Showing posts with label promarkers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label promarkers. Show all posts

Monday 2 February 2015

In the News - Zen Doodles - Oodles of Doodles



Great news, I have had another one of my pieces of art work published in North Lights latest book called Zen Doodles - Oodles of Doodle in which you will find doodle art from all around the world, there are some beautiful designs. 



We were asked to share a step by step design and my piece is called 'Grace', I used a combination of pen and ink and promarker pens to create it. We also gave a word of encouragement, and mine is that we must all make an effort to shine our lights on a daily basis, lives will be transformed and renewed and we will be blessed in the process.

There is more than 100 original designs and techniques that will inspire you to experiment, get out of your comfort zone, and get your pen and paper out. There are step-by-step instructions and you will also have an opportunity to get to know a series of artists in the spotlight artist section.


Whether you are new to doodling or more experienced you will find something that will wet your creative appetite.



It is now available, so get your copy!

Friday 28 February 2014

I Love you today because - Reflections

Well I made it to the end of the series, and gain many insights, more understanding and honed my sketching skills at the same time.

The ‘I love you today’ series was a way to show 'self love' and look for ways to show love to others.  It can be hard to appreciate how far you have come as you continue to busy yourself with ‘getting on with it’, and you are not able to find the room to celebrate these qualities that lay within as they often go overlooked.  It is easier to give encouragement to others and to cheer them on, but we can think of 100 reasons why we are not up to scratch and we end up speaking about ourselves negatively, or underplay the big leap that we actually make.

The journey for me in February fulfilled three purposes, one was to appreciate and value myself more and encourage myself to recognise when I had done a good job, recognising how far I had come, to be able to look in the mirror and not see 100 faults, but to appreciate the reflection staring back.  We all need to be able to be comfortable in our own skin and be confident with who we are and our abilities.  Some are able to do it with greater ease than others, it can feel uncomfortable saying to yourself what a good job you have done, but you have to recognise that your growth is determined by how you can see, reflect and acknowledge your growth without being self conscious or fearful.

Secondly, I included a self portrait, and a few from my imagination.  We have a perception of what we think that other people see, but the exercise in self-love is about how God sees us with unconditional love, without any strings, not governed by what we look like, latest clothes, or skin colour, so either looking in the mirror or looking at a photograph forced me to see me.  I experimented with techniques, starting out with coloured markers, adding promarker pens which I really enjoyed using.

Thirdly - it is not only about me – when you can love yourself you will find it easy to love others in a more genuine way....the commandment is ‘Love your neighbours as you love yourself’....we have got to be able to demonstrate that love for ourselves to be able to express and show love to others.  

This was why I had the section ‘share some love’, calling us to do something for someone, thinking how we can help someone else and be a blessing in their lives, however small.  What we consider small could be the miracle that someone else was praying for.



So I’ve come through enlightened, with a great set of sketches and drawings that can be used for other projects and new way of looking at myself and where I fit in the world, alongside 28 ideas for blessing others.  I am excited for the changes and challenges that will take place this month.  

What challenges have you got ready for yourself this month? The focus for me will be health and I will be sharing some of the delicious smoothies I intend to make to improve my health and well-being. Blessings!

I Love you today because - Day 28

I love you today because.....
You inspire

You have come a long way, been through the fire, learnt many lessons, you are learning each and every day.  You are truly an inspiration and through your journey and your openness you encourage others, be proud of how far you have come!

I love you today series of images - Fine liner and Promarker sketch

Show some love
Take a moment to think about all the areas you have been inspired in and make room for continued inspiration.

Share some love
Think about those who have inspired you and thank them in some way.

To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below.  Come back tomorrow to see my reflections of the posts..


Wednesday 26 February 2014

I Love you today because - Day 27

I love you today because......

You are encouraging

You have a very positive energy and all that come in contact with you can sense that there is something different about you,  You see the small things, noticing the details, and the things that really count. You speak blessings into their lives and give them the courage to be more than they thought they could be.


Show some love
Even you need encouraging, take time to recharge your batteries and spend time with others who will encourage you.


