Black Paper Sketchbook

...well, scrapbook actually, but hey!

Hello there, and how are you today?

I thought I'd share some pics from inside my black paper sketchbook. As in this post, this is actually Paperchase scrapbook which I bought in the sale last year, and decided to use as a play place for my coloured pens. I was going to use it as a photo album but the pens won!

Scattered Flower design using metallic pens

Metallic and fluorescent pens are brilliant fun, and look amazing on a dark background - as do white pens (white on black is a massive love of mine). The metallics in the Sakura set flow like a dream...I find them gorgeous to work with.

Last night's sofa doodle session - white Gelly Roll seed heads and flowers

I own these pens, and have used them on the pages shown throughout this post:

• Gelly Roll Moonlight pens by Sakura
• Gelly Roll Metallic pens by Sakura
• Gelly Roll in white by Sakura
• Pentel Hybrid Gel pen in silver and gold
• Uniball Signo in silver and gold

I've had a lot of these pens for a few years now, and still work as well as they did when I first bought them.

This one was drawn using the Moonlight pens by Sakura, and reminds me of my old Spirograph set, I had as a kid!

Another Moonlight design, even though I've called them Moonstone on the page ;) Love this pink! The photo doesn't capture half of its essence - it really pops off the page.

More Moonlight play - the ink is beautifully opaque from these pens, and flows so well. I do find I have to wipe the nib occasionally, as the ink kind of dries a little bit like paint around the tip. It doesn't spoil the fun of using them in anyway though.

Words to live by, and another gorgeous Moonlight colour! This is a vivid yellow in real life...totally lush!

The only slight issue with these types of pen, is that they can rub off a little on the page that sits on top of them, a little like chalk does - remember me saying that I tend to use just one side of the paper in the book for this reason? Well there you go - you can see what I mean in the image above.

Top Tip:
Scrap packaging card is great for practising with these kinds of pens...especially the kraft type card that you get with Amazon parcels. I've used this a few times now for collage and gouache work, and the colours sit really well on the card, and show up beautifully.
Perhaps I'll do a post on that at a later date :)

I hope this has inspired you to play with coloured papers, and different pen types!

If you have anything you'd like me to talk about, share my process about etc, do please let me know...I'm happy to help and inspire.

Cheerio for now,
Sarah

♡

Snatched moments of creativity

Recently I've found myself spending more time on the behind the scenes areas of Ditsy Bird, than on the actual creative side - developing my tech skills; scanning in designs; planning; organising my storage and filing of my digital designs; working on streamlining processes and so on.
This has meant that I'm spending less time drawing and painting than I would like, and have been finding ways to snatch back some time to get creative.

Sofa doodling is an absolute favourite of mine!
I have a lap tray that lives under the end of the sofa nearest to the lamp, and you will often find me sat there late in the evening, cross legged, sketchbook on tray and pen in hand.

It's not brilliant for my posture, but is wholly necessary for my mind - a little art therapy goes a long way to relaxing the shoulders, unclenching my jaw, and silencing the brain chatter.
I tend to do this when we're watching (I use this term loosely as far as what I'm doing is concerned) something that doesn't require my full attention...what I like to call soufflé telly - looks good but is mostly wind and puff.

I suppose I use the film or whatever is on, more as an audiobook than for watching, and it is good company for the evenings when I'm home alone - plus it gets me out of My Room, and my head out of Ditsy mode.

Other creative opportunities are the times when I take George to his piano lessons, or to the gym, and there isn't enough time to go home and back during the lesson. Piano isn't brilliant as it's only 30 minutes - and honestly, by the time I've replied to IG comments, I barely get chance to get my pad and pen out.

Gym time however, is most excellent!
I park in Aldi car park for this, as the gym is on a main road, and I usually go in and do a shop whilst George is getting fit on the treadmill. This week though, we'd already done a food shop so I stayed in the car and had a wonderful, uninterrupted hour of fountain pen doodling. Though for a moment there I sat staring at the blank page, pen in hand, and with zero inspiration to draw.

Argh!
I went with the fallback of 'draw an old favourite', and was soon lost in the process of slowly doodling seedheads, breath slowing, shoulders falling, completely in the moment, and oblivious the cars pulling in and out around me.

I'd love to know how you make sure you find time to do the thing you love?

Until next time,
Sarah
♡

Daily(ish) Drawing

Hello!

Here are a few photos of recent daily(ish) drawings, that have been posted to my Instagram feed - I say (ish) because daily really isn't happening.

Life got in the way before the Easter holidays, and since then I've got out of the habit of sofa doodling on an evening...just way too tired..and my mojo is still on it's jollies I think!

I'll get going again once other jobs are out of the way, and there's a little more time in my head and life.

I do miss it, as I enjoyed the constant and consistent creativity, so I will be working hard to get back into the rhythm of daily drawing.

Spot the button themed drawings? They were fun! I may go back to this at some point, and create some mini original art on the same theme.

☞ To see all my daily(ish) drawings in one place, simply search under the #dbd2016dailydrawing hashtag, on Instagram.

Have you taken on a challenge for 2016, creative or otherwise? Are you managing to stick to it, or do find that there are times where you simply have to roll with it, and take a break?

Cheers for now
Sarah
x

Create consistently

Hello!

Back in December, I think it was, my friend Helen and I, set challenges for ourselves - mine was to draw daily. Now anyone who follows me on Instagram, will know that my mum sadly lost her fight with cancer earlier this year...so there were a number of days where there was no drawing. Having said that, there were other days that were entirely spent drawing...it is very much my therapy, solace and sanctuary - a place where I can be entirely in the moment.

To sum up, after that waffly preamble, I have been endeavouring to draw daily, and to create consistently.

This has been challenging some days, but also incredibly rewarding - I find that when I'm on top of the challenge, a few wonderful things happen together:

• ideas flow more freely, making it easier to think of something to draw and waking up my creativity
• I'm becoming more and more confident with my tools, through regular use and practice
• I'm getting the chance to play with more mediums - watercolour, ink, gouache, mixed media
• my personal creative style is becoming more and more apparent
• I'm quickly finding out which ideas work and which don't - you know that gut feeling you get, about whether a certain style / design or medium 'fits'? I'm finding it much easier to spot what is and isn't me...Sarah and Ditsy Bird
• I'm getting quicker - much quicker - at knocking a quick sketch out - much less pondering and worrying, and a lot more of the 'just going with it'. This is a very good thing. Trusting my intuition.
• I'm happy when I draw, and as I'm drawing a lot at the moment, I am feeling generally happy most days - even bearing in mind recent events, this is still true. And I'm very grateful for it.
• I'm managing to maintain a creative momentum that I haven't achieved in the past. Because I am drawing daily, I'm already in the creative mindset, which is making it easier for me to stay on track with current projects, and actually complete some! Boom!
• my Instagram feed is looking good too, thanks to regular process shots and finished doodle photos...always a good thing, as I have a terrible habit of simply retreating from social media (and social life) when life gets tough

All in all, I'm mighty glad to have taken up the challenge, and aim to stick with it for the rest of the year, and hopefully catch up with the days I've missed so that I have the full 366 posts by the end of it!

Have you set yourself any personal challenges this year, and how have you benefitted from them?

Sarah
♡

PS if you fancy a looksee at all the drawings, head to my Instagram feed, or in Instagram search for the following three hashtags #dbd2016dailydrawing #draweveryday2016 #2016creativechallenge xxx