So what's the mamma jammer deal with a year of art?
It's all about inspiration and a love of art. I create five pieces a week, one of which I'll show you how to do. This week's 'How to' is all about the chaos of butterflies. I'm also messing around with shading techniques on an orange, watercolour splodges and all the fun this you can do with them. Here's is last weeks for those that missed it.
I'm taking my tasks from the fabulous artist and art author Lorna Scobie book.
Day 151
Task; Shade In The Oranges
The world may be going to To hell in a hand-basket but I'm back off mini holiday and feeling empowered! I sent my fabulous Newsletter out, (with my brand new look shop up and ready) my child unit is back at school, (cue a Brave-Heart shout of 'Freedom' this morning as I sent her on her merry way,) and I got my fruity side on with this art task. What more could you ask for? (It being too early for big c*cks and Vodka jokes)
So lets art! Today's task is pretty basic, just played around with pencils colours, using the white to blend (top left) which is by far the best effect for me. So good in fact that I coloured in my zombie Leprechaun. Say hello to Derek. He likes long walks at sunset, karaoke and eating unicorn brains.
Day 152
Task: Draw The Ingredients Of Your Favourite Sandwich
Tuesday For anyone who knows me, my favourite sandwich isn't hard to guess since I'm a fully signed-up member of the Carb Whore Cartel. Chip butty all the way but... that's not much fun to draw, so I am partial to a jam sandwich... but being me, I went a little weird with my Jam flavour. Hit the link to see more summer weirdness.
Day 153
Task: Watercolour Splodges
Wednesday
I had to adult today and drive the car for the first time in... sh*t, nearly seven months?!? It was not my finest moment, taking the best part of twenty minutes to back out of the drive. I'd have been faster walking, but then what are legs for if not slamming down on the break?
Today's art drawing needed to be a little er... light on the strain, so strange rainbow-coloured creatures it is. Behold. The white eyes where create with good old white, she's getting a right run out this week.
Day 154
Task: Drawing People.
Thursday
An exercise in flowing shapes and liquid lines. For each 'character' I created a unique curvy line and then drew the person around it. It helps when creating illustrations that look like they're moving on the very page, rather than static and formal. Give it a go. It's lots of fun.
Day 155
Task: Butterflies
Friday
This weeks how to is super cute, super easy and super fly... get it? Did you get it? Because butterflies...well you get it.
Pencil Case Supplies
Watercolour Paper
Watercolours (blue, purple and green)
Paint brush.
Green and purple colouring pencil
Stage One
Like my Tropical How-To from a couple of weeks ago, I'm going to show you how to create all the basic elements and then we'll layer those bad boys up. First on an A4 piece of paper (in pencil) draw a faint, curvy line from the left-hand corner to the top right-hand corner. With a very light teal colour, let's create the 'background' butterflies.
Keep these loose and light. While they are drying, let's practice the more detailed butterflies on another piece of paper.
Stage Two
Make sure your colours are ready for action and have a go. From butterfly three to four work quickly while the paint is still damp. Add the darker colour around the edges of the wings, creating a softer edge and allowing the colours to blend. Practice a few times before committing to your actual painting.
The 'blurred' dots are created by making a delicate X shapes, allowing to almost dry and then dropping a teardrop of water onto the 'X'- it softens the edges and creates and a soft summer afternoon haze. Once you feel confident, take your painting, (it should be bone dry to stop spreading) and have a go.
Stage Three
Add Butterfly One first. Working from top to bottom overlap, put at angles, try not to be perfect, the charm of watercolours is they a create a lively feel to colour like life—repeat with the purple smaller butterfly. Let dry.
Stage Four Add the two different coloured 'X' shapes and create the blur on each one. Allow to dry before taking your coloured pencils and creating the smallest shapes. Scatter them in amongst the larger white spaces, but also over the top of the butterflies. It's good-natured chaos after all.
That's it folks
... Join me next Friday where I tackle hands, patterns and trees.
Head on over to Twitter and tag me any arty creations you've made, I love to see how other people engage with the tasks. I'm also on the old Instagram but I tend to get confused and make all the kids embarrassed if I wander around in there too much.
If you can't wait until next week for more art, here is where it all began; Week 1.