Share some love
Every one wants to be heard, spend some time today listening.


To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below

I love you today because - Day 26

I Love you today because.....

You Care

We can spend a lot of time worrying about what other people think about us and stop doing the very things which sets our hearts on fire.  It is important to seek wise council, but be careful who you reveal your heart to, it is not everyone who decides to voice their opinion that you should care about.


Show some love
How would you feel if you let go of those negative words that was spoken over your life that still weigh heavy.

Share some love

Be sensitive with the effects of the words you use today.


To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below

Saturday 15 February 2014

I love you today - Day 16

I love you today because
You deserve a hug

When my son was younger and I used to ask him for a hug, his little arms would wrap themselves around me and he would squeeze, we called it a squeezy hug.  Hugs are something we could all do with every now and again.  Hugs are an essential part of our emotional development.

You deserve a hug - Mixed media

Show some love
Cross your arms in front of you and reach each hand as if you are trying to touch your fingers behind your back and hold for 30 seconds.

Share some love

Give the first person you see today a hug



To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below


I Love you today because......Day 15

I Love you today because....

Your not afraid to cry

We cry for a number of reasons, we are happy, sad, frustrated, unhappy, tired, relieved, unsure, lost, proud, thankful, grateful, and inspired.  There can be so many other reasons why we cry and your not afraid to share that emotion.

Your not afraid to cry - Pen and Ink and Promarker pens

Share some love
The next time you feel the to shed a tear, let it flow.  It is a strength and a natural release.

Show some love

Show some care to others today, be extra receptive to their emotional state.


To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below



Thursday 13 February 2014

I Love you today because....You have an Individual Style

I Love you today because.....
You have an Individual Style!

I have already told you  that you are unique, there is not another like you.  Has you delve deeper into what you really like and what in your life you will understand and listen to your true voice.  Don't compare yourself to anyone else, be yourself and celebrate your own individuality.


Show some love
That thing you want to try perhaps it's been weighing on your mind for a while, go ahead and try it with confidence - you never know how it will turn out.

Share some love
Become a mentor, sharing your experience with someone else and pass on the love!

Wednesday 12 February 2014

I love you today because - You carried on

I Love you today because
You carried on!

There have been times in your life that really knocked you for six, you could have crumbled in dispair, you could have given up, but you faced these times with bravery and now you can look back at those times as you reflect and see the gives that have come out of the ashes.


Pen and Ink 



Show some Love
Recognise that things will happen that are not within your control, but there is always something no matter how small that you can do.

Share some Love
When we focus on helping others who are having a bad time
our problems take on a new perspective.

Tuesday 11 February 2014

I love you today because....You are amazing

I Love you today because  
You are amazing

You are amazing, fearfully and wonderfully made.  You have an abundance of gifts, talents and abilities each waiting to be unveiled each waiting to be a blessing....go for it!

You are Amazing - Pen and Ink, Promarker, and watercolour


Show some love

Today is the day to appreciate your life, do something creative.


Share some love

Use one of your gifts today to be a blessing to someone else


To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below



I Love you today because ...You made two ends meet

I love you today because

You made two ends meet!

You have a way of looking at things and not immediately see the problems but you look for the solutions you take a breath and give yourself time to think.  You know the saying well 'When life gives you lemons', you make lemonade with a hint of spice!



Show some love
Make a list of 10 things you have achieved, including big and small

Share some love
Look around for something you have 2 of and give one away!

To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below



Sunday 9 February 2014

I love you today because - You worked things out


I Love you today because....

You worked things out

Things are not always easy or even straight forward at that, but when it comes down to it, you do what you can. Knowing what your strengths are as well as your weaknesses enables you to move forward and make wise choices... you don't have to know everything to work things out.

You worked things out - pen and ink sketch

Show some love
Take the time to identify your strengths and take some regular time out to work on your weaknesses.

