On my desk this month …

On my desk this month is a painting I created as part of the online creative group I am part of as well as some colouring and mindful art pieces.

The colouring page (left image) was actually done last month, a page from The Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford that I coloured with Derwent Inktense pencils. The greetings card and co-ordinating envelope took me many hours! There was something to colour on every surface. They’re from a colouring book of cards by the British Museum, and I have another 23 to enjoy at some point. I find colouring is a really simple way of enjoying creativity when I don’t want to have to think too much.

The central picture is what I created for the online group. One of the current themes for the group is stained glass, and feeling inspired I created this representation of the trinity. The theme of the trinity came from a discussion I’d had with someone the day before, so I decided the main image would be a celtic knot. Somewhere in my thoughts I linked the neurographic art style with stained glass, so I incorporated that a bit too. I’ve used Posca pens on canvas board, which I don’t think I’ve tried before, and although difficult to blend, I’m quite pleased with the result.

The last image is of the mindful art I’ve created recently. The top piece is a neurographic piece, coloured with the Inktense pencils. The watercolour pieces below I created this week and I expect I will add more detail with a black fineliner in the coming days. This mindful art is really just relaxing play. Sometimes I follow a technique, other times I just put pen or brush to paper and see what emerges. It’s not the finished result that matters, but the enjoyment and relaxation I get from creating. If we can get over the angst of what a finished picture looks like (often ingrained in us at school), creating becomes much more fun!