Inktober update

 For those of you who follow my Instagram account you would have seen my progress for this years Inktober as I posted them at the time.

However, for those who haven't here is the next installment of my tags (the first 12 were posted on my blog here)

I am pleased I stuck to tags over the past 3 years as they don't take up much room, are quick to do (so I actually get to finish the month challenge) and are easy to flick back through to see how my style has developed.

It is not always easy to think of a picture for the prompt but there is SO much inspiration out there as inktober is now so big there are thousands following and painting each day!

It feels a shame when the month comes to an end but I have to admit one month is enough, I have looked at annual challenges before and I know I would not stick to it!

So there you are, another Inktober completed!  Did you take part?  I would love to see yours if you did, please let me know in the comments.

Kyla

WOYWW

Hello peeps, I have been absent for a while and was not easily able to do many return visits as I was sunning myself on a well earned summer (well Autumn) holiday in Malta....ah Malta, lots of free art exhibitions, festivals, swimming in the sea off the cliffs and maybe one or two aperol spritz! 

Whilst I was away I decided to once again take part in Inktober (I think i have done it for about 5 years).  Created 10 years ago by artists Jake Parker you produce a piece each day for the month (see https://inktober.com/ for more details). 

There are various prompts etc you can use and I tend to use the official ones forcing myself to spend no more than 10 mins to draw on a tag - that way I am more than likely to be able to keep up!

So my desk this week is a bit of a cheat as I placed the tags on my dining room table to photograph the ones I have done so far so thought that could be my workdesk (well it sometimes is so why not)

This is the first 6 days worth of tags, most are drawn with Posca pens as I love them as they take on SO many surfaces and I tend to carry a few primary colours with me so I have something to sketch with if I have the time (or stuck waiting for trains etc!)

These are the next 6 I have completed, I am a couple days behind but have an evening free soon so plan on spending some time catching up (as its dark now in the evenings so not able to work on the allotment).

So, What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday?

Kyla

Art Abandonment in Spain

 Sorry I have been absent for a while but it all got a bit too much so I had to cut a few things, but I am back!  During my time out hubby and I went to Sitges in Spain, only 40 mins by train from Barcelona.  

Barcelona is amazing, the architecture is fabulous and the street art is almost as good as Bristol!  We also did a street art tour and lucked out as it was only the two of us so we got a totally personal tour!  Fantastic.

Sitges is amazing, right on the coast with a long promenade and is seen as the gay capitol and is a beautiful town with amazing views and places to eat and drink.

Whilst we were away we did a few more Art Abandonment drops so I thought I would update the blog with a few of these.

This is a watercolour postcard I painted and it seem fitting to abandon it in Sitges

 These two tags are with coloured with posca pens and were created and abandoned in Barcelona in an area that is dedicated to public street art where people are legally allowed to paint!  

Then whilst we were on the beach at Sitges we decided to paint a few pebbles and leave them (hubby also took part)

 This is my lizard that I often paint

 Hubby drew a whale and a face using the jagged edge as a part of its head bit off!

 I drew a face using the natural hole as an eye!

It was a lovely holiday and great to be able to sit and paint too (I also did a couple of urban sketches and will blog these soon)

Happy crafting

kyla

365 Journal Challenge

 Ooh get me, I have been at the craft desk again!

On my previous post I started my 365 Challenge page for March.  I decided to add some additional depth and colour to it, adding green, dark blue and red.  I spritzed water over and this enabled me to move the colour round the page, mix it up to darken and lift some off to lighten the effect.  I then sprinkled a bit more water flicker from my fingers to lift a few more areas of paint off the page and waited for it to dry.

Once it was dry I added my journal squares, stamped the date and then decorated the page

Nothing particularly detailed just some doodling with my posca pens (easily my favourite pen to doodle with as it can be applied to SO many different surfaces from shoes, glass to paper and more).  The main thing is I have finished the page so can quickly update the entries to date and I am all caught up with my monthly journals!

Happy crafting

Kyla

Key Holder upcycling

 As Christmas is well and truly over I am safe to post one of my Christmas pressie makes.

My brother and sister-in-law said they would like a key holder so I thought I would try making one rather than buying one.  

Not something I have ever made before but I decided to have a go.

A few years ago I decided to take off my red rubber stamps from their wooded bases in an attempt to save space.  Now the wood was lovely and smooth so too good to throw away so I have had them all stashed away until I can think of something to do with them and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I sanded, gesso'd and stamped a hummingbird and the word "keys" which I embossed then coloured in with posca pens.

