Spring 2020 Sketchbook Tour

Hi there. How are you?

When the “Stay at Home” order began in mid-March, I had grand plans. Working from home was going to give me so much time to work on my art and business. I was cooking up new products, a new logo, and maybe even a new e-course.

That grand plan was not to be.

This 3 month quarantine was not a break for me.

It kicked my ass.

Sure, there are some perks. I can roll out of bed and get straight to work in my pajamas. I can take a walk mid-day and then wear my gym clothes all day everyday. I can flex my hours, working 10 hours one day and 6 the next. And I still have a job! No complaints about that.

But…

Even though the library has been closed, I've been working harder from home than I usually do at work. There’s a lot of moving pieces and people that still need my attention.

When I’m done with library work, I’m spent. On the weekends, I’m recovering and uninspired.

On top of that, my divorce was finalized during this stretch, and I've been working through all of the emotion that comes with the end of a relationship. ⁠

Even though I wasn’t showing up, you still were.

I’ve been selling e-courses, tea towels, and postcards like crazy during my studio shutdown. Thank you for that! It’s so nice to know that my hard work is appreciated, even during my creative hiatus.

This week, I suddenly felt a shift.

It’s time for me to work for myself again. I'm feeling good and whole and I'm ready to dive into the next chapter of my small business. Enough of this working for “the man!” (Well, I’m still working for the man, but you get what I mean, right?)

It’s currently Memorial Day weekend and I have no plans, other than to be home and work. I’ve got a new products to design, drawings to complete and updates to make.

My first priority was to check in with my creative community.

So here goes.

Though art has been on the back burner, I have been “couch drawing” from time to time during this quarantine. With the exception of the first drawing below I’ve been working in my tiny 3.5” x 5.5” Moleskine sketchbook.

* HEADS UP: As an Amazon Influencer, I earn a small commission when you purchase the through the links in this post. It's a small way to support the work I do without any cost to you. (Thank you!)

Here’s 5 months worth of drawing:

A drawing a month isn’t so bad I guess.

Sketchbook drawings from January 2020, when the world was still somewhat normal.

Can’t get enough Parker

I’m still really smitten with my Parker pen. I prefer it above any other pen. Thus, I’ve been mainly working in blue and black. Maybe someday Parker will produce refills in other colors. Until then, you’ll probably see me work in black and blue a lot. (Read my review of the Parker Jotter HERE.)

Early pandemic drawings.

My lone April sketch in emerald green.

UK Bic Crystals are awesome!

This lovely emerald green is part of a set of Bic Crystals I purchased from the UK. Fair warning, you’re going to pay more in shipping than you will for the pens, but they’re worth it! The range of colors in this set is fantastic.

I worked on this drawing through most of the month of May. Not whole lot of drawing happened in this quarantine.

I started this drawing all in violet. When I finished, it just wasn’t doing it for me, so I added the blue to give it more dimension and variety. I could take that blue further, but now I'm tired of this one. A month is a long time to work on one drawing. ⁠

I do hope that it won’t be another month before I update this blog. I have some ideas brewing, and I really hope I can keep up the momentum I’ve built up over this creative long weekend.

So now, I’d love to hear from you…

Has the quarantine been a creative or a quiet time for you?

Do tell! Leave me a comment below or drop me a line.

That’s all for now.

Ciao, Jen

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Yellow Ballpoints Found at Last!

Hi there. How are you?

I've been collecting ballpoint pens for years now, but I could never track down a yellow. I literally had every other color in the rainbow, in many shades, but no yellow. I needed yellow! 

* HEADS UP: As an Amazon Influencer, I earn a small commission when you purchase the pens I've listed here with Amazon links. It's a small way to support the work I do without any cost to you. (Thank you!)

I've found 3 different yellow pens! Click for purchasing info.

The search was long and arduous. 

I googled, I went to every art supply and office supply store I came across, and I checked out the websites of the top pen manufacturers. Still, no yellow! Well, at least not that I could get my hands on in the States. 

Then a breakthrough! 

I was gifted this set of ballpoints from a patron in the Netherlands. It included the first yellow ballpoint I've ever had!

A Yellow Perfecto

I was gifted this set of ballpoints from a patron in the Netherlands. It included the first yellow ballpoint I've ever had! (Thanks Natasja!)

The yellow is has a nice bright hue and the ink goes on almost like a gel pen. There's just a little more moisture in the ink than a traditional ballpoint, but it still works well. 

View fullsize

I used my yellow Perfecto pen in this sketchbook drawing. The ink is nice and bright.

One is never enough

I was thrilled to find this yellow, but I knew I'd need more than one solitary yellow pen. I was going to run that sucker out of ink in no time! Again, I hunted all over the internet for Perfecto ballpoint pens but they were nowhere to be found. 

