Let's fill a WHOLE sketchbook!

[@sterreligthart]

This is the first video I've ever watched of yours, and it was such a great watch! Thanks for showing all the steps with no gatekeeping of your process, I've learned so much and feel super inspired!

[@monkeymintaka]

That’s so great to hear! It was a lot of work to make so I’m happy you enjoyed it and felt inspired 🥰

[@mael2039]

We line the tops of our mountains with torches in June! People make giant hearts and crosses (it's a catholic tradition) and also other motives on the mountains and also line the outlines of the mountains with fiery torches on a specific Sunday of the month at night and it's so so beautiful. I think it's so cool that you also have a tradition where you light up the mountain tops at night.

[@monkeymintaka]

Oh that sounds so nice! And you reminded me I forgot to put a photo up 🙈

[@lynnefibreart]

Absolutely fabulous art, and I love your commentary, always makes me laugh. Outstanding. I loved every page.

[@monkeymintaka]

@@lynnefibreart ahh yay :) I love to make people laugh!

[@NyrelleBusby]

Your videos are ALWAYS so chill to watch! I love seeing how you mix materials and how you make your art. So I was excited to see a longer video 😊!~

[@monkeymintaka]

I’m glad you enjoyed the longer format :) I used to do really long videos when I was vlogging lots. They just take longer to edit 🙈

[@Courterfly]

This was randomly recommended to me and I’m so glad! I feel so inspired. I don’t feel very confident in my art still, but I want to practice and continue to grow. Thanks for sharing 🥰

[@monkeymintaka]

That’s so nice! I’m glad you were tempted to click on the video and that you enjoyed it :) experimentation and play is definitely the way to go to gain more confidence I think :) it works for me!

[@ChantelleArts]

all of the water activated graphites seem so cool! I'd love to try them one day 🥰

[@monkeymintaka]

They are so fun! I would highly recommend the XL blocks too. They are a bit pricey, but I think they would last for years.

[@Zrina11]

I loooooove your style! And I love how you mix all these different materials and they just seem to work together. I need to learn how to let go and not overthink things. You really inspired me. Thank you.

[@monkeymintaka]

Thanks for your kind comment :) I do have pages or days where nothing seems to fit together, but it’s just experimenting and playing and practicing I think. You just pick things up it trial and error :)

[@beccogiallo]

Wow, you are exceptional! I love all your art, and appreciated the final review of the whole sketchbook. I rarely find a long video that I enjoy watching all the way through, but I didn't even want this one to end. ❤

[@monkeymintaka]

Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🥰

[@dianegibbs]

What an incredible video April! Love the crocodiles!

[@monkeymintaka]

Thankyou :) They were fun to draw!

[@traceyelliott6891]

Love the pigeons and the Rob birds! So much fun

[@monkeymintaka]

Thankyou :) glad you liked the video!

[@accade_acaso]

That Luminance Green is something I’m very obsessed with too ❤ it’s beautiful

[@monkeymintaka]

It’s a nice one :)

[@jennystrand6362]

that big fat round brush looks almost like a stenciling brush. Loved this video, so much fun watching what you created.

[@monkeymintaka]

Ooh yes maybe! I don’t remember it saying what it was for. I need to play with it a bit more :)

[@ruthhodgson3635]

Also called a painting stippling brush

[@CelineDesAlpages]

Hi from Cannelline ;) Love these kind of videos, thank you for all the hard editing work. It fills me with so much inspiration. I have a weakness for colours too :D Love your work, your freedom on the page and the funny comments ;)

[@monkeymintaka]

That’s so lovely to hear :) Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@Bonnie-r4b]

I also love the spread with the boathouse.

[@monkeymintaka]

:) Thankyou! That was a fun one.

[@EmmaCarpenterIllustration]

I love that you had the urge to draw crocodiles as you were falling asleep 😄 that’s when we get all our best ideas

[@monkeymintaka]

Yes! At least I remembered this one. Normally I forget 😅

[@oficinacaracolinho]

Always amazed by the way you mix materials and all the textures you get April! It could be only me but I love long videos 🙊💛

[@monkeymintaka]

Thanks Teresa :) I used to make much longer vlogs like nearly two hours 🙈

[@lindajohns726]

Always watch your videos, but I really enjoyed this one. Loved all your work but the crocodiles are great.😊❤

[@monkeymintaka]

Yay! Glad you liked it :) The crocs have been so popular, maybe I should draw more 👀

[@erikaleighart]

YES!!! The Common Morganser…what an awesome bird, right?? I believe this is the proper name for the duck that my mother-in-law calls a skitter duck because of how they move around in the water when they’re in groups. They live in Canada (we’re in the US), and when we visit them in the summer, we love watching these ducks because of how humorous they are when they zoom around in the water! Birds really are just so much fun to watch in general, though!

