Annual Mandala Collections

I did want to take the opportunity to say thank you to all of you that have stayed loyal throughout the years. Although this site is only a year old, I have been working on bringing content to you for several years. I really do enjoy being creative every day, and I love even more to share it with all of you.

Each year, I have decided that I am going to create a Mandala Collection that can be sold as individual prints, or as a set of 3 or 5 mandala prints. I have done this for two years in a row and I am gearing up for my third year. But before I dive into that, I thought we would go take a look at the two previous years so that you can see what I am talking about first hand.

Mandala Collection I – 2017

Take a look at the posts for each one below, it will give you an insight into what was going through my head while creating them. This was my first year and I was not sure of how well I would do, or if this challenge would be too much for me. The theme of the first year was using black and white on gradient paper. These pictures do not show true justice for the design, but I promise you they look better in person.

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 4

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 5

Not too shabby for my first collection, if I do say so myself. I learned a lot of things throughout the year and was able to adapt the second collection into something a little different, and yet similar.

Mandala Collection II – 2018

The theme for the 2018 year was using mixed media and triangles. Each mandala has an organic feel to them and yet each one is adorned with sharp edges. This collection also looks better in person, and as soon as I can get a studio area set up with great light, I will take better pictures to share with you.

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 3

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 4

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 5

Mandala Collection III, 2019 – Coming Soon!

I would love to know what theme you would like to see in the new collection. Don’t be shy, I never throw an idea away. Comment in the section below! I look forward to hearing from you!

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 5

WE MADE IT! The final mandala in the collection is complete and I can’t wait to share it with you. First off, If you would like to see the previous mandala in the collection, visit the link below.

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 3

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 4

You may also look in my YouTube Video which does a complete recap of the full collection and the progress from beginning to end!

Ok, so now let’s continue with the fifth and final mandala in this collection! First of all let me say that this mandala was inspired by my 100mandala community, who have been giving us great challenges to help us think outside the box.  This mandala was inspired by the triangle and circle progression. It was a lot of fun to make and very easy once you got the hang of it.

I have always loved the way that flowers with many petals look and feel when drawing mandalas. The two rows of petals gave this mandala a look that drew your eyes to either the triangles or the circles, even both. Take a glance at the picture below, which pattern do you see most. I fell in love with using the metallic paint markers, it was more of a matter of choosing the color I wanted. Of course, I chose silver.

Many of you know that a lot of my mandala are inspired by Zentangle and other patterns I see in the world around me., and this one was no different. I knew that I wanted to fill the empty spaces with an organic Zentangle pattern I have used before.

As soon as I finished the inner circle, I had to outline the outer circle as well. It was perfect! I saw the flowers, leaves, and vines beneath, all neatly tucked within this triangle and circle progression. Once it was all completed, I was very happy with it. This mandala is far out of my element, and yet I am very pleased with the relaxation techniques it taught me in the process.

What is your favorite part of this mandala? Be sure to check out the video and give your feedback as well.

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 4

Since the first flower of life sorta took a new turn, speaking about Mandala 2, I decided to try again. If you would like to see the first three mandala, You can see them by checking on the links below:

Mandala 1, Collection II

Mandala 2, Collection II

Mandala 3, Collection II

After you have taken a look at the previous three mandala, lets move forward to take a quick look at the fourth in this collection.

Now, that looks much better doesn’t it! I had to revisit some sacred geometry videos on YouTube to remind myself the correct way to actually draw the flower of life. After I completed the flower of life, I wanted to ad points all the way around to keep in with the theme of the collection, introducing the softer sides of triangles.

This is the point when I decided pink was most definitely the color of choice here. I do need to mention that I am using the Sepia Copic Collection for the lines. As you can tell, they are softer than my usual black. I was really trying NOT to use blick liners for this entire collection. The pink is a Tombow Dual Tip marker that filled the area perfectly!

I had two different shades of pink and they paired nicely. Since I had two shades of pink, I decided to do the same deal with the brown. The brown shading was done with a color pencil. I thought that it gave just a tiny little element that gave the whole thing dimension.  This is also where I decided to use some metallic paint pens I had. I wanted specific areas to pop out more than others, so I either outlined them or filled them in completely with the metallic pens. I used gold and rose gold throughout.

After seeing the finished project, I absolutely fell in love. it was my favorite. Maybe I chose these colors because I completed it in the month of February when love is in the air. Either way, I could not be happier with the results. What is your favorite part of this mandala? Do you have a favorite mandala in this collection so far? Let me know in the comments below!

