Filling Your Time With Creative Endeavors

Over at the Sketchbook Challenge blog this month, the theme is "doodling".
This is one of my favorite things to do!
I always carry a travel art kit with me - it includes several folded pieces of paper (usually Exact Vellum Bristol) or a ready made sketchbook, travel watercolor paints, Faber Castell Pitt Artists Pens and a pencil & eraser.
When I find myself with a minute or two , I pull out a piece of paper (or sketchbook) and a pencil or pen and fill my time with emptying some of the images rolling around in my head (which can be kinda scary now that I think of it).

There are times that I allow the stress of living in this world occupy a larger space there (in my head) than it should so drawing  is a great way to get my mind off of the negative things.

I've had a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook for a while now but (evidently) put it on a higher shelf in my studio...I have found it again and started using it to see if I like the paper. I believe it is a 200 gsm paper.

I haven't found the "perfect" sketchbook yet...
I suspect that there will never be that "Perfect One" because my sketching habits change, the medium that I color my images with changes as well as the size that I am willing to carry around.
But I sure am enjoying the hunt for one!

Before Christmas (seems like that was sooo long ago, doesn't it?) I was working on a few small handmade books to submit to Christopher Park Gallery in town (they are carrying my work!).

Here is a sampling of the original sketches that led to some of the cover art for the "Little Books" series.

It's a little difficult to see - I drew the images with a harder lead pencil (2H) (which makes a lighter mark).
It was all I had at the time. I have since switched my "regular" sketching pencil to a "F" lead.
I'm not sure if I'll be pleased with that either...I'll keep switching around until I am happy with the results.
And I love drawing with the "2H" pencil, I just don't like the lightness of the scanned image.
I know that I can adjust that in post-editing...but the truth is - I not very good at "post editing" images.
I usually just scan images and use the file as is.
(I did go back and adjust the brightness/contrast just to get the lines darkened up).

Perhaps I should resolve to take a class on that...

I had started drawing all the cats after this little angel came into our life
(cute kitty photo alert).

He has not only cemented himself into our hearts but onto our couch as well!
(I snuck that photo in rather seamlessly, didn't I?)

In drawing the cats, I began branching out to the Big Cats.
Lions and tigers quickly followed.

Here's one of them. I love the curly, flowing mane.

I'm still working on him though.

This is the way that a lot of my artwork evolves.
I begin with a loose, often very ugly sketch but it serves to remind me later of what I originally had in mind.
It's a great "jumping off" point.

I hope that all of you are flexing your creative muscles this New Year!
Get your sketch on!