Daily Drawing Complete!

Hi there. How are you?

My Creativebug 31 days of drawing challenge is complete! It was a great experience and I'm proud of the work I created.  Click HERE to see the first 12 days of drawings. Here's what I've drawn since I last posted:

Daily Drawing Challenge, Day 13-20, January 2016

January Daily Drawings - Days 21-26

January 2016 - Daily Drawings days 27-31.

So, I decided to make the Day 29 drawing the large one in this vignette, as I like it much better than day 31. I didn't have a whole lot of time to draw those phones, and it's not my most successful drawing. At least I still did the drawing, right?

What's Next?

I woke up on February 1st feeling a little bit of a letdown. With January's drawing challenge complete, I just didn't know quite what to do with myself!

There are actually 2 different February drawing challenges out there and I was planning on taking part in one or both. I sat down to draw yesterday and was just not enthused about either course. I guess I'm getting a little tired of someone else telling me what to do (although that was quite comforting over the last month. ) 

I've got my own subjects to tackle and I'm ready to get cracking on these! I want to do a special drawing so send out to my mailing list later this month. I want to draw wine and coffee illustrations to complement my beer tea towel design. I want to finish up my second coloring book.

I'm not going to give up the practice of drawing each day, and posting them on Instagram, but I'm going to draw what I want to. If the prompt in one of the daily challenges seems appealing, I'll draw it, but I won't feel beholden to the draw what's been prescribed for today.

That's all for today!

Ciao friends. I have to go draw. See you here next week! Like to see what I'm up to in the studio on a daily basis? Follow me on Instagram.

Sending My Love to You

Hi there. How are you?

Creativity can be a crazy, illusive thing. Sometimes you just have to be patient and wait for it to come to you. Patience is definitely not my strong suit, and I have a tendency to beat myself up when things are not flowing for me artistically. In my head, I'm sure I'll never have another good idea, I'll never make another good drawing, and I'll never sell anything again. Luckily, I know and recognize these patterns and have learned to just give myself a break when my artistic mojo is waning. 

As soon as I let go of that worry and anxiety, inspiration will find me once more.  After a couple of weeks of making sub-par work, my inspiration finally returned to me this weekend! I spent the better part of Saturday and Sunday in my studio making new things. Hooray!

Here's a couple of the things I made.

Illustrated greeting card by Jennifer Johansson. Click through to purchase.

Love you. Mean it.

The sentiment on this card comes from Jen, one of my dearest friends. Sometimes shortened to "LUMI", this phrase is sent in texts, uttered at the end of phone calls, or said with a hug at the end of the night among our group of friends.

Though this was intended as a Valentine's Day card, you could send this anytime you want to send someone some love through the mail!

Illustrated greeting card by Jennifer Johansson. Click through to purchase.

Sending My Love to You

I drew this envelope pattern in my sketchbook months ago with the intention of making this card. I couldn't ever get it quite right and make it work until this weekend! That pencil. Don't you love it?? It's my favorite part.

Like the "LUMI" card, this card would also make a great Valentine or anytime greeting. Both cards are blank on the inside for you to add your own message and come with a matching white envelope. You can get both of my new Valentines in my shop, and I'll ship 'em just as soon as you order.

That's all for Now

I've got to get back to making before this wave of creativity leaves me again! Expect to hear from me next week. Ciao!

Daily Drawing Challenge and A Belated Happy New Year to You!

Happy New Year!

Yes, I know it's almost the end of January, but 2016 has been slow going for me. I'm finally getting into the swing of things, and now I am ready to kick some 2016 a$$!

I'm taking part in the Creative Bug 31 Days of Drawing during January 2016. Click to see all of my daily drawings.

Daily Drawing Challenge 2016

To kick-start my creative practice in 2016, I'm taking part in a daily drawing challenge, organized by Lisa Congdon, one of my artist heroes. Each day in January, she has selected a different subject to draw. It's been awesome to have someone tell me what to do, and I look forward to drawing each day!

But Sometimes It's a Challenge

Some of the subjects we've drawn this month have been totally in my wheelhouse. Drawing these root vegetables was a breeze. Other subjects, like watches and cats, were outside of my comfort zone and I had to really push myself to do the drawings. Even if I'd have varying degrees of success with these daily drawings, I've learned and grown much.

Daily Drawing Challenge - Days 7-12, January 2016

Follow Along on Instagram

I've been documenting each of my drawings on Instagram. I invite you to follow me there. It's been fun to see how other artists have approached the same subject matter. I'm learning as much from my fellow artists as I am from doing the drawings myself!

That's all for Now

I've got lots of big plans for 2016. Check back soon to see what I've got brewing. Ciao!