Tag: art

New Year Ritual 2023

Some years will be like this but you’ll just have to keep showing up!

Last year I created a post titled “New Year Ritual” this ritual helps keep me grounded and I have returned to these exercises for 4 years now, yay me!

So this year I wanted to set some goals for myself to keep me motivated to make and create. I also wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the year of that was.

Thank you 2022

I have been blessed this year with a number of great milestones and I am super grateful and not at all disappointed when I look back and see that there was a huge gap between my posts.

When I think about the amount of projects and art I have made, I wish it was more however I do remind myself that I have also had a very busy year! With this being said, I am pretty pleased with the projects I have completed. Some years will be like this but you’ll just have to keep showing up!

Projects:

  • Clay projects with my nephews and niece using air clay
  • Europe sketch book
  • Painterly faces

Start, Stop, & Continue

What do I want to start doing this year? Create a cohesive collection.

What do I want to stop doing this year? Maintain too many social media outlets at once. Ultimately to focus my attention and decide where I want to spend my energy.

What do I want to continue doing this year? Making physical art.

This year I noticed that I have been into using an inky consistency to paint. I continue to enjoy drawing buildings and am getting faster and more confident with my art making.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2023 filled with art making and fun projects ahead.

Love,

Teresa xx

Inspiration capsule: Winter 22

Original art by Teresa Dang ‘Warhol Girl’

This is a quick post about some gems who give me hope and inspiration in the independent art and illustration world. They have all stood the test of time ❤ If you are looking for inspiration and new artists to follow make sure to give put these guys on your list:

  • Nina Cosford – she is a UK illustrator who loves to draw on location, she makes quirky little illustrations of a relatable character named “Girl.”
  • Leigh Ellexson – Canadian based, her art is colourful and cool like she is. Her youtube videos are genuinely the most effortless looking beautiful vlogs I’ve seen. I am addicted!
  • Furry Litttle Peach – is an Aussie illustrator who basks in all things cute and vibrant. She is sunshine and rainbows from inside out which she infuses into her art.
  • Fran Meneses – is a New York based illustrator, she is generous with sharing her art journey and the ways in which she develops her art style. Her art is editorial and super stylish.

These people remind me of the joys of art making and doing things.

Have an awesome weekend!

Teresa xx

Sumi Ink

To be more free with my lines, to allow my hand to flow without too much thought behind it. I am still yet to “get there” but am enjoying the process.

A lesson on ink.

Ink is a super fun medium to play with. I have been playing with Sumi ink lately and have found it loose and free. As someone who has tendencies toward careful and slow mark making using ink has helped me to loosen up. To be more free with my lines, to allow my hand to flow without too much thought behind it. I am still yet to “get there” but am enjoying the process.

Fun, loose and quick!

I found doing these studies helped me to use my ink brushes on my digital drawing apps.

What I learnt:

  • Ink makes you commit to your strokes, don’t think too much. Have a word/picture in your mind and paint.
  • There is little room for error.
  • Simpler the better.
  • You can achieve different values by adding more water/ink. The more water the lighter the wash (just like water colour).
  • Quick strokes work best.
  • Composition is key.
  • Rhythm is needed, light touches to create dotted thin strokes and more pressure to create bold voluminous lines.

What you will need:

  • Sumi Ink Option 1, Option 2
  • Paint brush (any)
  • Paper (printer paper works but can bleed if you use too much water)
  • Porcelain dish or cup to hold the ink
  • Cup filled with water for washing your brush

Art created on: Bamboo App

A few artists I drew inspiration from to do my studies.

Matisse

Henri Matisse has a few notable pieces whereby he uses brush strokes to depict nature, faces and still life.

Anna Farba

Anna Farba, a botanical artist, has made some lovely floral art with ink.

Rosie McGuinness

Rosie McGuinness, London Based artist fashion artist and life drawing.

Lucy Auge

Lucy Auge, UK based artist has a beautiful collection of inky flowers.

Check out my pinterest board for more ink art ideas to learn from Pinterest Board.

Wishing you a lovely week ahead.

Teresa xx

How to draw buildings, what I have learnt so far….

Drawing the same thing over and over will lead you to develop your own process…

I spent a whole year practising how to draw buildings.

All together I drew 18 buildings between the 3rd of January 2021 – 22nd November 2021.

For a long time now I have aspired to fill up a journal with one subject matter. I am so proud of myself as I usually find it difficult to follow through on a self assigned project like this. I have a tendency to get distracted by something new and shiny. As you look at these drawings you will notice that staggered dates throughout the year.

Art takes patience, persistence and deliberation.

I have reflected on the process and there are notes beside the drawings; things I have learnt, process notes and what I liked about the drawing.

What you will need:

  • Printer paper cut to 26 x 13cam folded in half and secured with three staples on the fold. ( All together you will need 10 pieces of paper.)
  • Lead pencil
  • 1 coloured pencil
  • Photos of buildings

Overall, my reflections on this project are below:

  • Thumb nailing is worth spending time on – it’s a quick smaller drawing that helps you plan out the larger piece.
  • I love drawing sketchy trees.
  • Simplifying details can make a drawing look more fun and cohesive – not all details need to be accurate.
  • Drawing the same thing over and over will lead you to develop your own process… for me the process went 1. lightly blocking out shapes 2. Blocking out darkest sports 3. Add line 4 Add smaller shapes and objects.
  • Keep the sketch book on your desk, when you have a free 30 minutes draw!

Some notes on the paper/journal I used:

  • The printer paper is a bit slippery for coloured pencil
  • Good practise to get a sense of composition
  • Okay to write on
  • Suitable for graphite pencil
  • Use coloured pencils that a softer
  • Blending is challenging
  • The values are hard to build up which means the images look flat.
  • Layering is difficult

Download the full e-book for free below. I hope you learn something.

Purple building drawings_Full scans PDF Download

Thank you and good luck!

Teresa xx

Part 4: Lockdown hobbies – crayon digital drawings

Hey there friends,

Things haven’t changed much the last few weeks, still in lock down and I am grateful to have this time to explore art and drawing.

I spent some time in the sun in my parent’s garden on Saturday. The sun was so lovely on my back. Under the shade of the plants hanging in the garden, I sat with my Ipad and stylus to draw the things I see in front of me. I spent about 1 hour lost in nature and the warmth of the sun just doodling. This is what I drew.

I used the Tayasui Sketches, it’s an app you can download on the Imac and the Ipad. I paid for the extra features and am actually really happy that I did. It’s really easy to use and love the textures and effects you can create on the app. So I looked up the meaning of Tayasui and it actually means easy and simple!!!

What I learnt through doing this:

  • I really enjoy using digital apps to draw textured drawings – it is really forgiving if you make mistakes.
  • The difficulty about using these apps is that you need practise to remember where the controls are. It took me a few months to get into the rhythm of drawing, knowing where the buttons were to increase and decrease brush sizes, picking the right tool for the right stroke, intensity and colour.
  • What helps is having a limited pallet and working with one tool at a time so you get a handle on how it lays on the digital surface … just like mediums in real life.
  • Doing swatches, why do they not talk about this more often!!! It has really been the best thing in my art making practice is to test the tools I have before creating something with it. Make Swatches. They look really pretty as well.
  • Drawing from life is so so so great for your soul. It adds so much life into your art naturally. The colours and movement really pop too!

Take care during this time,

Teresa x