So what's with 365 Days of art?
It's all about inspiration and a love of creating. I create five pieces of art a week, one of which I'll show you how to do.
Learn how to create a watercolour flower, just the thing for summer. But if that doesn't take your fancy there's also black and white doodles, patterned horses and weird words.
I'm taking my tasks from the fabulous artist and art author Lorna Scobie.
Day 76
Task; Draw an object on a dark background.
I love the effect of the simple white lines against the black. I saw some similar big things in small jar art a while back and knew the two things would work well here.
And it did.
Day 77
Task; Mess around with colours.
So the task was simple enough, too simple really, I was super in love with the gel pen so I knew i could put the two things together to create a quirky piece of art.
What you'll need
Watercolour paper.
A pencil and white gel pen.
Watercolours, in pink, blue and purple and a paintbrush.
Step 1
On an old piece of paper lightly sketch your flower shape; I went with a spunky daisy style flower. Don't sketch on you final paper, this is a guide for when your painting not the finished picture.
Step 2
Take your watercolour paper, and a damp brush and 'paint' the shape of the flower in water. Not too wet, but make sure the whole flower shape is damp. Now add the colours into the flower. Pull the paint with your brush to create the flowing outwards of the colours. Remember watercolours dry lighter, so be brave.
Top Tip
It can be hard to see where you've painted with the water so, very lightly add a tiny amount of paint to the brush as you paint the shape. You'll be able to see where you've painted.
Step 3
Let everything dry and get your gel pen at the ready. Draw the centre circle first, then fill in the petals like you would a clock, first petal at 12 then 6, then 9 and finally 3. Fill in the other petals, this technique just helps with the spacing. Do the leaves and then fill in the detail, using simple lines and dots to create interest. For a total 15 minutes from start to finish, (not including drying times) I don't think that's a bad go. Next time I would fork out for a gel pen with a finer nib so I can create a more elegant finish.
Day 78 & 79
Task: Design the Dala horses and write down an overheard conversation.
Day 78: A cute little task that was fun, loved playing with dots as a pattern form.
Day 79: So I forge words to my will, aka I'm a writer. This means I work from home, add that in with a dislike of nature and other people and it's safe to say I don't get out a lot. So the task to write down an overheard conversation unless it's a conversation with myself* wasn't ever going to get very far. So I decided to write down some of my favourite words.
*Talking to yourself in this world is the only way to get a reasonable answer.
Day 80
Task: Draw Summer
I have a confession, I don't enjoy being hot, or even slightly warm. I love the cold, love that sharp slap across the face when I leave the house, love pretending I'm a dragon with my breath when the sun drops. I love being human freaking ice-cube because Summer is hot mess of a season for me. Luckily for me I live in North of England (not known for it's red hot summers) as come summer I sweat like a glassblower's arse, rash up like... well a glassblower's arse and make a stink like... you get the idea. This task I've dived into the old acrylics. Even though a little trickery to use, I love the vibe of strong almost neon colours with thick chunky black ink. A style to explore in the future.
That's it folks
... Join me next week when I up close and personal with butterflies, fall in love with postcards and show you how to create your own watercolour meadow.
If you can't wait until next week for more art, here is where it all began. Week 1.