tell more about the project.

I hope you enjoy this colored pencil tutorial. Let’s start!

Step 1 – White Shapes

Pick any color. Create abstract white shapes by coloring the background.

Using colored pencils in an innovative way.

Press fairly lightly. We will add more layers over the background.

Starting a new colored pencil drawing.

Make sure you have a wide variety of abstract shapes in different sizes.

Tip: You can turn the paper in different directions during the process and decide on the final orientation later.

Step 2 – Colorful Shapes

Pick any colors. Color abstract shapes so that they form a new layer on top of the background.

Abstract colored pencil art in progress.

Make sure that the colorful shapes extend over the white shapes and don’t follow their outlines.

Abstract colored pencil art in progress. See the free tutorial.

Also, add new shapes on top of other colorful shapes. Press fairly lightly so that you can add more layers later.

Abstract colored pencil art in progress.

Keep the expression abstract. Don’t guess what the drawing is about. Just color a variety of shapes in different sizes and enjoy the freedom.

Abstract colored pencil art in progress.

When the paper feels full, but you can still easily see the background and the colorful layer, move to the next step.

Step 3 – Connecting Colors

Pick colors that are close to what you have used before. Use one color more than others. My main color is green, but I also use other colors.

Abstract colored pencil art in progress. See the free tutorial.

Color over the previous layers so that the two layers are no longer separate. Focus on the edges and color a small area at a time. Leave only a few areas blank, mostly near the center.

Abstract colored pencil art in progress.

In this step, you can adjust old shapes and color new shapes, too. Think about attaching two pieces: you can either glue (spread the color over) or tape (add a new shape on top).

Tip: Now you can decide on the orientation and get ideas for the drawing’s topic.

Step 4 – Discovery

Find people, animals, plants, trees, furniture, water, and any realistic objects in the abstract drawing. For example, I have someone in the corner who is like an observer of everything happening in the drawing.

Abstract colored pencil art in progress.

Adjust the shapes so that the viewer will also realize what they represent.

Tip: Remember that we are drawing a limitless world, so odd things can appear! The drawing can make sense emotionally, even if it isn’t rational.

Adjusting abstract shapes. See the free tutorial.

You can also use an eraser to adjust the objects.

Faber Castell Precision Eraser pen.

Having an eraser pen is handy, and it’s very useful for the course Mystical Minis, too!

Step 5 – Advanced Level

When your drawing feels finished, you can either stop or take it to the advanced level.

Basic level: The drawing feels finished, and you feel quite drawn to it. For a viewer, it may look a bit chaotic, busy, and difficult to comprehend.

Intuitive art in progress. See a free tutorial.

Advanced level: The drawing has an engaging atmosphere, and the viewer is gently guided around the drawing.

Limitless World, abstract colored pencil art by Päivi Eerola

To achieve this:

  • Increase contrast in the middle and reduce contrast near the edges.
  • Increase intense colors in the middle and reduce the intensity near the edges. Don’t leave blank areas in the areas that are less important.
  • Make the shapes less clumsy by adding notches and lines. Make lines curvier and thinner.
  • Direct the viewer’s gaze with contrasting shapes and lines.

Tip: Some areas can be more realistic than others. The world of imagination has no limits!

What Does Your Drawing Tell?

Creative use of colored pencils. A free tutorial by Päivi Eerola.

I usually work in my little studio, but this time, I finished the drawing in our living room, and I think that the aquarium, the furniture, the glassware, and the birds chirping outside … they all found their way to this drawing. But every drawing will become different. What does your drawing tell?

This kind of intuitive process is natural and free, and at least for me, much more exciting than making a stiff sketch and then coloring it. I hope this colored pencil tutorial marks the start of a new journey for you—one we can continue together, for example, in the course Mystical Minis!

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