How Wild is Your Garden?
Sketchbook Revival was new to me a month ago. I’m familiar with art journals and the limitless creative projects within them. But this was something a bit different.
Created by Karen Abend, Sketchbook Revival is an annual online course that is offered for free. A new artist taught something unique each day, with various mediums and subject matter, including colored pencil, watercolor, mixed media, collage, architectural drawing, 2-point perspective, portraits, botanicals, and so much more.
To jumpstart our enthusiasm, we had a lesson before all the other classes, specifically on making our own journals using an antique hardbound book. I wasn’t able to create one because I’m at home during this pandemic, and had no access to books like that. Since my sketchbooks are really thin paper intended only for dry media, I completed my projects on individual sheets.
Well, today was the last day, and I’m so going to miss these amazing artists and their shared creative wisdom! I didn’t have a chance to paint every day like others did. But I watched nearly every video while pedaling on our new Ancheers elliptical machine (also due to pandemic stay-at-home orders.) I love this little peddler, it’s about the size of an old fashioned hat box, or a more modern woman’s boot box.
I’ve been rather impatiently waiting to have time to draw and paint the black & white wild garden project created by @KarenStamperCollage. I also was waiting for two art items, ArtGraff sticks, and a re-inker for my stamp pad before I started. Thank you Craft Warehouse! I knew I would love Karen’s loose and playful style, and I already loved that her project was all about gardens. I was not disappointed, and honestly, so far it’s been my favorite project. I plan to do a few more in fact.
Besides wild gardens, I learned about Box Journaling. A twist on Julia Cameron’s daily Morning Pages, which I’ve been writing pretty religiously for about 3 years now. But there’s been a niggling in the back of my mind that has itched for something more, and Box Journaling is just the ticket. Not only does it have written words, but blobamals (see Carla Sonheim’s website to find out more about those), and an IDEAS column (which I have in abundance). The pages are decorated with hand-lettering as well.
Illustrating Quirky Birds was a lot of fun, too, each having their own personality. I turned the class on illustrating stuffed bunnies into playful characters for an easter card for the lovely woman who provides fresh eggs all year ’round, and a birthday card for my favorite bunny. Here are just a few of my projects.