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 3

Hi there! Coming at ya again with the third mandala in my Collection II. If you want to see the previous two mandala, you can visit the links below!

Mandala 1, Collection II

Mandala 2, Collection II

Now onto the third. This mandala was where I introduced some metallic paint and gel pens into my art. I hadn’t used these before and wasn’t sure of how they were all turn out. I never could get a picture that truly captured the beauty of this but you’ll see what I came up with at the end.

In this picture, YOu can really see both of the new mediums well. I used blue, gold and white to create this look. I ended up stopping here for almost 2 days. I had no feelings on how to finish it, and I work completely on feelings. Sometimes I know that I need to take a break, step back, and rethink what I want to achieve.

This is the same progress shot, just at a different angle so you can appreciate the metallics a little better! I truly did love this mandala and where it was headed. I looked at the progress photos over the following days to truly capture the essence of the mandala’s finale’.

I’m putting this shot in there to show you that the lighting downstairs in my basement made this look completely green. I was amazed at how discolored it was, but this was a first look at my finished project. Now onto the picture that I took in daylight, which shows the true colors and even gives you glimpses of the different mediums use.  I bring this up to show you that lighting can make a huge difference when you present your final photography of your art. I have found that natural daylight is, hands down, the best lighting. Make sure you experiment with different types to achieve the look you are going for.

There it is! The final picture. It still doesn’t do the original justice, but overall, I really like the way it photographed in the daylight. What kind of lighting do you use with your art and have you found anything that makes your photographic art most true to the original? Let me know in the comments below!

Mandala Collection II, Mandala 2

Here is the original pencil grid for this piece. As you can see I had no clue what I was doing. HA! What I was trying to do and what I achieved were two different things all together. I wanted to do a large flower of life, but this is what came out. I decided to just move on with this design, at least the best way I could.

After I inked the first layer, I immediately liked it. I felt like it brought to life the sort of design I was looking for. Continuing on, I started to add more details and at least get this first smaller flower designed completely.

It was a big difference for me to NOT use black as an outline because that is sorta the color I lean on most. I used three colors here: orange, green and purple. Each of these colors nicely built on the last and the full design became clear. I saw movement and I knew that I wanted the outer flower to reflect this movement in contrast.

Once the outline was complete of the outer petals, I started to add more details within them to bring the colors all the way out to the end.  It was at this time that I also wanted to add my white gel pen details. As soon as I stepped back from this, I was shocked that it had made it this far, unplanned.

I finished it all off with fine details and erasing all the grid lines. I would love to know what you think about the finished project and what was your favorite part of its creation!

 

Mandala Collection II – Mandala 1

Okay, So I know that we are on our second collection of mandalas and I wanted to share them with you here first hand so that you can see the progress as it happened. I have been so busy with life lately that I have failed to update my blog as often as I should. Hopefully, with the arrival of my new bullet journal, I will get back on track.

So without further ado.

Are you excited yet? When I first started this mandala, it was very late and I was just trying to get something down on paper after having such an off year already. My original plan was way different from what it turned out to be. So like with every mandala, I drew my gridlines and basic line work for my idea. As I was doing this, however, I found that what was in my head was not coming out on my paper.

Looking at this shot, you can see the beginning of this creation. This is the point where I thought that using the circles as if they were a plant or organism was the key to getting this mandala off the ground. I quickly got stuck on what would go between the circles without it looking too busy. What goes better with weird orb-like flowers than tentacles?

After I played around with this look in pencil, I inked it in and added just a pop of color. Adding this color just blew my mind and gave me the inspiration I needed to continue on. What do you think so far?

The gradient was really cool and making the orbs a darker green was the best thing I could do to really make them noticeable. After I got all the orbs colors, and boy were there a lot of orbs, I moved on to the petals. I knew that I could not make this whole thing green because then certain features would wash out. So that’s what I opted for my second color to come into play! Orange!

That was it, I knew I was well on my way to completing one of my favorites to date! It was so unlike every other mandala I had seen and it was my own creation. Am I getting you excited yet?

After adding white gel pen and yellow color pencil, that was it, I knew that it was complete. The one thing I always do is sign my artwork on the lower right-hand side, but only if it is complete. I would love to know what you think about this first mandala. Once the collection is complete, I will get scans of them so you can see the true color in each one.

Scalloped Table Update!

