Artist Sketchbooks Show and Tell 3

Hello, hello, the weekend is here! Don't you just love waking up in the morning, knowing that you can pretty much do anything you want for a couple of days? This week has been an exhausting one, so I'm really glad I can finally sit back and relax for a bit.

So you want to know what I have been saving for you? Are you up for some exploring into the minds of brilliant creative souls? Well lets wait no further, because it's Artist Sketchbooks Show and Tell time!

 ~ Heidi Alamanda ~

I have sketchbooks for different purposes. Several small ones for some little paintings, another sketchbook as an outlet for anything else that's completely unrelated to my oil paintings, and one that I use to capture some pencil studies of images that catch my eyes.

For my oil paintings, I dedicate one sketchbook to capturing some mysterious elements that evoked my emotions…it's more like a visual diary that I can revisit once I am ready to start a painting. When I look at those sketches, I can sense the emotions that I felt that time and embrace those mysterious elements that I captured before, without any questions but the feeling that they should be there in my painting.

Links: website, blog

 ~ Sascalia ~

I rarely sketch out ideas before I start a painting. I usually just draw straight on the paper that I intend to use for the painting. Occasionally though I do get out a sketch book and start doodling out ideas. My artwork is very much influenced by nature and my love of fairy tales. 

Links: website, blog

 ~ Shirley Ng-Benitez ~

A few years ago, I attended a wonderful workshop in San Francisco and heard these words from Amy June Bates, an illustrator whom I greatly admire. Her advice was to "draw, draw, draw, and then draw some more." I took these words to heart and have been sketching each night ever since. I can happily say that it has been a journey filled with happy surprises and just by sketching one thing each night, I feel that my skills have strengthened a bit. I am no longer afraid of the "blank piece of white paper"! Yay! Last summer I started a personal goal, which was to "sketch-a-day-for-a-year" and as of 1/15/2014, I am on sketch #219.

I also have kept stacks (reams) of my sketches and use some of them to create final paintings from. It's been great to go through the older stacks to see where I've been and where I'm heading. 

Links: website, blog

~ Jallëna Lovë ~

When I am inspired, or I have an idea for a drawing, I always see to it that I transfer it on paper before it vanishes in my head. I love drawing girl's faces, their innocence, their rare beauty they always inspire me. It just mesmerizes me and it gives me this self contentment. I am still an artist in progress and I always experiment. I find pleasure in creating my girls, they give me peace and comfort. Making art is my way of healing my soul and I love to share it to the world.

Links: Facebook Page, blog

~ Amber Leilani Middleton ~

I'm not much of a sketcher, really. I think that I think better in 3-D! But, since the beginning of the year, I have been trying to sketch out more of my ideas. I want to learn to draw better, so it's something I am forcing myself to do, even though I am not very comfortable with it. Generally, my sketches are very rough, with lots of arrows and descriptions. I love my arrows!! 

One of the things I have been trying to do since last year is just let myself doodle more...I love to just sit draw different shapes and words and things like that, which have nothing to do with my sculptures. It lets my mind wander and just sail freely without the feeling I have to make something. I find it helps me feel more creative and keeps me inspired to keep working.

Links: blog, shop

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Now don't tell me that you don't feel inspired after reading all that? Isn't it amazing how differently these fabulous creative minds work? I love how each artist seems to have their own way of processing their ideas and shaping it into something real! My huge thanks to these awesome artists for sharing some peeks into their sketchbooks and telling us about their creative process. Until next time!

Hugs,

New Passion for the New Year

Well hello, darlings. Are we all adjusting nicely into the new year? I must say that I never had the chance to celebrate on New Years Eve as I was way too exhausted from finishing up my deadlines before 2014 arrived. But I'm glad I had some quiet time to soak in the moment and really thought about what the new year should mean to me.

For starters, one of the toughest things to do for me as an artist, is to focus. I could work on something in front of me and think about a million other creative things that I want to do in the same time. Sounds familiar? It's probably a problem most of us face on a daily basis, and it's torture to put away these ideas to only focus on one thing. Thankfully, I've come to realize that "focusing" doesn't mean that you should only stick to one path and keep the others for save keeping. Which is why I believe that opening Whimsylandia was one of the most gratifying things I've done in 2013.

Being always in the mood to create things with my hands, I find it difficult to dodge the temptation to try new things, especially because I already have an endless list of work to finish in my schedule. So far, I've tried sculpting, jewelry making, embroidery and doll making last year alone. Ambitious? Just plain curious, I think. It's like walking into a beautiful boutique and wanting to try on every single item displayed in the window. LOL. I guess most of you could relate to that too. :D

I know that adding a new responsibility to my long list probably seemed unwise, but I'm happy to say that doll making and running my new shop have been nothing but sheer pleasure. It turned out that what I needed all along was a way to channel my creative diversions into a more relaxed, carefree but productive way. Now, I find myself more laid back whenever I work on my dolls, enjoying the relaxing therapeutic experience with every new creature I make. After that, I always come back to my art with a fresh mind and tons of ideas to pour down onto paper.

So what creative discoveries have you made in 2013? Do share, I'd love to hear it! :)

Hugs,