When it dried I added a few coats of varnish and bought some key hooks.

I was really pleased how it turned out, not too fiddly just a bit of time for the drying between the layers etc but quite effective and totally personal (sis-in-law loves hummingbirds).

Now I just have about another 40 odd blocks of wood to use up!  Any ideas?

Happy crafting

Kyla

Inktober 2018 part 5

My last and final update for Inktober 2018.

This is the 2nd year I have used tags as the surface and I think I will use them again.  

They work really well as I can slip one in my phone case and a pen in my pocket and travel nice and light and sketch on the go.

I am pleased I managed to do the whole month (just took me ages to upload the photos!) and looking forward to next years.  Now just to decide what to do for my next challenge!

Happy crafting

Kyla

Inktober 2018 Part 4

 Hello peeps, this is my next Inktober 2018 update.  I used the theme of "Nature" for the whole month and the prompts from artist and founder Jake Parker. 

 For full details and future Inktobers see here

One more update for the final few tags to follow shortly

Kyla

Inktober 2018 Part 3

 It has taken a while but I have finally uploaded my Inktober 2018 photos so can update the blog.  I won't put them all on one post as it will be a bit heavy on the images so I will spread them over a few posts.

Following on from the David Attenborough programme I couldn't think of anything else for the prompt of "Bottle" when I chose the theme of "Nature".

 For the prompt of "Expensive" I thought the Saffron Crocus would be a good subject

I do enjoy Inktober and trying to stick to the same theme for the month.  I ensure none of the pictures take more than 10 mins and some have posca paint added to them (great for painting on the go).  Some of them I don't really care for others I quite like.

Either way it is a good learning experience.

happy crafting

kyla

Inktober 2018 part 2

 This is the next part of my Inktober 2018 update.  I am still trying to stick to my theme of nature and using the prompts from the Inktober website.

 I thought de-forestation would be appropriate for the prompt "cruel"

 Self explanatory!

 I have always thought of Owls as guardians of the countryside for some reason, maybe because of the wise old owl thought.

 Wasn't too impressed with my dandelion clock.  But I decided to not re-draw any as they are meant to be quick (only a few minutes a day) sketches and give me space to learn new techniques and skills.

 For weak I looked to my garden and the small weak seedlings that become strong with the right conditions-much like ourselves!

 Angular made me think of the monkey puzzle tree I used to walk past when I was about 5 years old in a neighbours garden-always amused me by its shape (and of course at that age the belief that monkeys really did live in there!)

and a puffer fish seemed like the obvious choice for this prompt!

I have made a few more since these but I need to upload the next lot of photos and I hope to blog them in the next week or so.

I love Inktober, it is such a great idea and takes me only 5-10 mins a day MAX and I end up learning so much more about my style and technical ability as well as what does and does NOT work for me!

Happy inking

Kyla

 

Inktober 2018 Part 1

 Just a quick update on my involvement with Inktober 2018

Artist Jake Parker created a challenge in 2009 to create 31 drawings in 31 days in order to improve his drawing skills - it took off and now there are over 408k followers on Instagram!!

For the past 3 years (which I have also taken part) they have also published prompts for each day, but you can use them or not, draw daily, weekly or even do them all in one go!  It's very laid back and a great way to experiment with ink.

Full details can be found here

The last couple of years I have completed mine on tags (small, cheap and take ink quite well).  So far I am using the prompts and whilst the other year my monthly inspiration was robots this year I thought I would choose Nature.

 The flowing of lava down the volcano

 

 An oyster

 Starfish!  Well, its a loose interpretation!

 Forgot to take any tags with me on day 7 which I was in Malta at Notte Bianca a fabulous free festival where I went to watch the band The Selecter play (seen them a few times but never overseas).  This sloth for "exhausted" (which I was) was sketched at 01:30 in the morning in a bar!

 The wolf is drooling (I got some odd looks sketching this sat on a bench in a park!)

 I love mushrooms and foraging so for the Chicken prompt I thought 'Chicken of the Woods' fungi would be a perfect interpretation!

 Spelling Bee!  Play on words but there are no rules and this is the first bee I have tried to draw, I was quite pleased with this one.

 Chestnuts roasting on a fire!

 I find woodlands tranquil (hence I try to do a daily walk and belong to the Woodland Trust)

and the first one-the death cap!

So that is them so far (I have done a few more, if you follow me on Instagram you have probably seen the last few days newer ones, I will blog these soon as it takes a while to upload and blog).

Are you doing Inktober?  I would love to know if you are.

Happy crafting

Kyla