In my previous post here, you will find that I left you off on a completed design but it was all on paper.  I was very excited to start on the table but was still waiting on my Posca pens to arrive from Japan. They have the extra fine tip I was looking for. So, while I waited for the 25 day shipping projection, I started to start my grid on the table in pencil.

Session Three – Photo by Charity Woods

This was like the easiest part but it took me over 3 hours to complete. I decided that since this table would set me back quite a few hours, I would need to break up my time into blocks, 3 hour blocks. Since I had drawn out with details, the rough draft on paper in 6 hours, (2 sessions) I really thought that this part would take me longer, but instead of adding all the details, I just simply lined out a grid and left a lot to the imagination. What I found was that I had started changing the design slightly within the pencil outline.

One my next session, I didn’t make it near as far as I thought I would. By the time the three hours were done, I was amazed that I hadn’t made significant progress. Knowing this was paint, I was really trying to make sure there were no mess-ups. I didn’t want to have to redo the whole table.

This was no where near the detail that I wanted to do in the center, but in order not to get discouraged, I decided quickly that I would take my time and appreciate every step along the way. One of the amazing things that I discovered was that I was changing my pattern from the original one I drew on paper. Not drastically, but enough because I felt the table moving in a different direction. Its very difficult for me to draw the same thing twice in a row, they are always a little different.

Moving on to the fifth session. I made a lot more progress on this session, but I think maybe it was mostly because the elements were a lot smaller, and there wasn’t a lot of major design issues, but I will tell you that I can’t decide if my hand hurt more from this session or the sixth, which is where I added a lot of swirls.

A couple things I wanted to point out on this design point. The leaves, I think, photograph very well and I typically don’t do such a small design element at this point in any mandala. It seemed extremely too simple when I finished (Photo 1, Session 5). After adding the next level of that design, the entire ring came to life and looked way more detailed than I thought it would. After such a detailed design, I decided to outline the next ring bringing in just a few elements to break this level up from the next. Finally, I did my basic overlap triangle that is the base for so many designs. I felt like this was a great place to stop until I could figure out exactly what I was going to do.

Session six was killer! All of the swirls and the tiny details had my hand cramping at the end. If you’re keeping track, this is now 18 hours into this project. But the payoff of seeing my momma’s face when I am all done, will totally be worth it. If I am going to give her something that is “me” I am going to make it all the elements of me. Structured, yet flexible. Fun, yet functional. This table has been such a blessing to me to design so far.

Session six was the end of my first Posca pen. But I had one more, so I could continue on the next day. The final picture in Session six, sorta gives you an idea of how far I have come and just how far I still have to go to complete this table. Overall, I think its turning out far better than I could have imagined when I started.

Session Seven was very interesting. I painted this while watching White Christmas and trying to get well from a bout of sickness that had me couch ridden the day before. What better way to make myself feel better than to pull up my rocking chair and get to work.

After adding the final touches to the outside, I finished the whole table off with some flowers that mimic the scalloped edges of the table. (Pictured Below) Before I gave this finished table to my mom, I coated it with two layers of clear coat that I purchased in a spray can from an art supply store. It seems to seal in all the colors and there was no feathering as a result of the spray coat being used.

Overall, this project was such a joy to do and it was ready before Christmas. Not only did my parents love this table, it is now proudly displayed in their bedroom. I would love to know your favorite part of this project and what you would like to see in the future.

Christmas Presents!

I know I know! Christmas is already over, but now that all the gifts that I made have been well-received I thought I would share them with you. Each year I love to give gifts that I have created. I love to create something that makes them think of me and the memories we have together when  they see them. They are also personalized so that they meet the needs of the person and their tastes.

Ok, I want to start off with one of my favorite type pieces. A very dear friend of mine went through a tough time and didn’t believe that they would get through it. However, after they rose from the ashes of that destruction, we started to talk about how they were like the Phoenix. Every year, I give this friend something that goes along with the theme of rising above your circumstance and setbacks. Each year is a new beginning. You can check out last years here. And the one for this year was a beautiful staff, since we are both nerds, that is designed after the Phoenix.

 

This was drawn with my black .03 Staedtler Pigment Liners, and colored with red, orange, yellow, grey and brown Steadtler Color Pencils. I then decided that taking the grey color pencil and rubbing it lightly over the outer edge of the paper gave the whole thing a new look. Overall, I’m happy with how this turned out and have already started researching phoenix ideas for next Christmas. If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.

