Vibrant Vines

I have said this before - inspiration can come from the most unexpected places. To reiterate that sentiment, the artwork I'm sharing here is inspired by bottle gourd vines in my garden! Imagine.... of all the things on the face of this Earth, how can a vegetable growth be an inspiration?!? :D But the vines look so lush, with their rounded leaves and delicate flowers, that I couldn't help capturing them in a sketch.

 

Line drawing on a collaged background, in the style of artist Robert Kushner, one of my favourites on Pinterest.

Remember the cut-up page I mentioned in my last post? This sketch was made on the reverse side of that cut-up page. The top picture shows how the sketch looks against a plain background while the bottom picture shows how the sketch actually looks as a page in my journal.

Journal Jaunt

Almost 2 months since my last visit here, and a lot of changes have happened in my world. Mostly positive, thankfully! Though I haven't started working on creative projects actively yet but now they are seeming more doable. So hopefully you'll see me around more often...

In the meanwhile, here is a peep into a journal page that I started a few months back but couldn't finish. Glad to finally fix it and put it all together.

Working on this journal helped me deal with a period of transition that may have otherwise been overwhelming. Now that I'm in a happier space, hope to fill up the pages faster.

Avian Tales - Part 3

Remember my earlier posts on how the birds around me were getting me to whip up these little rhymes on them? You can read those posts here and here. Well, here comes more of the same...

Only this time the focus is on these creatures we discovered in our local park a few years back, and totally fell in love with. We have managed to follow their annual rituals (read hibernation and welcoming newborns), zeroed in on their favourite perches, and known how to spot them amidst dense foliage because of our sheer joy on seeing their antics.

So presenting to you all the owlie family :)

Sitting on a tree
Wild and free
We spotted these 3


Stopping by to rest
We glanced at their nest
And Junior said,
"My daddy strongest!"









Hope to bring you more tales on these feathery fellows in the coming months. 

#aviantales

Avian Tales - Part 1

For some inexplicable reason I'm besotted by birds and can't help drawing them endlessly. Here are some of my birdies, with their stories to boot. Hope you enjoy these....

Since I am

A thorough gentleman,

I will always carry

Flowers for my beloved.

A baby magpie

Came home one night

And slept in a shoe box

Till next morning

When it learnt to fly

And reunited with its folks.

#aviantales

Going Ahead...

Even as the shortest month draws to its end, I have been struggling to make time for my creative outings. Too many goings-on in my personal sphere including things like house repairs and kids' exams have translated into many incomplete pages in my sketch book, leave alone attempting any larger paintings or projects.

So this month I'll share the one rare completed drawing that I did recently, especially since its message is encouraging in many a situation.

Yes, at times a dash of humour helps us tackle difficult life situations in a better frame of mind. Don't you agree? Well, I surely can't wait to get to better opportunities... And oh yes, I love the cat!  :D

 

Nature Journal: October Observations

Bringing you the much-delayed October page of the Nature Journal. The changing season, the clamour of festivals, and a general lassitude kept me from finishing the page on time. Not that there has been any dearth of experiences to document....

That is the thing about Nature, I guess - there is never a day when you don't have moments to cherish. Sharing some of my October observations with you all....

Now that this year is drawing to a close, with just 2 more months left to document about in the Nature Journal, it seems like such a wondrous journey. Me and the kids love flipping through the previous months' pages, reading on our (often shared) experiences, and touching and feeling the specimens stuck in there.

As another year is soon to start, I again exhort you all to make a Nature Journal of your own. Not only will it discipline you to observe your natural surroundings, it will bring you immense pleasure once you have completed a whole year of recording your observations. Go ahead, try it! You will surely thank me if you do. :)

Nature Journal: August Observations

The August page of the Nature Journal got completed on the last day of the month. But unlike July,  this time there were enough specimens to fill the page.

Two of the August specimens came from my son. He collected the samples while playing basketball in school. The basketball court is adjoining the park, and hence an equally good site for getting hold of interesting stuff.

But what I loved was the fact that my pursuit of nature journaling has begun to have an impact on the kids, making them more aware and enthusiastic about their natural surroundings. Someday I can hope to have at least two nature warriors following my example! :)

And here is ending this post on a happy note - even before we hit mid-September, my journal page for the month is already finished! Yippeee!!!

Nature Journal: Cover Page

The Nature Journal finally has a front cover. One of the first things I made post-exhibition. Was a wonderful break from the bottles, and helped me relax my over-tired body and over-charged brain.

I tweaked the inchie collage technique and came up with this design that features almost all that constitutes nature, and that I come across regularly in my interactions with the natural world. I am pretty pleased with the end result. What do you think, dear readers?

My Winter Of Discontent

First post of the new year and I am searching for words! Winters leave me feeling like that.... listless and unable to focus on my work.

But browsing through the first posts of other fellow artists has only brought home to me that I need to get more organized about my work. So while I am not exactly making any resolutions, these pointers I have gathered can help any budding artist/entrepreneur. In no particular order, here are some things I intend to focus on this year.

Unplug
While the internet forms the backbone of reaching out to the world and learning from other artists, sometimes too much of it actually serves to freeze my own creative juices.

Make time
This one is easier said than done; I mean allocating specific time slots to specific activities. I am bad at this, as unscheduled activities have a way of eating into my creative time.

Sketch
Any artist worth his or her salt will vouch for this. You really can never sketch enough! In my early days I used to make a point of doing this often but I have slipped horribly on this one lately.

Set goals
Think and figure out what you aim to achieve in the coming year, and get down to work accordingly. My mode of operation has been far too haphazard all this while and I can't wait to get cracking but then again, there are plenty of challenges to overcome.

So there.... at least I have it all pat down. And henceforth, the winter months (read December- January) shall be spent catching up on my reading. Rather than making half-hearted attempts at creating art that only leave me feeling more frustrated. I am not particularly fond of winters, and since that has been affecting my creative process around this time every year, consistently, year after year, hence this change in track.....

It is only thoughts like these that keep me going through the grey, foggy and sunless months. This is one time of the year when I want the calendar to turn faster! :) How about you, dear readers? How do you deal with the cold winter months, especially in terms of creative output.

Poppy Studies

After the poppy crop came out in our garden, I did some plein air studies. The balmy spring weather, the sun warming my back, the cool breeze caressing my cheeks, and the mingled fragrance of so many flowers - it was the perfect weather to be out in the open!

And this is what they led to in the studio...

No, the picture isn't complete. For seeing the whole painting, you'll need to wait for me to have an exhibition! Talk about goals and having a wishlist.... :)

More Random Sketches

One of the best ways of making the shift from bottle painting to regular painting is to practise some sketching first.

Picked up an old edition of National Geographic magazine and tried out these two.

Sketching reinforces the old adage about lines being the most important part in any work of art. It really is all about lines in the end. So pick up a pencil and start off yourself....

Teaser Sketches

Sharing with you two preliminary sketches that are on their way to becoming full-fledged paintings.

Any guesses what these are?

Okay, I'll give you a hint. Both sketches are of food items, all edible stuff. Chew on that and let me know your responses. :)