Graphic recording took a new turn last week. I was not inspired by my usual selection of paints and pens and instead turned to an enormous stack of 12×12 scrapbooking paper to move me. Every color is represented and I grabbed a very sharp pair of scissors and went to work on creating a reindeer out of shards of paper. I couldn’t leave my Gelly Rolls behind, so naturally they filled in the blanks.

Suzy always tells me she loves my patterns. Well, here you go Suz. This ones for you!

As a true believer in the power of play and letting things happen (process over product, we like to say), I’d like to share illustrations from my music festival journal. These are lyrics from songs, my own musings and the colors and patters I was inspired to draw.

Wake. Come alive. Make waves and move the air around you. Drink a glass of bubbly water and get to know your talents.

Make. Be brave. Plan to fail, so make something fun. When you are practiced at facing the wind and cold of failed experiments staring at the sheer-faced cliffs of uncertainty will not be as daunting.

Use your voice! Let’s hear it!

Yes, I am a believer in following bliss. It’s fun and delightful things happen on the journey. A great book on creative lettering inspired me to try my hand at a technique shown in the book. It is very detailed so I needed a short word. “Yes” happens to be one of my favorite words—often spoken with excitement upon finding a great pair of shoes on sale.

Erik and I went camping to Chevelon Canyon Lake last weekend. He fished, I journaled. Little did I realize that a simple meditation in word art could reveal so much charming detail and meaning. First let me say, though, that this is the first time in over 15 years Erik and I have done this. We camped extensively in our 20s, but buying our first house gobbled up every weekend and thus the fun was relegated to short day trips. I believe our last camping trip happened just before we got married.

Here I am sitting in my Kelsyus chair, blissfully working on YES with new pens I discovered at Arizona Art. Called “Gelly Rolls,” I did not take these as serious tools until I started using them. I was drawn to the neon colors and then quickly realized that the opaque quality of the ink and vibrancy of the colors shot my little sketch into the atmosphere!

As much as I try, images don’t do the work justice. Neon, siver, gold and bright white over the watercolor pencils is an amazing effect. It took me all weekend to complete. As I was finishing up I realized the letters “E” and “S” are connected by a heart. (The heart made it in there because my kerning was a bit off.) Being the first camping trip since we’ve been married, I dedicated the piece to us (E loves S) and drew our anniversary date in the water just below the jumping fish.

Yes!

While painting at Suzy’s, her two girls spied my illustrations for Learning Lula (the children’s book I’m illustrating for CC). Charmed that I had turned their friend (CC’s daughter) into a cartoon, they asked me to draw them into the story too. How could I say no? I penned these representations of the girls and they got to pick out their outfits and which stuffie they would hold. Lilli has been a giraffe fan forever, so she asked for one on her shirt as well. Such cute girls. It was a pleasure doing this for them. And to see how pleased they were was worth every stroke.

Their mom, meanwhile is rockin’ an awesomely inspiring blog over at blanckslate.com. Check out the colors! She also has an amazing space at instagram and pinterest. Many of my inspirations come from her beautiful spirit.

Franglish is my second language. That or I like to up the ante when it comes to creating something as dull as an info graphic. Well, whichever it is, here’s my latest painting for CDE Associates…

in process…

“Moving Water” ~ The Soul of Rumi

When you do things from your soul, you feel a river
moving in you, a joy.

When actions come from another section, the feeling
disappears. Don’t let

others lead you. They may be blind or, worse, vultures.
Reach for the rope

of God. And what is that? Putting aside self-will.
Because of willfulness

people sit in jail, the trapped bird’s wings are tied,
fish sizzle in the skillet.

The anger of police is willfulness. You’ve seen a magistrate
inflict visible punishment. Now

see the invisible. If you could leave your selfishness, you
would see how you’ve

been torturing your soul. We are born and live inside
black water in a well.

How could we know what an open field of sunlight is? Don’t
insist on going where

you think you want to go. Ask the way to the spring. Your
living pieces will form

a harmony. There is a moving palace that floats in the air
with balconies and clear

water flowing through, infinity everywhere, yet contained
under a single tent.

I am finishing out my Caribbean vacay journal and was inspired by this awesome palette of Angora watercolors I discovered at Arizona Art. There are so many colors! More than my Pelican set that I won’t leave home without.

The last awesome sight of my trip was seeing a diver jump off a 50 foot cliff into somewhat rough waters. It was breathtaking. If he can do that I can certainly reach my goals! One of which is mastering this medium. Below is a weekly practice to help me love and learn to use the color and the brushes. It is immensely easy and satisfying. Try it!

 

Recently, I ran across a great article on being lucky (and unlucky). For me, being lucky and getting lucky are different in that those who are considered to be lucky are actually just present. (“Get lucky” implies you are waiting around for something to happen). Being lucky means paying attention, connecting to the people around you, and grateful for all life’s gifts. Here is the article: “Be Lucky, It’s an Easy Skill To Learn”

Speaking of lucky, a lucky little bird has already found a roost in my newly renovated office. Full post with photos to come. Thanks to my rockin’ husband with the mad skills for building out what was once a spare room in the house. Lucky, indeed.