Onto the second gift, I was gifted a smaller lazy susan. It was made from bamboo, but had some apples painted on the top of it.  I wanted to do something very personal for my sister-n-law and her new husband. I knew that they would appreciate a handmade gift. So, I had my fiance’ sand down the top and it left a beautiful finish. Then, I started working from the inside out. Starting with the first letter of her new last name, “S.”

After surrounding the monogram with a very detailed mandala, I then erased my guidelines (still in the picture above) and put two clear protective coats on it. On the night we gave this gift, It was immediately put to use under the salad bowl in the center of the table.

The last, but certainly NOT least, gift that I made personally, was for my fiance’s parents. They have been such a wonderful blessing in my life and I wanted to give them something that represented family and unity. So, like the last gift, I chose to do a monogram again, but with my fiance’s parents last name letter “L”. But unlike the last gift, I chose to paint this on a black square canvas that I had.

I decided that using my gold paint pen from my table project gave this piece the life it was searching for. I absolutely love how it turned out and they seemed to as well. I am truly blessed to be able to share my talents with those around me.

Although these were not the only gifts I gave for Christmas, they were the most personalized gifts and I wanted to share them with you. Please let me know in the comments below, which was your favorite and why. I would also love to know any ideas you may like to see in the future.

2017 Year in Review

Happy New Year!

I want to create a special post that sorta sums up my year for 2017. You know that although I had been blogging since 2016, I only got my own website in 2017. Boy have I been blessed with this outlet to share my creativity and inspire others to do something creative every day.  There are several things that I am going to discuss, to include my subscription to Sketchbox, My first Mandala Collection, Christmas Gifts I created and my favorite creations of the year. So grab your cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and lets get started!

SketchBox

For those of you that don’t know, Sketchbox is a monthly subscription box for artists to try out different mediums. I have really been excited by everything that I have been able to create using the products I have received through these boxes. Some of my favorite products include a watercolor sketchbook, a full sepia Copic fineliner set, and last but not least watercolor pencils, this is only to name a few. If you would like to go back and review my unboxing posts you can visit them by clicking on the links below.

May  

June

JulyJuly Grab box  

August

September

October

 November

December

Mandala Collection I

For me, this was a huge accomplishment.  I wanted to start a collection of the mandala that was similar and yet different at the same time. For this collection, I chose to draw my mandala on gradient paper with black fineliners and a white gel pen. I was so happy how each one came out so different than the ones before.  Prints of these will be available in my shop once I get it all online. Stay tuned for this special collection. Each one of these mandalas are so special to me. I wrote a different post for each one, which you can visit below:

Mandala #1

Mandala #2

Mandala #3

Mandala #4

Mandala #5

Personalized Gifts

One of my favorite things to do is create something beautiful and personal for my friends, family, and co-workers. I truly enjoy the look on their face when they realize it is not only an original, but there are no others like it in the world. I want to share these few gifts with you.

Personalized Parties

Every birthday that happens in my house is a reason to celebrate. With the birthdays spread throughout the year, we are able to party all year long! Starting in February with my two from my previous marriage celebrating, then moving to my youngest two in June, oldest two in July and 3rd oldest in November. Mix that in with all the holidays and we rarely don’t have a reason to bust out some exciting party decorations. But also, because we have so many celebrations, It’s important that we get creative with them all, most of the decorations were homemade. Check out the following posts about my under the sea themed party for my youngest two.

Under the Sea

Octopus Guard

Sea Sponges

Jellyfish Mood Lighting

Furniture Painting

The absolute highlight of my year was creating a beautiful work of art for my mother. She brought this table to me and gave me no restrictions other than she wanted a Charity Original painted on top. Painted?! I’ve never painted anything detailed like the creations I have made.  Check out how this table progressed by clicking on the links below:

Scallopped Table #1

Scallopped Table #2

There are several other projects that I completed this year for Christmas Gifts to include a 12×12 personalized mandala painting on canvas, a monogrammed lazy susan and a phoenix staff for my best guy friend. All of these projects were special in their own ways and were hard to keep a secret for as long as I could since I love to share my progress pictures with the special people that received these gifts.

My Favorites of the Year

 

Final Thoughts

I do want to send out a special thank you for all of you that have supported me this year. I couldn’t have done this without you cheering me on. Special thanks to my fiance’ who has stuck by my side while I have spent the long hours trying to make something out of nothing. I love each and every one of you and I can only hope that in 2018, we will see a lot more growth from CraftyArtistKC. Help me make this year a good one by sharing my site with your friends family and social media accounts. I can’t wait to see what comes next!

