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.

Dare To Dream

Since the soaring temperatures of last month fried my brains, I just couldn't get any creative work done. :D A couple of downpours later, now I'm back with another spread from my journal.

So this journal includes positive messages and thoughts on each page, that one can go to and derive inspiration from. While I call it my transition journal but it really is a celebration of life itself! And that is exactly what this spread is all about.

It incorporates this lovely idea I came across on Pinterest - of cutting up a page according to the shape of your artwork.

Gives an amazing new edge to the predictable page presentation. Who says all pages need straight edges? :)

The dreamy girl on the left is inspired by a similar visual I saw. I love the effects one can create using a single shade of colour and some simple line work. Isn't it pretty?

I'm prepping for a furniture redo project that is close to my heart and on the lines of this previous project I did. Hope to finish it soon and share with you all.

And in the meanwhile, why don't you tell me what you dare to dream about? Go on, give me your responses pronto! :)

Feathered Friends

This post is totally dedicated to the feathered friends who have been visiting our garden, and keeping us engaged with their antics and birdsong.

Since the days are scorching, we put out a bird bath for our little visitors. That has only added to our joy, and theirs.... as they drink, take dips, and splash around. I can never tire of seeing them, hopping all over and chirping away melodiously, even on the hottest days.

And then they inspire such artwork. Line drawing on collaged background is how I started, but every creative piece takes on a life of its own, and before you know it, one lands up adding other elements. Really like the end result. Hope you do too, dear readers.

So how are you spending the summer? Do remember to put out some water bowls for our feathered friends.

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.

Monoprint Cards

'Long time no see' is becoming a recurrent theme around here owing to multiple reasons. Due to my inability to get any fresh creative work done, I decided to pull out these monoprints I worked on last summer. I tried out this series of experiments in monoprinting using material lying around the house and the studio. And the results were fascinating....

I finished the pieces with some top-layer freehand painting and added a butterfly made using acrylic skins. Tried out different colour combinations for effect.

Methinks the green-and-blue piece turned out well. Though the brown-and-beige puts a sharper focus on the actual monoprint. But the contrasts on the other one appeal to me more.

This last picture is to give you a sense of the size of these cards....yes, they are smaller than a full-size pencil. Start small and then move on to bigger pieces - that is always my mantra for all new experiments. What is yours?

The Blue Lotus

Sharing a quick pen-and-ink wash, finished over an afternoon, as my first offering of the new year.

Hope my work is able to override predictable patterns and defined boundaries this year.

So how is the new year treating you all? :)

Happy 2019

As another old year winds to a close, here is my mantra for the glittery, shiny, joyous new year that is just round the corner.

Hope I can live by this mantra in the coming months, with hope guiding my path with its light, as I savour each moment of the journey.

Wishing all my readers, followers, friends, and well-wishers a creatively fulfilling 2019, with many new beginnings.