When you sit still with Nature, She starts to talk to you,
She comes alive in ways you never knew,
She asks you to see things like you never have before,
It’s magical what happens when you step outside your door…
“Dandylions”
For those of us lucky enough to have wild access to Mother Nature, remember to visit and cherish Her. Sit with Her. For anyone who doesn’t, don’t fret. You can find Her in your mind, in the sky outside your window, in the plant in the corner, in that beautifully shot documentary, in a pet or song bird, in the depths of your soul… She’s all around, holding us with grace and inspiration. We are Her.
Happy Monster Monday everyone! If you find it hard to get into the swing of things on Mondays, this one’s for you. Meet Yawning Yarnie: a slumbersome, foot-dragging creature from my upcoming children’s book entitled “My Very Hairy Monster Friends!” This illustration version was a practice run using leftover paint, which came out so vibrant that I suspect it was gouache instead of the anticipated watercolour. When I moved on to try to finish the final version, I ran into issues. I recently invested in new, more expensive watercolours and stocked up on a different kind of paper (finding my usual selection unavailable). Word to the wise— experiment with your new supplies before deciding you’re a master of the medium and don’t expect them to behave exactly like your old ones (temporary grumpy faces and arm-crossing allowed however). I guess this is life’s lesson right now anyways: “Don’t expect life to be the same when the whole world around you has completely dislodged itself from any normalcy.” Hrm?
Well so, the old cheap watercolours seem to be working better (more smooth and vibrant) than my new expensive investment, and I’m not feeling particularly thrilled about that. In any case, practise practise practise is my motto these days. Getting used to using different mediums in new ways can be challenging and tricky— and apparently fun lol— so I’m trying to embrace that and see what happens while stifling my perfectionism en-route (especially tricky). Anyway, I’ll show you Yarnie’s book page when it’s complete, but for now here’s a teaser… I hope you enjoy yawning with Yarnie today!
“Poor Yawning Yarnie”
Poor Yawning Yarnie Yawns with such might. Poor Yawning Yarnie, Gives herself a good fright! Poor Yawning Yarnie, Yawns all the day long. Poor Yawning Yarnie, Sometimes yawns out a song! Poor Yawning Yarnie, Always yawns out of tune. Poor Yawning Yarnie, Yawns as big as the moon. Poor Yawning Yarnie, Yawns when she eats. Poor Yawning Yarnie, Even yawns when she sleeps! Poor Yawning Yarnie, Once yawned in a bird — Now when she yawns, A chirping is heard! Poor Yawning Yarnie, All she wants is to play. But poor Yawning Yarnie, Yawned her friends all away. Poor Yawning Yarnie… But there’s one thing to do — If you want to see Yarnie, You must start yawning too! Then make it a game, And go yawning about, This could help Yarnie Yawn ALL her yawns out!
Some of you may have already seen the below acrylic-pouring paintings, because I created them on Christmas vacation when I was away visiting my family. I then shipped them back across the country— only to keep them packed in a box, until today, because they were awaiting a final gloss varnish and hook attachments. Well today I finally finished them.
Finishing Projects
Now there’s something especially satisfying about finishing a project that’s been ominously seeking your attention like a monster under the bed (the paintings were, in fact, being stored in a box under my bed). Here are the benefits of finishing projects that I’ve come up with:
It frees up space. No, I’m not talking about the space under the bed, though that is an added benefit, but more-so the crucial space in your mind that is needed for working on other awesome projects and goals. If you’re constantly thinking about, or even guilting yourself for, unfinished projects, what better way to clear your conscience than to just FINISH THEM?
It puts hair on your chest— or at least makes you feel like pounding your chest while hollering maniacally. Confidence and pride is boosted when you believe in yourself and feel like you’re accomplishing things that you are passionate about. Furthermore, finishing projects will help you grow and develop your talents and skills, further snowballing you towards more of the aforementioned desirable traits as well as improving your overall work. Win-win!
It stimulates the appetite. Seeing your work finished and out there in the world can help inspire and motivate you in ways you never expected. You may find yourself hungry for more or indulging on new creative ideas. Plus, you very well could end up with ogling clients or supporters drooling over your stuff. Every artist’s dream!