Let me know in the comments below, what was your favorite project or post from this year!

Scalloped Table

So I have this table that my mom gave me to put my touch on it. After asking her several times what exactly she wants, she told me that she wants an original me. This touched my heart in ways you may not comprehend. Someone is taking pride in my work. To have a piece of my work out there is amazing to me.

So I decided I would go through the process with you. I have so many pictures of this process but lets start with the table itself. (pictured above). This table was pre-painted with the colors that will be in my moms bedroom, which is where she hopes to keep this table. How am I supposed to actually get the measurements of the scallops since they are different sizes? Well I’m glad you asked! I decided on taping 9 sheets of regular paper together to cover the complete top of the table. After I taped them together I placed the center piece in the center of the table and pressed outward on the paper to give me the size and shape of the top of the table.

 

After I got the correct shape, I started with a pencil and created the grid lines using a pushpin and paperclips since I didn’t have anything that was big enough to give me the circles I needed. I will say that even I was impressed with the way that the paperclips created a perfect circle no matter how far out I went.  I highly suggest using this method if you have a large area to work on.  It took about three hours to get to this point, from making the paper to creating the grid lines. From there I started to create the patterns that I liked. This took another 2 hours to draw out the pattern.

Starting the next evening, I began to ink up the pencil drawings. I spent roughly 3 hours on this part as well, changing so much as I went along. Because my art supplies are packed away, the only thing I had to use was a Prismacolor brush pen that was blue. The above image is the end of the second day. I decided to keep the mandala in reference by taking the picture with the 18-inch ruler I have.

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Finally, I decided to bring the inking all the way to the edge which was another 4 hours spent on detailing and changing the end product. The point of creating this piece on paper first is because I needed to measure out the full size of the mandala, as well as ensure that the mandala stopped where the scalloped edges started. Once I free-hand the pattern on the table, I will then create the patterns within the scalloped edges at that time.

Although this is not the final project, it does show the progression to the point where I am at currently. I have really enjoyed this process and can’t wait until I am able to transfer it onto the table. Look for a vlog on my YouTube channel about different mediums being tested to see how they interact with a protective coat on top. If there is a medium you would like for me to try, please comment below.

I will post again when I actually start putting the design on the table.  Let me know what you think so far!

August Zen Art Challenge – Days 6 – 10

The second mandala for the month of August covers days 6-10.  This mandala was pretty difficult when I got into it. I had to really think about how each pattern would fit into the mandala so that it flowed and looked decent enough.  Here are the links for the next five patterns of this challenge created by Mindful Creativity.

Day 6 – Clamz – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206539/

Day 7 – Stap voor Stap – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206545/

Day 8 – HollyHock – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206546/

Day 9 – Banana Braid – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206547/

Day 10 -“Unknown” (Feather) – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206548/

And here is what I came up with. Just like with the first five days, I started from the inside and moved outward. Day one was easy as it just filled the center beautifully. I would have to say that the most difficult pattern of this mandala was definitely HollyHock being right next to Banana Braid, but using stippling for the white space made it flow just fine.

I would love to know your favorite part of this mandala and if you participate in the challenge as well in the comments below. I also always welcome comments, suggestions and constructive criticism.

August Zen Art Challenge – Days 1 – 5

As you may be aware, this is my second month doing the Zen Art Challenge created by Mindful Creativity.  I wanted to push myself to think outside the box and do something a little different with this month. I have decided to make a mandala out of each five day span. Below is a link to the first five days of this challenge. It takes you to her Pinterest board, where she keeps track of these.

Day 1 – WELL – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206499/

Day 2 – Ausheklis – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206511/

Day 3 – Patience – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206538/

Day 4 – Dragontail – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206536/

Day 5 – CurlyCrown – https://www.pinterest.com/pin/45247171239206544/

Starting with day one I began in the center. I don’t like four petal flowers as I have stated before, but I know that part of the challenge, at least for me, is to use every pattern in a different way. So here is what I came up with. Can you see the progression of each day?

Please let me know if you like to see this type of challenge and which pattern you like most on this mandala in the comments below!