The hunt Continued....

This Yoobi ballpoint pen has yellow and 7 other fab ink colors. Click to purchase one for yourself!

The Yoobi 8-in-1

I was taking a stroll through the pen aisle at Target one day and came across Yoobi product display. Amidst all of the colorful, well designed Yoobi merch was this rad 8-in-1 ballpoint pen with YELLOW! 

All of the inks in the Yoobi are nice and smooth and despite its larger barrel size, it is pretty darn easy to use. The yellow ink has more of a golden hue than the Perfecto, which is great, as now I've got a range of yellows to choose from! 

I finally found a Bic yellow ballpoint pen. The ink is incredible! Click to purchase.

The Bic 4 Color Fluo

As I'm never really satisfied with the pens I have, I decided to search Amazon one more time for yellow ballpoints. This time, there was a hit! And it was a Bic! (My all-time favorite ballpoint brand.) 

This 4-in-1 Bic pen features a fluorescent yellow ink that slightly wider than the other 1 mm coloured ballpoints. I paid a pretty penny for it and had to have it shipped from the UK, but man was it worth it! This pen is a dream. 

The yellow ink in the Bic pen is fluorescent and smooth as silk. Click to purchase.

Bic is the BEST!

The Bic is by far the best yellow pen I've found. The fluorescent ink is smooth as silk and is oh so bright! I'll certainly be ordering more of these soon and maybe, just maybe, Bic will decide to stock these stateside sometime. 

The yellow in the Paperchase 8-in-1 pen is warm and golden.

The Paperchase 8-in-1

I didn't really need another yellow pen, but when I spotted this cutie at the Paperchase store at Victoria Station in London, I had to have it! The colors are all a little different from my 8 color Yoobi, so I've got an even wider selection of colors and values to work with. The yellow has a lovely golden tone to it and feels very "Indian Summer." 

When I came back from London about a month ago, I was able to find this pen for sale on the Paperchase USA website. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be available any longer. Boo! If you're lucky enough to live near a Paperchase store, I suspect you can pick one up there. 

Have you found any other Yellow ballpoints I've missed?

Do tell so I can try 'em out and add them to this list! 

That's all for now. Ciao! 

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Sketchbook Tour - Spring 2018

Hi there. How are you? 

As spring is quickly turning to summer in Southern Illinois, I thought it was a good time to look back and share my sketchbook with you. It's fun to see the work that I've created in my trusty Moleskine over the past 4 months.

These drawings account for hours and HOURS of work. I work for days, even weeks on one page. It's hard to estimate the exact number of hours I put into a drawing, as they're done over many days. Let's say I average at least 8 hours per drawing.

* The Amazon links in this post are affiliate links. If you click and purchase I will get a small portion of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.

So, without any further adieu, here's my sketchbook.

Yoobi Experiments

I got to experiment with my new Yoobi pen this spring. I will definitely be taking this 8-in-one pen with me to Europe this summer. On top of being ultra portable, the ink is really nice and smooth. 

Wedding Work

I've been working on invitations for my brother's upcoming wedding. These were both experiments for the actual invitation, which has a desert/succulent theme.  It was fun to work in one of my most favorite of color schemes. 

And before you ask, the burgundy pen is a Pentel RVSP. I've only been able to find these on Amazon. I suspect that they might not be manufactured any longer as they're about $5.50 a pop! But that color is pretty darn great, so I gave in and bought. 

Going Neon with Perfecto Pens

I also experimented with my Perfecto ballpoint set that a generous patron sent me from the Netherlands. (Thank you Natasja!)  The colors are so vibrant, especially the orange! These photos just don't do it justice.

*I would link to these Perfecto pens if I could find them anywhere on the internet, but alas, they are nowhere to be found. 

Destined to be Postcards

I got a little patriotic with these two. Both were drawn to be backgrounds for voter postcards. You can see how I used the bottom drawing here. 

My Most Recent Work

These are my most recent sketches. The blue one has become the background for my new Kentucky state print. 

The Oddballs

I started the black drawing on top when I was particularly frustrated. I don't even remember why I was frustrated, I just know I needed to start drawing without any thought behind it. It's a weirdo, but I like it. 

I set out early in the year to make some large drawings outside of my sketchbook to submit to some museum shows. I made this one above, but I'm not so sure how I feel about it. 

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This concludes our Spring 2018 Sketchbook Tour.

I hope you enjoyed it. I'm about to leave for a week on the beach, which usually means lots of time for sketch booking. Stay tuned! 

Before you leave.......Wanna keep in touch? 

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