A chat about organising artwork, dot grid notebooks and drawing some whimsical houses

[@dr.gretachen1988]

These whimsical houses are the gift that will continue to delight me throughout the winter months. Thank you for sharing your talents with all of us.

[@AngelaPorter]

Glad you like them! Thank you for your lovely words xxx

[@TheDaisytails]

Thank you for sharing more of your experience!! I got a new sketchbook, about 2 months ago. I've been hesitant to begin using it. It is all nice and pretty, nice paper. and as soon as I put a line in it I am sure I will be putting errors and chaos into it. Then yesterday I decided "life is too short" and I've begun working in it. I do intent to keep it more organized. I like the idea of the dot paper and making squares as frames for individual thoughts and elements. Thanks for the ideas! The houses are adorable. Your method for adding color using markers, palette, and brush is intriguing. Thanks and HUGS

[@AngelaPorter]

'Life is too short' is definitely the way to think of it! You won't be making mess and chaos and errors in it. Bob Ross, I think it was, used the phrase 'happy little accidents' instead of mistakes. And he was right! I think the only mistake we make is in not making marks on the page, again and again and learning and developing as we go. A sketchbook is a place to try things out, make art that you like, make art you're not happy with but can learn from. It becomes an archive of thoughts and experience, it charts progress and development of your own style and confidence in drawing. Not even Leonardo da Vinci or any other great artist, was born being able to draw! They had to practice, practice, practice! I draw nearly every day. I have done so most of my life for one purpose or another - scientific diagrams, observational drawings, quick cartoons on a board when I was a teacher, and then about 20 years ago I was encouraged to study art in the school I worked at. I was nearly 40 years old, and I've never looked back! I have never torn out a page from a sketchbook, no matter how awful it is to me. Instead I reflect and write on the page about what I don't like and why I don't like it, and then I look for things I do like and write about them, and then use those elements to create something new. I used to write like this on nearly every page. Now, I do when there's something to learn or remember or point out. Rather than write on the pages, I'd add notes on another sheet of paper and use some way of adhering it to the page so I could still see the artwork. I'm glad you enjoyed the whimsical houses. I'll do some more in a later video I'm sure. Oh watercolour markers - any pen that has watersoluble ink in it - can be used in this way! Thank you for your kind words and your comments too xxx

[@evamulu1970]

Danke..🖌🖌🎨🎨🌷👍

[@AngelaPorter]

It is my pleasure. I'm glad you enjoyed :-)

[@sjshapir]

The more I get to know about you, the more I see the overlap in our interests. I also have a science/science fiction background. On the other had, my brain tends to do cute and I am actively trying to do organic but not cute😜

[@AngelaPorter]

Embrace the cute! We need more of it in this world! I'm glad you're enjoying the videos and it's great you share the science/science fiction interests too! xxx