New artwork, sketches, and following the fun

“Art too is just a way of living” Ranier Maria Rilke

It’s been a full few weeks, friends. Here’s a little snapshot of what I’ve been working on.

Sketching

I’m on a mission to get better at drawing animals, so I’ve continued doing some little sketches when I need a few minutes away from the computer. I think drawing is SO FUN, and I’ve found that taking a break to do a quick sketch in the middle of the day brightens my mood considerably. See below for a progression of bird drawings I did this week.

Painting

I shared some painting-in-progress images on Facebook and Instagram this week (join me, if you haven’t yet!). Here are two examples of techniques I used in this week’s painting – using bubble wrap to create texture and creating a little sketch of two bunnies on paper first so that I knew exactly what they would look like once in my painting.

Here’s the final painting for this week: Let’s go on an adventure (framed 16×20 panel). I had so much fun with this painting, even though it didn’t come super easily. Including the bunnies, the textured variations in the sky, and the different perspective felt like joy (so I followed that lead). Prints and cards will be available in the shop soon.

Events

Did I tell you I’m registered for my first in-person event? If you’re in Philadelphia on September 13, stop by Greenfest and come find my booth! Eric and I are beginning to think about booth design and stopped by Philadelphia Salvage to look for creative display ideas. Here I am thinking about old doors as an option for hanging art prints. More details about Greenfest to come as the event gets closer.

I’ve been very conscious this week about what fun looks and feels like in the every day moments. When life gets crazy, it’s easy to fall into yet another round of too-busy-burn-out. I used to find excuses for why I couldn’t stretch for 5 minutes, take a 1 minute dance break, or draw a quick sketch. There was too much to do, not enough time, or I wasn’t in the mood.

I’ve decided that those excuses are no longer good enough, and so I’ve been trying to slip little bursts of fun into each day. It’s kind of amazing how much better I felt after dancing for just 2 minutes the other day (though it was totally silly and I’m glad no one saw me!).

It’s a great little challenge to do one really fun thing during the day.

How will you be following the fun today? I’d love to hear about it.

With love,