Doodle design

One of the things I have been doing to get out of a creative rut is doodling.  At night I spend 15 or 20 minutes with pen and paper before setting in for the night and it has helped revive my creativity.  

In part, doodling take the pressure of performance away.  It's okay to accept imperfection.    After all, you're just doodling.

I had also started to disconnect from the tangible aspects of art.  I work mostly in digital mediums to the point where I had forgotten the joy of putting pen to paper.

One of the best things to help stir up creativity is to let go and experiment.  To try things that aren't your style.  To try your style in new ways and mediums. 

For anyone who is interested in doodling as an art form, there are some great web sites and blogs.  There is even a kit you can buy from Zentangle, with all of the supplies and how to's.  For me, doodling was a flash back to middle school and filling in the time (as well as the page) while teachers droned on and on. 

getting up close

One of the things I love to do with photography is to take macro shots - especially of flowers. I also really enjoy taking something recognizable, and seeing what patterns of color I can create by zooming in ridiculously close to the picture when I am creating a design.

The two pics above are a good example. The pattern of abstract pinks and purples was created by turning the thistle pic on it's side, then enlarging the pic as much as I could. I ended up with some nice repetition and colors and pretty much left it as is. I merged a few of the colors to limit the color pallet and voila ! Instant fun.

Surviving winter doldrums, Part II

I decided the doodle from my first (ever!) post was worth while enough to edit it a bit. First, The pattern was extended using some free form to let the elements extend beyond the sides.

Then another panel was added to continue the swirl part of the design. It will be attached with short fringe. Additional fringe will be next to the panel to balance the color and shape. Fringe will be used to continue the light blue arch running through the center of the design.

The small panel on the bottom has been finished and the larger panel is being worked on. I hope to have it finished in a week or two.

I have to say I was inspired by several works of Ronit Florence. Her work is "WOW!" I will try to find a way to create a link to share her awesome work. She is good at "thinking outside the box."