[@monkeymintaka]

They are beautiful birds :) We get a lot around here and I’m a bit annoyed I wasn’t talking about them while I was drawing them 🙈 But I had been doing voice over for ages since then and I was losing the plot a bit 😂

[@Bonnie-r4b]

Love the house, tree, fox spread!

[@monkeymintaka]

🥰🥰 Thankyou!

[@puppydood]

Love this longer video. Beautiful work and your voice over and explanations are spot on. Please do more like this. It’s so worth it. ❤. I enjoyed every minute.

[@monkeymintaka]

It was a fun video for me too! I’ll try and do another one early next year :) maybe a wintery one!

[@luxinfired]

I always love the way you mix and match different materials and it always ends up looking gorgeous and full of texture! That aquamarine pencil is *chef's kiss*

[@monkeymintaka]

Yes! It’s lovely isn’t it :) I need to buy another one soon! glad you enjoyed the video.

[@Janartable]

Oh, I so enjoyed this video!! I’m so inspired. I hope i have an Aqua pencil in one of my sets! I loved everything. It’s hard to say what I liked best because if you said what about this one, or that one, I would have to answer yes, that one too, and that one and that one. But…I really loved those Crocodiles! I loved your houses. I loved all of the birds. And really enjoyed watching you use the pastels. I’ve never been able to get into them because I don’t like, ok, haaate, the feeling of chalky substances on my skin. I know soft pastels have come a long way though…and may have to try again. Thanks so much for this video!!!!❤

[@monkeymintaka]

Thanks for you lovely comment 🥰 The pastels don’t feel super chalky, they just feel really soft, like smooth dust, if that makes sense 😅 I know what you mean though, that’s why I’m not a fan of the charcoal pencils!

[@louisakearney9517]

I’ve only seen two of your videos but I’m hooked! I love to watch you draw and paint. I use many of the same media but your process is so different-it gives me a whole new perspective. Thank you! P.S. wish I could get those pastels in the U.S.

[@monkeymintaka]

Ahh Thankyou! I’m glad you are enjoying the channel :) It’s always nice to see other people techniques, I also pick up a lot from watching different artists 🥰

[@SketchbookDreams4u]

So beautiful! I love your style.

[@monkeymintaka]

Thank you so much!!

[@impish22]

great variety of supplies, thanks for sharing

[@monkeymintaka]

Glad you liked it!

[@debsllewelyn230]

Those pigeons 💙💚💜

[@monkeymintaka]

🥰

[@pamelawamala6751]

Just found you - Really enjoyed this video. Thank you. I so enjoy materials exploration - JOY!!!! 🎨🖌✏ Also - "2 birds - one scone!!" Awesome reframe!!

[@monkeymintaka]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@annferguson3581]

Loved it all…and I might have ordered some Derwent XL Graphitints - not just one set, but one for me and one for a friend. Christmas, you know 😉

[@monkeymintaka]

Ahh that’s cool! Hope you friends loved them too :)

[@sharonlockwood1825]

The Crocodiles and pigeons are my favorite! Oh yeah and the chameleon! Love your process! Thanks for sharing!

[@monkeymintaka]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video :)

[@jlm517rocks]

you got me luminance investing & first time molotow neons... may have to fast next month... also appreciate how you mix medias very cool beans ... love yr results... ty.

[@monkeymintaka]

@@jlm517rocks ahh cool! The neons are so fun. Enjoy them :)

[@NanosJournaling]

Oh I enjoyed every minute of it. Loved that it is long. I had a long hot bath while watching it. So relaxing, thank you April

[@monkeymintaka]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Jennwiggs]

great video, messing around with materials is a great creative tool! Your pages are beautiful.

[@monkeymintaka]

Thankyou so much! Glad you enjoyed it :) Playing with new materials like this is such a joy for me :)

[@Growingold62]

Thanks!

[@monkeymintaka]

Ahh thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed the video 🥰

[@pragativasisht4432]

Ooh, I like the effect at 21:01!

[@shirleysoeth]

So many fun spreads!! TFS!

