For some time, I have been wanting to draw a white mandala on black paper. I drew the grid for the mandala back in August. Yesterday, I finished the mandala. It may have taken more time to draw the grid than the mandala. Probably not.
Drawings
Inktense Experiment
Below is the result of my experiment with Derwent Inktense pencils. These pencils work by adding color to the paper and applying water. Once dry, the ink is permanent. Watercolor pencils and paint you can remoisten.
The drawing was done of watercolor paper with Micron pens.
Nope! I Don’t Like That
Here is my latest drawing on four tiles. Almost from the very from the first curve that went down on the paper, I was saying to myself “Nope! I don’t like that.” I few more curves and a little color, still “I don’t like that.” But, I decided instead of trashing the tiles I would complete the drawing and put the tiles away to never to be seen again.
Somewhere towards the end, either when the green leaves were being drawn or the blue background was being added, my opinion of the drawing changed to “Okay, now that really look cool.”
2018 Christmas Card
My Christmas Cards are mailed. Enough time has passed that most of the cards should have reached their destinations. Now, I can share the cards on my blog.
This year I drew ornaments on 3.5″ square tiles. I selected the high quality tiles, because I wanted to color on the tiles. I keep the color to a minimum because I wanted the ornaments to look delicate like glass Christmas ornaments. Below are a few of the tiles. All of the tiles are located on Drawing page.
I designed the card in CorelDraw. I converted the picture below to an outline drawing to use as a background on the card.
I created an area on the card to put the tile. I have been placing the same symbol with my name on all the back of all my cards since 2004.
Outside
Inside
The folded card measures 5.25″ square. I embossed several stems on the front of the card, and attached the tiles to the cards with photo corners. I wanted the recipient to be able to remove the tile without damaging the tile. Below is one of the finished cards.
Christmas Artwork from the Past
I visited the local museum to view their Christmas displays. On the wall were hanging copies of various artwork from 100+ years ago. Most visitors probably ignored these pieces, but the detail the artists put into these drawings are amazing. Artwork like this probably helped shape how we currently view the Holiday season.
Flower Spin
Christmas Cards are done! Christmas shopping is finished (I think.) Work area cleaned, so I can get back to my drawings!
Here is a mandala I recreated in Corel Draw. It was based off of the one I drew by hand, which was Number 80 in the Mandala Challenge.
A black and white PDF version of this mandala is available on my coloring page.
100 in 57 Days
On September 1, 2018, I accepted the 100 Mandalas in 100 Day Challenge. On Day 57 of the Challenge, I have made 100 Mandalas. Kathryn Costa’s book “The Mandala Guidebook“ challenged the readers to create 100 Mandalas in 100 Days.
Below are some of the mandala that I like the best from 081 to 101. All of the drawing for this challenge are posted on the 100 Mandala Challenge page.
Mandala 100 was done on 9″ x 12″ Bristol Board using Faber Castell Pitt pens, Chameleon Markers, and Sakura metallic gel pens.
Mandala 100
Mandala 99
October 23, 2018
Mandala 095
October 21, 2018
October 20, 2018
Mandala 084
Mandala 090
The Neon Experiment
I like neon colors. The pinks, the yellows, the oranges – how they look vibrant on the paper. Below are some of my latest drawing where I experimented with neon colors, and black and white pens to create drawings and their backgrounds.
The Windmill effect is one of the better ones. Done with Neon Sharpies and Sakura gel pens.
Mandala 074
Mandala 074 – Black Light
The first background I did with Neon Sharpies and Sakura Gel Pens. The white gel pens did not show as much as I would have liked, but I wanted to keep the lines simple.
October 13, 2018 – Neon
October 13, 2018 – Black Light
Stadler Fine point neon markers were used for this drawing.
Mandala 078
Mandala 078 – Black Light
Busy with stars!
October 14, 2018
October 14, 2018 – Black Light
Cheap neon color pencils and Stadler Fine point neon markers were used to color the circles.
Mandala 076
Mandala 076 – Black Light
Flowers and more flower. Neon Sharpies and Faber Castell Pitt pens were used. I probably should have used a thicker point pen.
October 15, 2018
October 15, 2018 – Black Light
And finally the best for last. This drawing was done on Bristol Board using Faber Castell Pitt Pens and Neon Sharpie Markers.
Neon Twirls
Neon Twirls under Blacklight
Sketchbook Inspiration
I try to create two drawings a day; one drawing on 3.5″ tiles (usually a Studio Series Artist Tiles) and one drawing in my sketchbook. The purpose is to practice drawing something everyday, so I can move to more complicated pieces; people, building, landscapes, etc. The drawings below are not complicated, but a quick sketchbook drawing inspired other drawings.
This is the drawing done in my sketchbook. It provided the idea to create a colorful drawing on the 3.5 inch tile. Maybe I should turn this into something bigger and colorful.
Mandala 052
This little drawing was done using Sakura Metallic Gel pens and Faber Castell Pitt Pens. It just twirls around the page.
October 3, 2018
After the little drawing was completed, the idea for the larger drawing began to form. Yes, I created a grid with lines and circles in pencils to keep the drawing uniformed. The outlines of the tear drops were done with a Faber Castell Pitt pen and colored with Neon Sharpie Markers on Bristol Board. The was drawing vibrant, but plain, until the detail was added.
Neon Twirls
Inspiration from a Wall
You never know what you hang on a wall will inspire someone. Usually, it is a sign with words on it. For me it was a wall with balls sculptures, made out of circles, hanging on it. This inspired me…
Circles
… to create this.
Mandala 066
