The Ebbs and Flows of Creativity

Hi there. How are you?

For the past few weeks, I've had a burst of creativity. Things were flowing. Making was easy! After many years of consistent studio practice, I know that you have to take advantage of these creative bursts when they come.

For months now, I've planned to make a coloring calendar. I started making drawings for it way back in March, shortly after I'd finished "Elegant Abstracts."

Here are a few of my early illustrations:

A selection of my preliminary sketches for my new coloring calendar. All completed in my trusty Moleskine sketchbook with a Pilot Precise V7 pen.

Then I got stuck.

Really stuck. I couldn't make a drawing suitable for coloring to save my life! I was so frustrated, so disgusted with myself.  When I get to that point, I know it's time to give it a rest, so I put coloring calendar work aside. Maybe I'd come back to it. Maybe not.  The creative spark was gone and it was time to move onto other things.

In mid July, I caught the creative spark once more.

It started with this one (that I didn't end up using) but I was back in the groove and ready to pump out some work!

My sketchbook drawing from July 15th. This was my first foray back into my coloring calendar in months!

While creativity was with me,  the coloring pages flowed. In two weeks time, my coloring calendar was complete. Things were going so well in the studio that I actually made more drawings than I needed and was able to leave out some of my earlier, less polished drawings.

Here's a sampling of what I made during my creative burst:

A selection of drawings I that I made for my forthcoming coloring calendar.

I'm happy to report that my 2017 monthly coloring calendar is now complete and at the printer! Do join my mailing list if you want to get your hands on this limited edition offering. Right now it looks as if I'll just do a run of 50, and mailing list members will have first dibs!

I don't know exactly how I caught the wave of creativity again.

BUT, I do know how to make conditions conducive for creativity to find me. (More about that next week!) If the subject creative practice interests you or you're struggling with finding your creative spark, please do yourself a favor and pick up Elizabeth Gilbert's recent book, Big Magic. Seriously, it was a game changer for me! 

That's all for now.

I'll be back next week to continue my story about the ebbs and flows of creativity and share some of my newest original work. Ciao!

My Newest Coloring Book is Here!

Hi there. How are you?

With 20 pages of coloring goodness, Elegant Abstracts, my newest coloring book is now for sale! Yahoo!

My newest coloring book is now for sale! Click through to purchase.

Video Flip Through

I put together a quick little video of me flipping through the pages so that you can get a glimpse of what you'll get inside Elegant Abstracts. I'm new to the video thing, but it's been fun to learn a new media.

A sampling of pages from my newest coloring book.

Coloring Book Details

Just like in my last book, all coloring book pages are single sided so that you can easily remove to share or hang your colored creations. It was professionally printed right here in Carbondale, Illinois on a nice 70 lb. paper. For best results use colored pencils, water-based markers, or crayons. Sharpies and other solvent-based markers work as well, but will bleed through. As long as you put a scrap piece of paper under your page, color away with your Sharpies.

A 24 Hour Deal for You!

Printing prices for this new book have increased, so Elegant Abstracts is going to cost a bit more than my previous book. But for the next 24 hours, you can purchase at the old price of $12.00!

Buy both of my coloring books together at a discount! Click through to purchase.

Want to Double your Coloring Fun?

I've decided to create a bundle deal. Save $10.00 if you buy both Pattern Play and Elegant Abstracts together! Two high quality coloring books for $20.00. That's a steal!

That's all for this week!

If you enjoy my artwork and blog, please share this post and my sale with your friends.

Ciao.

My Favorite Tools for Adult Coloring

Hi There. How are you?

As my loyal readers know, I produced a coloring book this fall.  (It's been the most popular item I've ever sold to date! Thank you for that!) I often get asked about the best materials for coloring, so I thought I'd share my personal faves.

My Favorite Tools for Adult Coloring - JENNIFERJOHANSSON.COM

I'm All About Prismacolors

If I'm going to sit down and color, I'm going to use Prismacolor pencils.  They are so soft and easy to blend. (I'm in no way being paid by Prismacolor to sing their praises, I just really like them!)

At more than $1.00 each, Prismacolors are expensive. That's why I recommend you start with a set of Prismacolor Scholar pencils.  Designed for the " developing artist", Prismacolor Scholars are really just as nice as the Prismacolor Premiers, but are a little less expensive and don't break quite as easily. You can get a set of 24 Prismacolor Scholars for $7.48 on DickBlick.com. That's a steal!

If you are new to colored pencil blending, I also recommend you pick up a colorless blender.  It's basically a colored pencil without any pigment, and helps to soften edges and blend two colors together.

Sharpening Prismacolors

If you're not careful, It's very easy to break the lead while sharpening Prismacolors. To keep this from happening, always use a handheld sharpener or even an exacto knife to sharpen your Prismacolors. I'm quite fond of the General's All Art sharpeners, as long as they stay sharp. At just $1.00 a pop, you can afford to pick up a new one every few months or so. When sharpening Prismacolors, turn the pencil sharpener while holding the colored pencil still. You put less stress on the pencil and have less of a chance of breaking the lead.

Erase if You Must

The art teacher in me believes that you don't need to use an eraser with colored pencils. You just find a creative way to cover up your "mistakes." Colored pencils don't erase all that well either. You'll never be able to get back to a perfectly, white paper, but you will be able to lift up most of the pigment.

My favorite eraser of all time is the Magic Rub. It's a vinyl eraser that won't smudge or leave marks like pink erasers can. If you're trying to get into tiny detailed areas, try a kneaded eraser. They are like silly putty and can be molded into all sorts of shapes and sizes.

A page from my coloring book, Pattern Play, colored with Prismacolor pencils.

A Coloring Tutorial?

I'm thinking about doing a little Prismacolor coloring tutorial video. Would you be interested in that friends? Leave me a comment and let me know!

What Do You Use to Color?

I'd love to hear from you. Ciao friends!