Watercolor Adventures

Near the end of last year, I was really feeling the need to paint. I painted my nails, I painted cookies and suckers. I guess I knew I wanted to return to painting, but was having trouble figuring out what it is I wanted to paint. I discovered a couple of doodle and pattern prompts on Instagram. It seemed like a good way a great way to spend my mornings. 

I have trouble with just doodling though. I sometimes sketch, but almost always enjoy my watercolors. I've learned a lot in the daily practice and I've started receiving requests for prints. I'm taking it slow, but have started looking at reopening my Big Cartel store.

Art Journal - The Daily Doodle

I have been really focused on learning and exploring new techniques, so much that my imagery ideas have been stalled. It's really fustrating to want to dive into a project, but not know exactly what designs to use. I've never been able to keep a consistent art journal. I write down ideas and sketches all the time, but they are scattered here and there. The art journals I've seen are so beautiful and meaty - I just don't have the time to dedicate to it, or at least I'd rather use that time working on the actual project. Then I decided that my art journal is just for me, to help me move forward. What I need to move forward is to be more comfortable with my drawing skills and to generate more image ideas. 

So, I started a daily doodle art journal. Just a boring composition book and a nice black pen. No colors, nothing else. Now, I'm not showing pictures to brag or in any way solicit praise. I'm not comfortable with my drawing, it's not a skill that has ever come easily to me. But it is a skill, it requires daily practice, it requires failing and learning. 

My first page of doodles is to help me move along in a project I've been wanting to do for awhile, it's titled "Flies In Your Honey". It's about how my husband and I do not fit in the state of Utah, the home of the beehive. We are flies, not bees..

The page today was inspired by a morning trip to the aquarium with Baby Girl. I have always been obsessed with jellyfish. They are graceful, translucent and not to be held down without a price to pay.

A friend of mine asked how I'm generating prompts for the doodles. For right now, I have a huge stack of project ideas with words already associated with them. I'm just going through my list of ideas and trying to create visions to go with them.

If you are not the crazy note taker that I am, but interested in some artistic word prompts.. Here are a few sites for you to enjoy. Not all of these are current or maintained, but they still provide a great base to work from.

Balzer Designs
Blacksburg Belle
Daisy Yellow
The Smashbook

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