[@monkeymintaka]

Glad you like them! 🥰

[@jo_sanper]

❤I love your art. thank you for sharing

[@monkeymintaka]

@@jo_sanper 🥰🥰 glad you enjoyed it :)

[@KarenVolder-sk7ct]

You just made my day. Thank you so much for sharing this 👏

[@monkeymintaka]

Glad you liked it!

[@dcslye8330]

So glad to have clicked on your video and check out your channel! So awesome and inspiring 😊 Happy to be a new subscriber!

[@monkeymintaka]

Ahh yay! I how you’ll enjoy the rest of the channel 🥰

[@snakewomangirl]

Just fabulous ❤

[@monkeymintaka]

Thankyou :)

[@amyhedrick5769]

Thank you, LOVE this video and your style 🎉

[@monkeymintaka]

Thanks so much! I’m happy you enjoyed it :)

[@ruskinyruskiny1611]

So informative and entertaining, Thank you.♥

[@monkeymintaka]

Glad you enjoyed it! 🥰

[@lucys.artchat]

Thought on the art graff stick, you could shave a sharp edge back into it and collect the shavings in your art graff tub to refill it ! I love your work April, I find it so inspiring! P.s. if you're not using the gouache for a while, i'd deliberately dry it out. I learned the hard way when I forgot about a stay wet gouache palette and it got mouldy and it's a real heartbreak to scoop out and clean out so much paint because you can't rescue it. But you can rescue it dry.

[@monkeymintaka]

Yes! That could work. Maybe I will try that when it gets too blunt. I think it will be okay for a while as it’s very hard. I’ll keep an eye on that gouache 👀 thanks for the tip :)

[@naturalleader777]

Beautiful video. I enjoyed it so much!

[@monkeymintaka]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Alice_in_artsupply_hoarderland]

Beautiful sketches 🥰

[@monkeymintaka]

Thank you so much 😀

[@Bonnie-r4b]

Loved the video!

[@monkeymintaka]

I’m so glad!

[@kanamichelle7404]

I love it all, but my fav are the pigeons❤

[@monkeymintaka]

Thankyou :) I liked them too 🥰

[@haybs1]

Amazing video with amazing spreads! I definitely need that graphite block. I like the tin, but its a bit too much work to get things as dark as I like.

[@monkeymintaka]

The graphite stick is so nice! Especially if you like drawing, i find it more versatile than the tub for sure.

[@debsllewelyn230]

Awesome paintings. Just subscribed

[@monkeymintaka]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@juliart5]

Hi April! Great to see the making of of all the spreads!! Very relaxing to watch! :) I bought one XL block last year and its the olive one. I dont know if they changed the recipe, but mine looks so much duller and greyer than yours. I recognized this in your art haul video too. Yours actually looks like the Graphitint Pencil 'Meadow' which I also have. Strange. Oh, and just wanted to say that I always try to use the 'back' of the XL and the small inktense blocks, so I can still read the names and numbers after using them for a long time. ;)

[@monkeymintaka]

So strange! I checked the colours on the website and it’s definitely the olive green one. I probably should have done the same, but I normally learn the colours of things I like just by looking at them. It would be the world’s most rubbish superpower 😂 glad you enjoyed the video!

[@juliart5]

@@monkeymintaka 😄

[@Vladimira92]

The pidgeons are very cute!

[@monkeymintaka]

Thanks! I think I’ve made some fun posts with them for the next few weeks :)

[@janegrew9485]

Thumbs up. 😄 Very funny and beautiful sketches.

[@monkeymintaka]

Glad you enjoyed the video 🥰 thankyou!

[@cheesim]

It is impressive to see how you use different tools to create art. How do you decide what subject to draw?

[@monkeymintaka]

@@cheesim Thankyou 🥰 I normally have a lot of photos I’ve taken for reference and I look at those when I’m feeling like something new. And then I go to my comfort zone of birds and houses when I’m a bit tired but still want to draw :)

[@marielouiseweeksb33attitud33]

Not a fan of snakes but loved your drawings of them. I’ve just got my first graphitint this week and need to use them. 😊

[@monkeymintaka]

Awesome! I really like them :) the pencils are great too

[@hippofaitdestrucs]

I hate shopping so much that when I find clothes that I like, I buy several of them. So I wasn't intrigued by you pyjama being a recurring character. It is a great video so far.

