How to Draw, and How to Enjoy and Keep Drawing
Yesterday, I ran a webinar about drawing. It’s always a lot of fun to talk about the topic I love so much. Thank you all who joined me!
The Joy of Drawing
I wanted to include the word “joy” in the title of the webinar because, in the end, it’s what keeps us drawing. I shared ideas about what supplies to use, what to draw, and how to solve those situations when you don’t grab a pen even if there’s a chance.
Unfortunately, the recording of the webinar wasn’t the best quality, maybe the snowstorm that has just blown over Finland had some effect on it. But luckily, I had some extra footage and I also made some more to compensate the parts that affected the experience. The video has a lot of ideas and examples, so it’s worth watching.
Animal Inkdom – Come to Draw with Me!
Let’s draw wild animals and decorate them with fun motifs and patterns. My new class Animal Inkdom is dedicated to the joy of drawing.
Animal Inkdom begins on Monday, January 21, sign up now!
Guiding Word – Choosing and Visualizing Your Word of the Year
The year 2018 was groundbreaking to me. I was able to include things that seemed separate from my art in my art and build a new foundation for it. It strengthened my visual voice and style, but also, it felt more holistic than just that. I would say that my artistic identity got updated.
As a former software engineer, I see it this way:
Peony and Parakeet 1.0 – intuitive circles and colorful patterns, 2012-2014
Peony and Parakeet 2.0 – from mixed media to fine art, 2015-2017
Peony and Parakeet 3.0 – fantasy illustrations, 2018 -?
I am not quite sure how to label 3.0 yet, but it definitely started last year and went into bloom during the Inktober challenge in October.
What’s Your Word of the Year?
About a year ago, I developed a process for setting artistic goals. I introduced it to my art community Bloom and
My word for 2018 was “Depth”, and now when I look back, it was related to my old desire to create fine art. But the process of exploring depth was like the symbol of yin and yan. It started a journey towards the opposite word “Play.”
The process of choosing a word and exploring it through art-making had a huge impact on me, so I decided to share it openly. Watch the video to define your word and to explore it more in depth!
Guiding Word – Watch the Video!
My word for 2019 is “Play”. I am looking forward to
P.S. As you probably noticed already, this website and my artist website has been updated! There are still things to adjust and add, but feel free to browse the new look!
P.P.S. I am running a free live webinar The Joy of Drawing on Jan 17, 7 PM GMT – 11 AM PST, reserve your spot here!
The event is gone but here’s the recording!
Notebook Drawings and Hand-Drawn Collage Pieces
While preparing for a new class, I took an empty notebook and started drawing. My first idea was to decorate some notebook pages but it went further and I had a lot of fun.
Bees and Butterflies
Birds and Feathers
Whale Chasing a Star
Fish Swimming Fast
Owl and Hearts
Drawing Collage Pieces
As a child, I loved paper dolls and die cut scrap pictures. So after drawing the many notebook pages, I thought I could make some additional elements as separate collage pieces.
Here are a wolf and a fox, and a delicious piece of cake! I made a cut on the cake and on the fox so that they fit together.
Playing with Notebook Drawings
I had even more fun when I realized that I can set the collage piece on the top of the drawing so that the animal becomes even more imaginative.
The combination of wolf and owl is so cute, and I also like how the fox and the cake could fit in! I think my word for 2019 is Play.
Have some cake, and then get your notebook and start drawing!
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Recent News and a Sketchbook Tour Full of Ideas!
My short blogging break is over and to celebrate that I have a full sketchbook to show you!
The Last Page of the Sketchbook
This morning, there was one page in my big A3-sized sketchbook that wasn’t finished. It was a very ugly one! Even if I covered it with a layer of dark colors, it didn’t please my eye at all.
But then I got an idea to highlight just some of the elements and paint a young woman on it. At the same time, I had the opportunity to play with the ideas that I am gathering for the new class.
I am often fighting against time when I am creating. When I make videos for the classes, I have only 1-3 hours for each project. My principle is that class videos are for guidance and inspiration and nobody wants to watch me paint for a day or two. Even if I speed up most parts, I usually include so much background information and art theory that I have to limit the time that I spend with painting or drawing. And often for blog posts, I have the same couple of hours even if it’s a bit easier if I don’t record the process or try to build a pedagogical package. So when painting this one, I would have liked to continue for a longer time, but I kept telling myself that the sketchbook is not where you make a detailed painting! Anyway, it’s detailed enough to get the idea.
Foxes and Inspiration from Natural Science
During the summer, foxes seem to have appeared in my art. This one is just a quick graphite drawing, but it’s something that really speaks to me: making new creatures and celebrating the potential and diversity of nature.
Here’s another one with a fox:
This sketchbook page is inspired by the microscopic world, and even if it’s a loose portrait, it also has a fox ear!
I also have a tiny painting in progress that has a fox, but I will show that later in the fall.
Ready for a Sketchbook Tour? – Here We Go!
I have made a quick flip-through video of the full sketchbook. The sketchbook is from Pink Pig. There’s also a glance of the summer’s big project on the video – our Japanese garden!
Plans for the Fall
Here’s what will happen here at Peony and Parakeet during the fall – come along!
1) July-September: Watercolor Journey, you can still sign up, and if you love watercolors this really is the class to take! (When you sign up you will get immediate access to the material provided so far.)
2) Sept 10 – Nov 30: The Exploring Artist – a soul-searching coaching program for any artist who wants to get clear where to head next! There are only 12 seats available so sign up fast!
3) Oct-Dec: a new class with a working title “Portrait Revolution” as a part of my art community Bloom and Fly.
I hope that you have reserved some time for creating and will join me! And as always, the best way to stay up to date is to subscribe to my weekly emails!