It’s fun. The joy of finishing a project speaks for itself, does it not?
It builds muscle— though unless your chosen medium involves lifting and building very large, very heavy structures, probably just metaphorical ones. Muscle memory is a real thing, routines are real as well, therefore it’s logical to deduce that a consistency in completing projects can become second-nature. The more projects you finish, the more of a habit project-finishing becomes.
“The Finisher” … not as scary as it seems!
Once you’ve become a brave, strong, hungry monster with lots of space to play in, you’re ready to take on the world— or at least the next project that starts bobbling into your head. So go grab one of those projects you have stashed away like a squirrel, and get crackin’! Sorry, I’m metaphor rich today. See? The project-finishing really does inspire the mind.
Seriously, what are you doing still reading this? GO GET TO IT.
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If you’ve found even a bit more stress or disruption in your life than usual lately, you likely already know that you aren’t alone. Yes, the world is being impacted by COVID-19 in countless ways and I’m not here to talk about it. What I do want to discuss are the little things we can do to find peace, inspiration, grounding, and even joy when we find ourselves amidst chaotic, uncertain or confusing times— for whatever reason.
Yesterday I chose the simple act of taking a long, leisurely walk at the oceanside with a good friend. The sun was shining so brightly it sparkled on the water like a disco ball, while a seal popped his head up next to us and an eagle soared overhead. The wind was blowing the waves into a synchronized dance and scuba divers reminded us of the mysterious world that lay beneath them. The land felt at peace and, for a few hours, everything felt normal again. We couldn’t help but feel our interconnectedness with nature, the sense of how infinitesimal we humans are, and how much peace can be found by just stepping away. Away from the house. Away from the hustle and bustle. Away from routine. Away from social media and news. Away in whatever form of awayness is needed for you at any given time. By the time we left, I for one was feeling free of life’s problems, safe, in control, and enlivened— things I hadn’t felt much of all week.
Odgen Point, Victoria B.C.
When I later sat down to work on today’s artwork and blog, I could still see those beachy views in my mind’s eye: the grassy mounds in the foreground framed by stunning mountaintops and blue skies far beyond. While I had many illustrations that I “should/could” have been working on for my various projects, something from this vivid landscape was still speaking to me: whispering to the needs of my soul for further peace, freedom and trust. I knew there was a creature hiding behind the whisper but I couldn’t see her yet. But still, there she was encouraging me to gently put aside any additional pressure amidst an already stressful time; to “go with the flow” and create something just for the joy of it. I pulled out my oil pastels, a medium I rarely work in nowadays but one that I relate to a time in my younger days when I would draw for the sheer love of it, without (as much) concern for the end goal.
Finding Freedom with Oil Pastels
I knew this medium would help set me up for this “therapeutic art” session. And it worked. Instead of first sketching and perfecting the outlines of an image, I drew with the pastels directly onto the paper, trusting the permanence of the lines as I laid them down. I let it happen. I didn’t fight anything yet I felt in control. I limited expectations. I mixed colours. I smeared the oily pigments with my bare fingertips. And this is what came out— a creature seemingly born from those grassy cliffs of Ogden Point in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. I still plan on adding in that mountain crested background another day, but for now, this Peaceful Breezer sleeps in the caress of the sun without a worry in mind. She reminds me, and anyone else who wishes to take her lead, that stepping away to enjoy life’s simplicities, trusting the flow, and letting the breeze tousle your hair can sometimes be the best thing we can do for ourselves to come back to our centre. That and turning our fingertips green with creative delight…
The Peaceful Breezer
So let your freedom flow like the wind and allow yourself to connect to those small things that make you feel as I did, hugged between ocean and eagle, in the shimmering sunlight.
Be well everyone.
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Happy Monster Monday everyone! Today I have a special treat for you. You may have seen this kooky critter creeping around my pages before- but what you may not know is that she made it into the children’s picture book that I’m currently working on! “My Very Hairy Monster Friends” is a collection of short poems accompanied by wild and whimsical creature illustrations. Adventures, life lessons, and celebrating diversity are some themes that come out of this book. I’m ecstatic about releasing these unique creations into the world, and today I’d like to share a sneak peek of one of the featured poems along with the original watercolour painting I did of the Biscuit Monster (I’ll share the actual page illustration when I complete it)! Enjoy…
The Biscuit Monster
The Biscuit Monster is lots of fun,
She eats her cookies one by one,
And if she’s hungry when she’s done…
Hide your treats and run, run, run!