[@monkeymintaka]

I hate shopping too! I wish I could just wear a uniform each day like a cartoon character sometimes 😂

[@hippofaitdestrucs]

​@@monkeymintaka I love the idea! (in a fabric which would be versatile with the weather and temperatures) Maybe you should think about your ideal uniform and draw it in a video.

[@BunnyOnTheCoast]

Ahhhh...brilliant video as usual, I've only watched it now, as we just came back from a week in Seoul, where most of my spending was at their art stores!!! Super cheap, I picked up some XL's for half the price as here in Australia! Mine aren't the same colours as yours I don't have the red, it has the green and blue and browns, I'll have to look into yours, I love the colours so they have to be my favourites! I also can't wait for Birbfest 25, not sure if I want to collage though! 😅

[@monkeymintaka]

Oh wow! I would love to visit. I hope you had an amazing time. I was thinking about collage too, but I think I’ll stick to mixed media. It’s more fun for me!

[@BunnyOnTheCoast]

@monkeymintaka oh it was absolutely amazing, I want to go back! 1 week was definitely not enough time, we want to go back in Spring next year! I missed the snow this time too! ❄️🥲

[@lulabelle33]

Great video. Love

[@monkeymintaka]

Thank you! 🥰

[@gaylelalich6347]

Thank you for the inspiring video!

[@monkeymintaka]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it ☺️

[@hazelbishop1106]

Loved this video! Made me want to draw some birds now! Where was the little gouache palette from please?

[@monkeymintaka]

It’s from a national trust shop. Not sure if they have them on every shop though or just up north.

[@creativediva52]

I love your art and your humor! That light green-ish turquoise Luminance pencil is going right on my shopping list! Was it light malachite? Thanks. :)

[@monkeymintaka]

Yep!

[@dadadada6147]

30:00 Are you sure that they’re only located in Northamerica because they look eerily similar to the ones we have here in Germany. 🤔

[@monkeymintaka]

I was talking about the wrong ducks on that page. I was drawing mergansers which I believe are common across Europe, but talking about ruddy ducks which were on a different page. It was a proper duck up.

[@FrauRonja]

I love to see your process! What is the neon yellow marker that you used for the snakes? I also would like to buy it. But I cannot find out which brand this is.

[@monkeymintaka]

Oh looks like I missed that from the description 🙈 It’s the Molotow Neon Yellow paint marker :)

[@FrauRonja]

@@monkeymintaka Thanks so much! I think I will go for the whole set of Molotow Neon colors then. 😁 Love your videos. They are so inspiring! 😍

[@Ellielovescolor]

I think that brush is a brush for stencil art

[@monkeymintaka]

That would make sense! I do t think I’ve ever used stencils but maybe I could try it next year 🤔

[@Yuliya_Krepkaya]

and what kind of paints do you have, in the form of bars? rectangles

[@monkeymintaka]

They were the derwent XL graphitint blocks. The ones in the tin

[@Yuliya_Krepkaya]

🥰🥰🥰

[@jamieroberts269]

I think pastels are fun but they transfer when you close the book. How do you get it to not smudge?

[@monkeymintaka]

They can transfer if you are drawing hard. I tend to just use paper as I’m filling my sketchbook up and if it’s something I really like or want to scan in after, I will use a fixiative. Normally I just do that with oil pastels though.

[@sullivansharon7]

What kind of pencils are you using?

[@monkeymintaka]

Oh a whole bunch! They are in the description:)

[@lienhoaa12]

hello April! how are you these days?

[@monkeymintaka]

I’m good ☺️ thanks for asking! Hopefully you’ll have some time to catch up on vids over the holiday period if you feel like it :)

[@lisalurcott856]

👍🏽👏🏼

[@elfenzo]

watercolour always feels a bit serious for me! grown up - i struggle with it!

[@monkeymintaka]

Yes! So grown up. I like watercolours cooler younger brother - gouache 😅

[@Yuliya_Krepkaya]

Hi! I see you're using your imagination. I can't do it that way=(I can only draw and only then make something of my own out of it in the end. how can I develop my imagination so that I can immediately take what I want from my head, and not from another drawing?

[@monkeymintaka]

Well I actually rarely use my imagination on its own either. You can see that all the images I created were from reference. So I use that as a starting point and then it’s easier to be more imaginative with the colours. It just takes time and lots of drawing

[@Yuliya_Krepkaya]

@@monkeymintaka thanks for the answer!🥰