Bullet Journaling – Refresher

If you haven’t heard of bullet journaling, it is a minimalists way to schedule your life. This is a system that combines several of your journals, schedulers, and calendars into one easy to keep track of book. Or so they say. Now before you get offended, hear me out. I tried this system back in November of last year, you can read that post here, and I failed.  My failure had nothing to do with the system and more to do with my perfectionism. I wanted beautiful spreads and amazing visuals on each page. Eventually, it became too much with the holidays and I never made it to December. To be honest, I don’t even know where that notebook is currently.

Now, lets discuss why this system failed for me. There are several reasons, some of them mental and some of them physical. These range from not having the right notebook, to not making the time, and not putting forth the effort. “Oh, I don’t need to write that down, surely I will remember it!” Famous last words. I never did remember it and I never did write it down.

Excuse #1: Not having the right tools.

Now, don’t think that you have to have the most famous bullet journal or the most expensive pens and products to do a bullet journal. You just have to be happy with what you do have. You can just use a composition notebook and a bic ballpoint. You don’t need the fancy supplies to get started, and honestly, I wouldn’t go out and buy them until you have created the habit.

However, in my mind, I didn’t have the right supplies. I didn’t want to use the inexpensive supplies I had on hand because I have to get excited about a new habit, or it won’t form. If I don’t have crisp, clean notebook and a pen just for it, I won’t be happy long enough to continue.  So, I bought the Leuchitturm 1917, which is like the official bullet journal. I did not buy pens for this, because I already have my Staedtler Triplus Fineliners that I love and work perfectly.

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Excuse #2: I can’t make my spreads look like those on Pinterest

This is a very very common misconception. The spreads are beautiful, and one day, I will get there. But it is better for me to form the habit with the minimalist attitude. So, here is a picture of my year at a glance spread below. You will see that I just made it simple. I also added a thin piece of washi tape across the top, not even perfectly lined up *gasp*, so that i had a quick reference to jump back to. *personal information is blacked out*

I decided to only do 6 months because that would carry me to the end of the year. When the next 6 months arrive, if I am still doing bullet journaling, I will add it to it then another 6 month spread. Besides, who wants to get bogged down on trying to keep up with a full year at once. Guess what else? I only used black and white on this page. I want to get into the habit before I learn new ways to create the same spread. I highly recommend this way of thinking.

Excuse #3 – I don’t even know what I should track or that I want to track.

If you look online, especially Pinterest, you will find a huge list of trackers. But I say NAY! Don’t get bogged down with all the trackers available. Add trackers as you want to, and how you want to. Throughout the process you will find that you will come across things that are important to you specifically that you want to track. For me, I want to track my 100 mandala challenge! This challenge is important to me and something that I want to complete before the end of the year. Here is a look at how I am tracking this, in my 2-page tracker spread.

As you can tell, I drew  a simple mandala and also included the website where I got the challenge from. I then write a date on the number and color it in. This is my favorite spread so far. It appeals to my artistic side, as well as my need to track this challenge.

Excuse #4 – I’m too depressed/anxious about keeping up with something else.

Yes, depression and anxiety is something that we all have to deal with at one time or another. Some of us even struggle enough to be medicated. But that is what is so great about the bullet journal process, if you miss a day or a week, you can jump back in and there are no predetermined pages that you use up. You determine how and how much you use your bullet journal. I decided to try to list all the things that make me happy and put it at the beginning of my journal. This ensures that even on the days that are considered my lows, I have something to keep me from going under. Take a look at this below.

Excuse #5 – I’m too busy

Honestly, we are all too busy if we believe it, but the truth of the matter is, we can make time for anything! After planning out my first two weeks, I saw just how busy I wasn’t. I was too busy to add work, but not too busy to add fun. So I knew by looking at these two almost blank weeks, that I would see just how much time I really had to play with. Of course, I didn’t mark down all the ER visits and power outages and mom life with many many kids, but outside the home, I didn’t have much obligations. My next step is to track my hours, find out where everything goes. Check out these two weeks below. As you can tell, they are all really really simple.

So as you can tell, I didn’t want to do anything too crazy and I wanted to keep my trackers simple. At the beginning of each week, I also track my social medias. This shows me if I am doing a good job or if I need to work harder. Because I am just starting out, I feel like my numbers are embarrassing, BUT everyone has to start from the bottom.

I hope you enjoyed this walk through my bullet journal. Remember, you don’t have to wait until January 1st, to start. You can start in the middle of the month like I did. The objective is to start somewhere. Do you bullet journal? How successful are you with keeping it up. I would love to know your bullet journal experiences in the comments below!

