Art Recap: March Flowers, a Spring Cow and Some Very Happy Sketching
Had fun with art lately, so let's have a look at it together! Happy spring!
The last couple of weeks I’ve had a lot on my plate, and very little of it has been art related. But I have managed to draw some still, and I even released a new Youtube video!
Sometime in March I turned to loose florals in my work, and I had SO MUCH FUN with it! I experimented a lot, and integrated a lot of fun abstract shapes into my work in a way I don’t really usually do. Except for when I do, of course. (Like at the end of last year when I made some fully abstract pieces for a week and a half and then went back to cute animals.)
An example of this is the piece above, which was actually the result of me experimenting with a look of this loose/abstract floral style that could work as stickers! I don’t currently offer any stickers, but it’s for sure one of my goals for this year. Especially digital and printable stickers (I’m a sucker for journaling in GoodNotes, where you can use digital stickers).
Anyway, this didn’t actually really turn into something that is ready to be used as a sticker sheet, but that wasn’t really the point either. I wanted to see if I could make smaller clusters of shapes that would look cute as stickers, and I think I managed to do it. Also these colours? So fun!
And then, of course, I returned to my favourite doodly drawings of random things, and made this:
This one turned out cute, but I feel it’s missing something. Would be cute as stickers though! (I really do have stickers on my mind haha.) The birds in this are so good though. There’s just something about drawing birds that give me so much joy. They have such expressive little bodies, and can be drawn so many different ways. 10/10 would recommend.
I’ve been practicing actually sketching out shapes and ideas more lately. I usually just… go for it and hope for the best. (And make a lot of changes along the way.) Usually that gives my drawings some more life, but can also be kind of frustrating. Sketching for this was actually so fun, and I kinda prefer some of the sketches over the finished thing. Oops.
The chicken really improved though! Messy sketches are the best though. So fun to make, and usually makes for less stiff linework for me!!
As I was sketching sheep (as you do) one night one accidentally started looking like a cow, so I went with it! Who am I to question the forces of accidental art. Anyway, it turned into this little VERY QUICK sketch, and honestly I fell in love with this cow INSTANTLY and knew I had to make her into a more “full” illustration.
So I did, and THOSE BIG EARS? THE CUTE LITTLE FACE? I love her. I’m sorry, but I do. She’s just my favourite little animal I’ve ever drawn. :’)
After this I didn’t draw for a week I think? Which is a lot for me! I usually draw pretty much every day, at least once a day. But life got in the way, as it tends to do, especially when you’re trying to move house, like we are.
Breaks are scary, when it comes to art. I always find myself feeling so shaky when I try to make my grand return. My expectations have grown too high, and doodling a little flowers feels both impossible and simply not enough. Momentum makes that easier, takes off some of the pressure.
So there I was, yesterday in fact, with pressure at 100 and expectations through the roof, shakily taking out my iPad again. Wondering what to draw. Wondering HOW to draw.
My best solution to this is just to go as far into my comfort zone as I can, and draw whatever feels both safe and fun. For me, as you might know, that tends to be flowers. Specifically flowers in a kind of “negative” drawing style, where I start with lots of yummy colours and then scribble in all the black negative space. I actually really like the result too! It’s so magical and vibrant in a way my art doesn’t tend to be, but I love it.
Did a similar thing today, but with added cat. It is always a good idea to add cat. Especially a cute little cat peeking out of flowers, like this one. Although he kinda looks like he’s a grand space cat. But I like that. You might have already seen this piece on my first ever Note here on Substack!! Super exciting that they’ve added Notes, to be honest! Have you checked them out yet?
All in all I’m having a good art phase, with lots of experimenting (as always tbh)!
Some things I’m enjoying right now:
Daylight by David Kushner. Perfect vibes, love it so much.
All the flowers outside. Spring has finally come to my part of Sweden, and it’s glorious.
Sketching freely without expectation! No clean lines, no clean anything, just sketching.
This piece by sallistyle on Instagram. So whimsical and fun.
Hope you’re enjoying your day, wherever you are!
Hugs!!
Jessica