This year I wanted to try working in an art journal dedicated to one theme. I have worked in themes before, of course, as with my Greek Mythology drawings and my altered book that was full of monsters. Even my first time participating in Inktober became thematic. The difference with those, however, was that I was utilising the same techniques and deploying the same media over and over. What I wanted to do was practice using a wide variety of media, combine them to revisit and practice the mixed media techniques I have been learning over the past few years, and challenge myself to create a coherent journal full of connected pages. I decided to work on a really loose theme which was colour. Easy peasy. I bought a new journal (I like the spiral bound Cansons for their flexibility) and worked out how I would divide it between all the colours of the rainbow plus a few additional colours and black and white. I do not have a timetable for working on this journal or a deadline for its completion. No pressure. I will work in it as and when time allows, maybe adding bits here and there while working on other projects as a good way to use up excess paint or bits of collage paper. I will share each page as it is completed.
I am starting with black. My first page was pretty simple because I grabbed the journal and worked on it while watching a movie with my kids one afternoon. I just tucked up on the sofa with my fountain pen and drew the figure and didn’t worry about perfect proportions or angles. It is an art journal so it is just for fun. I added the wash of ink later that evening just to eradicate more of the white paper. Simple. And relaxing because it was simple. Maybe this particular art journal will become a useful tool for decompression for me this year.
A Pict in PA 
Ooh la la! Très chic! This does look like it was a lot of fun to do… Good luck with this project this year 😀
Thank you. My second page is under way. I think by working in little bursts here and there I might be able to create a page a week.
What a great drawing! Congratulations on giving yourself a good space to decompress and experiment.
Thank you, Ellie. Whenever I have a stretch of time without art, I can feel the impact it has on managing my stress levels. That is why I am always so intent on cramming art time into every available small gobbet of time.
Laura, this is amazing! You are so gifted. I have only accomplished coffee and oatmeal today and feel very lazy by comparison.
Ha ha! Thanks, Kerbey. I multi-task to a fault. I know each thing I put my mind to would be better for me devoting my soul focus to each thing in turn rather than juggling two or three or more things at once but I have this weird neurosis about not wasting time so I do multiple things at once.
Obviously working on the couch is your forte! This is wonderful – I’ve seen published illustrations that are not as mobile and eye-catching. I love the idea of your journal!
Thank you. That is so sweet of you.
That is tremendous. The feet are especially lovely, implying so much!
Thank you, Michael.
I love the angular lady and her cosmopolitan look! And I like your idea about this journal. Happy sailing!
Thanks, Claudia. I’m hoping by being about colours and nothing more it will lead me to be playful with art and not get trapped inside my head so much.
Also by doing a little at a time. I think that will be a freeing thing.
I think so too. A little at a time is my usual schtick because of time constraints but often with an awareness of how many steps I still need to get through. This should be more freeing because I can keep adding until I decide it’s done and work on multiple pages at once, gradually building them up.
Yes, I think the multiple pages especially will be great, because one or the other of the selection will always call out to you, and that’s harder when there is only one thing you are working on at a time, I think. Feeling that it calls out, I mean.
You didn’t worry about perfect portions or angles but she came out perfect!
Thank you!
I really admire how you can draw figures with hands and feet and even though they are not realistic, they look so good!
Thanks. I am gradually improving with hands and feet but I still have lots of room for improvement.