What did my first mandala look like?

I remember my first mandala. I wasn’t even trying to make a mandala, I just thought it was pleasing to look at. I toyed around with the different colors and just tried to make it fun. Then someone told me to try for more detail. I just tried different designs until I saw something I liked. As you can see in the first few, They are VERY similar.

As I progressed, I started making more details, trying new things. I fell in love with mandalas. It was here that I was introduced to Zentangle. What is zentangle you ask? Well, It is a progression of 3 or fewer strokes that create a pattern. They are very easy strokes that I would venture to say that anyone could follow. The beauty of zentangle is that there are no mistakes. You just have to keep building, and you would be amazed at what comes out.

All of the sudden, I decided to make them permanent.  I used a pen, Staedtler pens to be exact. I will say that the one tip or suggestion I would give is that if you think you made a mistake, just continue to make it all the way around. You’d be surprised how many mistakes I made in the following Mandala.

And just like that, I was born. I found such relaxation in the patterns and the strokes of my art. I became addicted. I watched YouTube videos galore. and I just went with it. Being the OCD person that I am, I found that it was easy to “fix” my mistakes by following them through.

What do you think about these? The patterns are mesmerizing. I have decided any mandala I do, I want to be bigger and more detailed than the last. I want to add new patterns or design my own.  I would love any suggestions that you might have on how to make these even better!!

Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!

Mandala Scratch Fun!

Have you seen these scratch pads? How fun it was to create some awesome art with my daughter. She especially loved the stencils she could use for her pieces. It was nice just sitting there, talking and creating something truly special between us. The art pieces were just a bonus! *wink*

Of course, the first thing I always attempt are mandala. It is where I am most comfortable and where I can always create something different. This one is completely hand drawn, I was afraid to use any grid lines like I usually do because I didn’t want to make any scratches I didn’t need. Because the paper was longer and it was wide, I decided to add some elements to each corner so that it was more complete.

I would love to know your comments and suggestions for scratch art in the future. This is something I had a lot of fun with and was allowed to let my perfectionism go for a bit.

 

2017 Sketchbook – Page 11

All we need is LOVE!. I decided to make this mandala surround a basic principle everyone should appreciate, love. Love has no barriers, age, race, religion, or sex. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. From love breed life and beauty. Look at the beauty around you, appreciate and love the differences.

This piece inspired me in so many ways and I can only pray I can pass that inspiration onto you!

What inspires you most? Answer in the comments below!

2017 Sketchbook – Page 10

Page 10. I swear I feel like I should be way further than this, especially if I want to fill it up before the end of the year. 300 pages is no joke. I have been doing a lot of other art, it just isn’t in this sketchbook, so I can give myself a little break, however, my goal is to finish this by the end of the year. I can do it!

So this page started out as something completely different, as most of my art pieces do. I have a short video snippet on my Instagram, you can watch it here.  There are a lot of elements to this piece, but it was very easy to do, in relation to my other mandalas of late.

I completed this one so quick that I had time to post to Instagram right away. Normally, I am working so far into the night that I’m too tired to all my social postings until the next day.  I love the way this turned out, and I hope you do too.

What is your favorite thing about this page? Let me know in the comments below!

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 5

So, the fifth and final mandala in this series. Good Lord am I tired. I guess I never really understood what all went into actually making a full collection. However, I am very happy  I completed this one. If you want to see the progression video for this one, you can find it here, on my YouTube channel.

You can revisit all of the previous mandala below:

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 4

I am going to get this collection scanned in and prints ready for sale. If you are interested in this set or one in this set, please let me know. I plan on making them available in 12×12 and 8×8.

As always, I would love to know your comments, questions and criticism on this project in the comments below! If you would rather send me an email, don’t hesitate at craftyartistkc@gmail.com.

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 4

Because this mandala was on green gradient paper, I decided to make it look like a garden! I added as many organic elements that I could to make this piece come to life. I love every element that created this piece. Be sure to check out the progression video on my YouTube channel here.

If you want to see the first three in the series you can find the links below:

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3

As you can tell, each one is different and yet they all have certain elements that bring them all together. I can’t wait to finish this series for you all.

What is your favorite part of this collection? Let me know in the comments below!

4th mandala in this collection.

