Changing With The Times

In this day an age it is tough to keep up with all the changes that are happening. With new electronics coming out every six months and new software it is downright overwhelming! It's easy to start to cling to the familiar with such ferocity that we become dependant on it.

I love painting with acrylics. I use to draw a lot when I was growing up (middle school and high school). I used to doodle a lot too. I dropped a lot of those habits when I went to university and have only now started reconnecting with my creative side (the visual arts stuff anyway).

We are planning to go on vacation in February, and I've been trying to think of ways to stay in touch with my artistic side. I have a small boy so lugging around a bunch of acrylics and brushes didn't seem very realistic. I had been wondering about trying my hand at cartooning or using Copic markers. They're expensive but all I would need is a sketch pad, some pencils and markers. It was a very new art to me but I was hoping to use it to practice drawing people and maybe transfer the skill to portraits down the road.

Anyway, I was at Chapters when I came across a book called "Creative Illustration & Beyond" by Stephanie Corfee. It looked interesting as the cover was covered with doodles and patterns and there was what looked like a cartoon on the front.... I thought aha! This looks promising. I leafed through the book quickly and was transported back to my drawing and doodling days. I thought, "I could get back into this!" I ordered the book and have been busy doodling ever since.

Now for those of you who think you might like doodling but have never really done it there is a book called "Creative Doodling & Beyond" by the same author that precedes the book I am currently reading. Doodling and Illustrating are simple forms of art that I think are amazingly versatile. You can use them on cards, invitations, to tell a story, to decorate stationary.... etc. There are lots of other doodling books, some targeted to girls, some that focus on colouring patterns and playing with colour pairing and combinations.

The book I'm using has some great exercises and projects that I'm excited to try. She also talks about using watercolour and acrylic paint to add colour to the project which makes me feel like I can tie my current love in to this new affair.

Don't get me wrong, I still love the idea of painting. I'll never stop now that I've started, but it's nice to stretch and expand my skills and knowledge in other areas as well and if I can combine them from time to time even better!

My advice is don't think you have to figure it all out for yourself. Go out and look at some books to get you started. Even if you have been doing something for a while, it's good to take a look at what else is out there. A book can spark a whole new kind of creative energy and give you lots of ideas. You don't always have to try something totally new, sometimes just taking your current art and trying something different with it is all you need to grow!