The Biscuit Monster
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Hey everyone, I’d like you to meet the Self-Love Serpent. Self-Love Serpent, I’d like you to meet the people on the other end of the internets.
This little sweetheart has been a lesson in the making for a few different reasons, which I’d like to tell you about, but first she requires an intro. This slithering slinky is part of a project I recently started called “The Self-Love Deck for Monsters”. “The WHAT?” you ask. Think Tarot Deck, but the inspirational kind instead of traditional Tarot, and where each card features a creature with a hint of wisdom concerning self-love. Within the categories of the deck are the elemental sub-categories fire, water, air, earth, and ether. The card I sat down to work on about a month ago was “Self-Love” itself in the air element. What I first envisioned was something fuzzy and cute, swimming and swooping elegantly through the air, smiling, with a radiant heart.
What came out on paper, though, was somewhat of an unlikely candidate for the job. I was thinking of something like the flying dog from “The Neverending Story” movie, yet what materialized was…a snake? Now there’s nothing wrong with snakes, but they don’t exactly elicit a warm and fuzzy feeling for me, personally. While I don’t always have control over what my pencil does, I’m learning to trust it, so I went with it. In the end, I loved her. She was sweet, interesting, and could wrap her sleek figure around herself in a warm embrace until she had tied herself in knots of love. Her two tails, for me, represented both giving love as well as receiving it (which I’ve come to learn are two very different practices). Her scales would symbolize the multitude of aspects of herself, each which she had learned to love unconditionally. Hence was born the Self-Love Serpent. I couldn’t have planned her this well. Lesson one— trust yourself and your pencil, as strange as either’s guidance may seem at the time.
Okay, so I’m not used to drawing creatures that can pretzelize themselves, and after drawing her and falling for her, I realized (due to the feedback from a close artist friend) that I’d drawn her without much thought and her anatomy made no sense. Her twists and turns didn’t work, her spine was impossible, and her “spikes” were pointing the wrong direction on her tails… in short, she was an anatomical mess. DOH! I so liked how her lines worked as she was! But being the perfectionist that I am, I took to figuring out the puzzle of her serpentine bodice. Well, she became a gruelling group effort involving that same friend, my family and my boyfriend. We became Team-Serpent as I drew, erased, redrew her lines, until finally we got her straightened—or not so straightened— out (thanks team!). Much better! And I needed only to misplace a bit of my sanity and a few too many sleeping hours in the process… ahem. Lesson two— it’s okay to make mistakes, get feedback, and ask for help! Even (especially?) if you have to hear something you don’t like in the process.
Playing with Style and Medium
Finally, when her lead outlines were exacted in a way that filled me with delight, as interesting lines on paper do, she was ready to paint. This became a whole other undertaking. You’d think I’d never painted before, but I’d just locked down hard on “solidifying my style” and thus was putting a lot of importance on this painting. I’ve been using gouache for a number of years now but when I consulted the aforementioned friend, she informed me that I was using the wrong medium for the style I was trying to achieve. Back I went to watercolour; a medium I’d first started using for my illustrations a decade earlier, and realized it did work better for my desired results! My homework was to play around with painting, doing so more freely and sloppily and even more outside of the lines (sorry Granny!). As someone who despises redoing things, this was tough for me, but I decided to paint multiple versions of the same picture, each as quickly as I could, to practise (see image above). Well, voila, I am getting closer and closer to what I want with my medium, style and speed of painting. Yeah yeah, practise makes perfect, right? But seriously, the slogan warrants some credit. Lesson three— don’t be afraid to break the mould, try something new, and step out of your comfort zones. You never know where it will bring you.
In the end, here she floats in all her grace: The Self-Love Serpent. And along with all her bizarreness, frustrations and imperfections, she loves herself completely— and she inspires me to do the same!
“The Self-Love Serpent”
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