Sylvia‘s Art Journey

 There has been a tendency in the recreational art community for quite a while that says having fun is the most important aspect of making art. That what you create doesn't have to be pretty or good, that it even can be messy. The messier, the merrier, one could think. And while I agree to a certain extent, I think that this mindset is often exaggerated.  In online workshop after online workshop people are encouraged to play, be messy, use the cheap stuff and not worry about the outcome. Which often looks like done by a frustrated school kid. Not all workshops are like this and not all sessions in such workshops are like this. Some of the stuff made that way even looks good.  But there is too much of this mindset spread. People are taught to scribble and doodle - one should think every little kid can do this - and be happy with that, while some alleged deeper meaning is projected into it. What is supposed to be freeing can also be limiting. If you're actually happy playin...

  I have started to set up a kind of   bullet planner   for 2026. I want to use it instead of a bought planner or calendar. As I don't have a ton of appointments and to-dos to plan, it is going to be rather minimalist. Probably I will not draw in it, but just decorate it a bit with stickers. I have my sketchbooks for drawing and painting. At the beginning I have monthly overviews where I put in holidays and birthdays. I have a single to-do page right now for things I want to do sooner or later. I will add weekly pages as I need them, as soon as there is an appointment or to-do in this week. The trick is that I use a ring binder for it, so I can add pages and remove pages and move them where I need to. I can add more content when I need it and put it where I want it. No empty pages, but content in perfect order.  I will see where it leads.

 I have chosen the two books I have been working with lately because I like the subjects and the styles of those tutorials. Both provide templates you can trace, so you don't have to draw the linework yourself. Seems a lot of people like to paint nice scenes, but don't want to have to draw, which is a pity. I, of course, do my own drawing. Doing this I often change things a bit. I don't copy the original, I get inspired by it. You still see the influence of the original clearly, but my version has a lot of my own style. I guess it's a sign of not being a beginner anymore. I am able to make my own decisions, because I don't follow tutorial after tutorial. I have started early on doing my own thing. Still it's nice to have some inspiration from such books in between. 

 There is nothing like preparing a new sketchbook after you have finished the previous one. I like to decorate the insides of the front and back cover with stickers. One that says „Sylvia‘s sketchbook no. x“ and some simply for decoration. After filling the first page I also add the month I started it. After filling the last page I then add the month I finished it.  The stuff on the right is just digital. 

The colour in my watercolour set I have used the least is PR101 - English red / Venetian red. It was in my original standard set. It’s certainly good for painting terracotta objects or red bricks, but what else? If I want a redish brown I can use a more neutral brown like sepia or burnt umber and mix in a little warm red. What to use it for? So, I have gone ahead and mixed it with most of the colours in my palette. I tried to add just a touch of it to the respective colour and also to get a reasonable hue. Here are the results. Mixing colours from top to bottom and left to right are: buff titanium, jaune brilliant dark, lemon yellow, cadmium yellow medium, permanent red orange, cadmium red light, ruby red, ultramarine, helio cerulean, brilliant green (phtalo green), sap green, green earth, may green, yellow raw ochre, burnt umber.  Well, I will keep it in my palette as long as it lasts, mainly mixing it with the burnt umber here or there. The mixes with the reds are not bad, either...

 During the next weeks I should not experience a lack of inspiration. Today, a two week free mixed media workshop started online. Another online workshop will start at the end of May, Sketchbook Revival. Not all sessions of these workshops will interest me enough to create, but I will certainly get something out of them.  Also I was notified that a book I suggested to my library will be purchased, so I can get it soon. It is filled with cute drawing and watercolour projects. 

 I have borrowed a book from the library with 20 step by step tutorials. The projects are lovely creative illustrations. They allow me to combine drawing and painting. Three pieces are already done. More to follow. I wouldn’t want to do this all the time, making what others suggest. Normally, I like to do my own thing. But I like not having to search for inspiration for a change. Just deciding what project to do next. I also allow myself to change small details. After this I plan to ask the library to buy another, similar book for me to borrow.