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 3

The details in this mandala were intense in some areas. I wanted there to be a fluidity in this mandala. I see so many things when I look at this mandala. I see a dog shaking its fur after a bath, I see a beautiful sprinkler in the spring and I see a fountain, bringing a park to life! I loved drawing this one, even though it took me just short of 6 hours to complete over two sessions. The white gel pen just makes the whole thing pop.

This is Mandala #3 of my first Mandala Collection. You can see the first here and the second here. I hope you enjoy this series as much as I have so far.

Don’t forget to look at the progression video found here on my YouTube channel!

As always, your comments and questions are always welcome below. I love hearing from all of you! Stay tuned for the 4th in the series.

Third mandala in this collection.

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 2

If you missed the first mandala in this collection, you can find it here.  The first mandala was my first time using a white gel pen on one of my drawings, especially of this size. I liked it so much that I decided to use the same color pattern here. Black ink with white embellishments. This mandala immediately reminded me of a sunflower. As I built out, I realized that I wanted to try something a little different. I wanted to give depth to it. As a first attempt at this type of pattern, I was a little wary about how it would turn out because it is much like creating two mandala in one.

My solution to this problem was to create a detailed mandala and a simple mandala. This way one doesn’t overpower the other and both can be equally appreciated. I really like the way that it turned out and it definitely tested my abilities as an artist. But that is something that I truly enjoy about art itself.

Visit my YouTube channel to watch the time-lapse video.

If you have any pattern suggestions for the next 3, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I would love to try anything new. Stay tuned for the 3rd mandala in this series, coming soon!

2nd Mandala in this collection.

Lunchtime Doodle

This flower was done over lunchtime today. If you’ve been following the Lunchtime Doodle series you will know that I have less than 45 minutes to create each piece. I purchased artist tiles that are the perfect size for this time frame. The lines are not perfect, but that it what this challenge is about. What can you create in less than 45 minutes?

This was very fun to do and I just felt in a swirly funky mood. This is what happens when you just go with your soul. I hope you enjoy it, I would love to know your favorite part in the comments!

Mandala Collection I, Mandala 1

I have decided that I am going to do a series of mandalas on 12×12 color gradient card stock. Once this series is done, I will be getting prints to sell. This mandala was completed with Staedtler pigment liners and a white gel pen. I worked on this mandala for a total of 8 hours over two sessions. This is the first time that I have ever used the white gel pen as a complimentary color on one of my pieces. I really like the way it turned out and the white actually made the entire thing pop. I intend to use this same technique with the next four mandalas in this collection.

Don’t forget to visit my YouTube channel to watch the time-lapse.

If you like what you see, please leave me a comment below. I am also very open to suggestions for patterns for the next four. My advice to you is try something you’ve never tried before, it just might be spectacular!

The first mandala of Collection I.

Acrylic Rock Painting

Have you ever done this? Have you ever drawn or painted on a rock? Rock painting has so much history and I love how every painting is completely different that anything I’ve witnessed before. I love how just different color dots and strokes can turn something into a story. This is the first time that I have tried this and I think it looks pretty rough. I used Acrylic Puffy Paint to do this, which wasn’t the best idea, but it gave the rock some pretty gnarly texture, which I end up really liking!

These two were just the progress pics. I started out painting the top half of the rock black so that I would have a good surface for the other colors to show up on. In the end I think it was a good idea because the other colors really pop. Now you can tell on here that working with puffy paint is not very nice. If there was an air pocket in the puffy paint pen, it splattered out over the rock. So, I just tried to go slow and when something smeared or changed, I just changed it all the way around the mandala.

There is the final product. I really like how it is textured. I outlined the black paint with a few dots just to add a little more flavor. This rock was about the size and shape of a common mouse for your computer. I picked it up on the side of the walk and I had been holding onto it for about two weeks and just decided today was the day.

Let me know what you like and dislike about this project and if you have ever had any experience with rock painting.

Lunchtime Challenge

This is something I just had to share. If you recall my latest Very Big Sketchbook post, you will notice that the flowers on there were something that I was playing around with. I decided that I was going to play a little more and see what I could come up with. This just might be my new favorite flower. I love how it seems like it’s spinning and adding the swirl to the very center completed the cycle.

I used Staedtler Pigment liners, .05 for the outline and .01 for the detail. I also completed this on an Artist Tile, which is about 3″x3″. The little squares are so perfect for my limited time over lunch!

I think I’m going to start keeping track of all these different flowers for reference. Do you have certain flowers that you like to draw? How do you keep track of them all? Tell me in the comments below!