Tag Archives for art

It’s A String Thing Debut

I’ve been doing the “It’s A String Thing” challenge organized by Adele Bruno on her site Tickled To Tangle on and off for the past few years. However, I have never – until this week – sent one of my completed tiles to Adele for her to post it alongside other participants’ tiles on her site. I felt awkward about the idea that my tile would be judged in comparison to others – especially those that look like mini-masterpieces of art – and that thought kept holding me back. That is no longer the case.

I sent Adele my tile for the last challenge: number 276 in the series. She posted it on her site for the whole world to see it. Judge it. Compare it. Critique it. Like it; or not like it. Whatever anyone might think, I’ve decided not to allow that to be a deterrent to my full participation in the challenge.

Going forward the only constraint that will apply to me sending Adele my tile will be whether it’s finished by the weekly submission deadline. Period. I’m looking forward to reading the lovely observation notes she makes about each tile, especially the notes about what she sees in mine.

To see the tiles from other participants in “It’s A String Thing” challenge #276 you can click the link above or on the image of my tile.

As I explained to Adele, in the accompanying message I sent her with my completed tile: both patterns in this challenge were new to me. Before I could get to work on my tile, I had to teach myself how to draw each of the patterns. So, as I do with each new pattern I learn, I worked them out in my pattern sketchbook. Surprisingly, neither of them was as difficult as they first appeared to me; Sistar specifically, which has quite a few separate elements does require some patience, but wasn’t too hard to figure out.

If you want to try your hand at this challenge, but you’re not familiar with the patterns Adele chose, here are the pages from my pattern sketchbook that detail how I drew each of the patterns.

 

I hope you have some fun creating your own mini-masterpiece!

 

After InkTober 2017 Is Over

Now that I’m finished with InkTober 2017, I need to figure out what I’m going to do to occupy my time. Last year, I worked on teaching myself to draw better, which I believe paid off in this year’s challenge. What feels like the right direction for me this year, is revisiting the colourful geometric art I enjoyed creating in the past. What I created then ranged from simple shapes with basic colour to intricately combined lines with bright bold colour palettes.

In recent years, as I’ve searched for my artistic style, the geometric pieces I created keep surfacing in my thoughts. Because these thoughts are so persistent, I intend to use this style as a base. To this base, I will add the different artistic methods I’ve taught myself over the last four years as I’ve sought creative ways to cope with my illness. I’ll also make use of any new skills I pick up as I go along.

I’m looking forward to the new things I’ll create with old-established methods.

If you participated in InkTober 2017, what are you going to do now that it’s over?

 

Gratitude and Creativity: Instagram

Last year in October, I joined the InkTober challenge. To fully participate and share what I drew each day I set up an Instagram account. Since then I’ve been using the app a lot. No, I’m not posting selfies every chance I get. It turns out that Instagram doesn’t only cater to teens and millennials and has more depth and purpose than posting vanity shots. Although, if that’s why you use it I’m not going to judge you for it. I’m sure if I felt healthier I’d probably post more than a few.

 

 

So, why have I continued to use it? First off, it’s an easy and somewhat addictive app to use. Once you select a few users to follow you’re sent suggestions for users with similar profiles e.g. photographers or news feeds. I can, and have, spent hours flipping through the feeds of some interesting people and organizations. National Geographic is one of my favourites because not only do the photographers on assignment post breathtaking images, the information accompanying the photos is informative and educational – I’ve become aware of some alarming global issues through that feed. It’s also a forum where I can easily post from my phone by adding short captions to photos – usually of my doodles –, which was great when my laptop died on me recently.

Apart from the ease of use, through Instagram, I’ve discovered so many things and people I would have had to search tirelessly over the interwebs or travel to find. Sure, some of them are things I never knew I had any interest in, but I think that’s what keeps me going back. For instance, I have discovered artists that work with materials and methods (pointillism, block printing, collage, linocut and chine-collé) I would never have imagined to create some of the most strikingly beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Whether they are starting out in their careers or seasoned experts, the commitment to their craft(s) is incredible to witness. I’m able to see the creative process of these artists and see how their work evolves over time.

Because of the window Instagram provides into who they are, I now own a few pieces of the artworks created by some of these incredibly talented people. Being stuck at home, as I am most of the time, the app is giving me the opportunity to virtually “travel” to meet and connect with these people so I can bring the beauty of their creations into my home. This is yet another thing I’m realizing I took for granted when I was healthy: going to galleries or interesting shops where I could find small treasures, which is now available to me in a way that doesn’t feel as impersonal as visiting an internet auction site.

Also, for someone like me who only uses art as a way to cope with illness, seeing all this talent is motivating me to continue my creative learning. I recently joined a weekly Instagram challenge called ‘IF Draw A Week’ that provides a drawing prompt for what to draw each week and then post it with the challenge hashtag. Along with my regular doodles, I hope this will be another way for me to improve my skills. If not, at the very least I have another outlet to connect with people while I pass the time.

 

 

If you’d like to see what I get up to on Instagram click here: @mysmallsurrenders