a smattering of patterning

i haven't been able to participate every single day of pattern january on instagram, but i've still been jumping in here and there as time permits. and i continue to find anika starmer's prompts --not to mention the amazing variety of ways the other participants are interpreting them-- incredibly inspiring. here are a few more of mine:

day 10: beach

i confess i loved making this more than i love the finished product, but then, PROCESS is the main point of a daily sketchbook challenge, imo! it's a great time to practice, to brainstorm, to think of something you wouldn't normally have any reason to do. just stepping out of my normal, practical area of expertise can give me a whole new perspective. 

day 11: furniture

ok, yes, this one's a bit tangential: i painted some uber-bright madras plaid, of a sort you might see on patio furniture... you know... in the summer, when it's WARM OUT.

(ps: painting plaid... or stripes... or curvy lines... is a great way to build up your brush control, which is one of the most crucial skills for painting. outlining the results with a pen adds line control, which is equally important. and before you say, "i don't have a steady enough hand to paint straight lines" i should mention that NOBODY starts out with a steady enough hand to paint or free-draw straight lines; hence the need to practice!

day 12: fruit or veggie

i chose fruit, as you may have noticed. and i painted this last sunday, when i didn't have an idea for mandala monday the next day. because that's how scientific i am on these occasions, lol.

day 13: woodland

inspired by my fellow IG pattern enthusiast by aarup who posted her digital version of a gorgeous birch grove. i used an easy washi tape mask and two favorite shades of blue colorburst: cerulean and ultramarine. then outlined and added details with pen.

day 16: pen.man.ship

i somehow managed to post this on jan 23rd, which turned out to be national handwriting day. an attempt to seamlessly transition various rainbow shades using tombow dualbrush pens in about 14 colors! i'm somewhat proud that after practicing (and practicing... and practicing...) i now feel happy enough with my letterforms to not necessarily outline and touch them up.

day 17: weather

funky patterned clouds in a funky patterned sky. with tombow and posca pen details added last, when the watercolor was bone dry. inspired by the "no lines" watercolor method of stamping, i drew my basic cloud pattern using the lightest shade of blue tombow dualbrush i own, then painted the sky in cornflower and cerulean colorburst.

day 20: scallop

just a fabulously fun rainbow-fest here!

(ok seriously, this was really really fun to paint. but again, it's a brush control exercise in disguise. the point being to add successive rows of scallops, without waiting for the last to dry, by leaving a 1/16" gap of dry paper in between. using ten different, super-bright shades of colorburst, and turning it into an interesting-to-look-at pattern, is just a sweetener. like taking a fun, rowdy zumba class instead of slogging away on the treadmill by yourself!)

♥♥♥

hope you're having an awesome weekend and that

 you'll find time to do something fun and creative just for YOU!

♥♥♥

the pitter patter of pattern january

more fun sketchbook goodness, YAY! ♥

day 6: fair

i was thinking of a fun fair, so i went crazy with colorburst bunting. like ya do...

day 7: coral reef

this was a stumper because i decided i had to combine pattern january with mandala monday, which turned out to be harder than i thought. this doesn't entirely work (either as a mandala or a pattern, lol!) ...but... i definitely learned a lot AND got to use wisteria, cornflower and orchid colorburst!

day 8: kitchen

in a very verrrrrrrry tangential take, i painted some beuatiful arabesque tile i saw recently at home depot, that i would love to be our backsplash when we (eventually) re-do our kitchen. 

(technically, the tile i saw was neutral beige-on-beige, but that's not especially fun to paint, kwim?!)

day 9: starts with w

my "default mode" for pattern january is to go with very literal brush lettering whenever i can't decide what to do. this was one of those times. i cannot say i like this as a finished piece, but i had a lot of fun trying to make as many W color names as i could think of into visual patterns. i predict you might see some of my letter styles again, in something a little more finished looking.

(note: i've spelled "wedgwood" two different ways... BOTH are wrong...)

♥♥♥

pattern january is devised and hosted by anika starmer, aka a is for anika, on instagram and facebook. everyone who'd like to participate is welcome, in any media they enjoy!

♥♥♥

pattern january!

i'm pretty excited that anika starmer is celebrating "pattern january" again this year on instagram and facebook. i'm planning to play along as often as possible. here's what i've done so far:

day 1: tea party

here's a secret: i'm really interested in handlettering again, so for the prompts where i'm not immediately sure what to do, i'm going to do something in the text art arena.

(i find a "default mode" HUGELY helpful when embarking on a daily challenge!)

day 2: wood grain

just in case you're wondering, you can get a really great wood look by painting alternating patches of burnt umber and sienna colorburst with a flat brush, letting it dry and then adding grainy details with a pretty dry fan brush in slightly darker versions of both colors... and maybe a little lamp black, as well. ;)

day 3: nocturnal

i had a lot of ideas for this one, but only one EYE-dea, lol!

day 4: prism

or... in this case... more of a prism break. definitely not my favorite in the series, but the nice thing about a daily challenge is you get another chance every single day!

day 5: sushi

more colorburst fun facts for you: a 3:1 mixture of pthalo green and lamp black gets you the perfect shade of nori; while 2:1 peony and lemon yellow is really very shrimp-like! :) 

ps: EVERYONE can play, all media are welcome and you needn't participate every single day. check out a is for anika on instagram for the prompt list and some really fab inspiration! ♥♥♥

let's use ALL the colors!

i've been having a blast playing along with anika starmer's "pattern january" event on instagram. some days i doodle with pens, or cut and paste, collage-style, but mostly it's been an awesome excuse to get out my color bursts every night and drown in ♥COLOR♥! what could be more luscious in the middle of a grey new jersey winter?

octagons

fuchsia, tangerine and gamboge color burst "smooshed" onto water color paper, then allowed to dry thoroughly, before adding the eponymous octagons with a fine tipped black pen

rainbow

technically, not part of the challenge, this was my first attempt at a smooshed color burst background for "octagons". it got a little out of control, lol, but i liked it so much, i made it my new banner photo on facebook

mermaid

couldn't decide between a pattern of scales or a pattern of bubbles, so i did a pattern of scales INSIDE a pattern of bubbles! :)

desert

this started out as a kind of stylized sun, sand and sky and became... ummmmm... floor tile??!?!

(indigo, yellow ochre and gamboge color burst do make a fab palette tho...)

 

snowman

or in this case... snow-MANDALA!

(ok, yeah, they can't all be winners, lol!)

citrus

i had a hard time deciding what fruits to draw AND how to arrange them. so i didn't decide, i just did a little bit of everything!

(and right there is what i LOVE about my sketchbook: it doesn't have to make sense, it doesn't have to be cohesive, it doesn't have to "work" as a finished piece. it DOES have to be fun to do and teach me something. mission accomplished!)

starts with "J"

jenga, jelly beans and jasmine...

keys

and let me just say: i love how this looks, but it was one of the most boring things i've ever drawn...

in case you'd like to play along, here is the prompt list; there's no need to catch up, work in order, or even post publicly; jump in anywhere and do as many as inspire you. be as literal or as tangential as you want. use stamps, stencils, stickers, pens, markers... whatever you like! or if you really want to HAVE FUN: get out your paints and just GO NUTS... you can thank me later! ♥