This evening DS5 wanted to play outside in the front before bed time, so I decided to sit on the porch with another page from the encyclopedia and see what emerged while I kept an eye on him. I was inspired by our porch pillows . . . and then by some of the words that popped out on the page.
And then I had fun playing with the photo editing tools again!
Any thoughts on what I might do with these little one-pagers????
Inspired by Geninne's Art Blog: For June,
I used it as a guide for my own drawing. Since imitation is the highest form of flattery, I hope she doesn't mind me trying to improve my drawing skills by mimicking hers. She draws and paints the most beautiful birds on all sorts of substrates.
Because I like the look of art on top of a printed page, I decided to use a page from an old encyclopedia for my base. I love the fact that the text camouflages the errors in my drawing! :) Of course, I see all sorts of flaws in my end result, but it was fun to do.
I had the urge to pull out my Drawing Lab book the other day, and settled on the task of creating a one-eyed monster according to one of the challenges. Who says monsters must be ugly? :)
As per the instructions, I started with a permanent pen, drawing a single eye and working from there. I must have chickens on the brain or something, because it turned out to look much like a pretty chicken -- or at least that's what DS5 says. (He also wondered why I scribbled all over the head and tail. They're not scribbles, they're villi, child! They help make my monster a monster ;) I coloured with watercolour pencils, and then blended with water. I don't like working with watercolour pencils because they don't really look like watercolours -- but they're transportable and easy to work with even if the results aren't stellar.
As I was creating the monster, I found myself wondering, "Why bother? What's the point of using my valuable time making a useless little monster?" I'm not sure I have a good answer. It's an exercise in creativity. It's a way of using my hands productively during moments of inactivity -- like supervising children at the park or waiting for an appointment. It's developing my drawing skills. (Well, sorta.) And I guess it's just plain old fun :)
What pretty monsters do you have in your life? Do you ever create anything just for fun?
The other day I found this little markered man drawn by my five-year-old little man. After I commented on how much I liked it, DS5 decided to outline it with pen, adding a new dimension to his work.
Somehow, my little man and his little man bring a smile to my face :)
What little treasures have you found lately that make you smile?