Share some love
Be the solution to a problem in someone else's life

To find out why 'I love you today' February Series click on the image below


Tuesday 7 January 2014

Course Review and Insights - Life Book and Soul Food


Life Book and Soul Food are in progress and as I said a few days ago HERE the focus for Tuesdays on the blog for 3 weeks out of the 4 will change slightly as I share insights and Ahha moments from the courses that I am doing, while sharing some of the work. In an ideal world I would just be doing my work on the courses, but the reality for most of us is that life still goes on in the meantime. There is no pause button, so being realistic you can’t get everything done at once, it just isn't possible and choices have to be made.

In both courses we have already had quite a few videos to watch and techniques to try out, while we battle with the ‘Critic’, and mine tells me ‘I don’t have the time’ and that it isn’t necessary to grow or stretch myself, and by no means climb out of my comfort zone. My critic is the one who wants me compare myself to other artists as I sit up watching anything on sky tv – flicking through the channels until at least 1am rather than be in my studio space being creative, perhaps what the critic needs is a holiday with a roller coaster ride of adventure to shake it up a bit!

Within all the chatter and the noise the still small voice says don’t be afraid, everything will be alright, you can do all things, I will give you the strength, step out in faith, your steps will be ordered and when you can’t stand, I will carry you, standing in the gap for you!’  

What I‘ve been doing so far on the courses is thinking about what I am learning from each contributor, what is it that is an encouragement to my own work and the processes that I use. There isn’t always going to be something, but even doing something different from the way you would normally do it will help you come back refreshed. 

A couple of things that I am trying to do is be freer with the techniques and playing with the materials, thinking about colour and how I use it in my work and whether I can be bolder experimenting more with the materials that I have. 

In Life Book Tam did some useful exercises around the colour wheel and i thought about the different ways I use it and how I can experiment with colour more within my work.
My Encourager

Be strong in heart because miracles can happen 


This image came out for me as that gentle reminder that I just need to be who I have been called to be through my work.

In Soul Food, Mystele shared with us how she uses her gelli plate, I don’t have one but have been improvising with a Perspex plate using the tools I have and I created a few backgrounds which led to this image;

Fly

The perspex is hard and it dries quite quickly, so I’ll continue to experiment and see what I come up with over the weeks.


Yesterday I spent time watching Gwen Seemels contribution
working with coloured markers and pens and working in layers. I’ve been using Promarkers pens and more recently Spectrum Noir and revisited a page I did 

Love yourself..

And thought that I would spend more time working with the pens as I quite enjoyed it. I had stopped using the Promarkers because I felt that I’d hit a wall, but again just needed to push.

I intend to do more pen based images. What also resonated with some of the things she said was about layers and self portraits. Over the course of around 20 years I have only done 2.  I guess with all the faces I have done over the years there is a little bit of me or my personality in each.


Doing self portraits really gets us to look at ourselves and we need to do this from time to time. We can be too hard on ourselves, and walk with the perception of what we think others are seeing and then depending on your frame of mind see yourself how you think others are seeing you or how you think they think you should be seeing yourself! ((Really).... – did that make sense to you?).

I only want to see myself the way God sees me...


My Heart Overflows


When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings an crowned him with glory and honour...Psalm 8:3-5

I want to see the gifts and talents I have been blessed with used to bless others. My word for the year which I’ll remind myself of again is ‘attention to detail’ – what exactly can you hear, see, smell, feel, taste – and being present, all of me in every situation. I want to see the seeds that I planted and tended last year bear fruit this year. I am looking for growth, change, sometimes it will be uncomfortable and awkward, sometimes I’ll share, sometimes not, but we are going to see new opportunities, doors opening, new techniques learnt and we will be speaking of miracles. I don’t want to be the same or do the same things that I did last year and I plant to work hard to see those things come to pass.

Planted by the River

Let me encourage you as you face your own journey, to really see yourself, who you really are, the whole you, not a fragmented image. It is not an overnight transformation but a slow and steady pace, a get you up early and stay focused pace that calls on you to be here in the moment right now!



If you are talking either Soul Food or Life Book or any other course that is great, it would be lovely to hear how you have found the course so far, share your insights. If you hadn’t taken the step yet, it is still early days and you don’t need to worry about catching up. Whatever you do today do it with meaning, passion and intent. I am looking forward to sharing other insights with you along the way. Blessings!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...