Welcome back to Beginnings, where we talk about Fresh Starts, New Cycles, Exploration, Experimentation and Creativity! This particular post is in two parts. The first part is focused on my Illustration Pic of the Week. The Second part is focused on the video content above and what I am sharing with you from my studio space. If you're interested in my illustrations from my personal journal and/or you would enjoy an inside look at my art journal process, then this post is for you! 

Now on to the Illustration Pic of the Week. I create an illustration in my personal journal each evening as part of my daily journaling practice. So that's 7 illustrations to choose from for the Pic of the Week. This week I'm sharing "Prepping," an illustration to highlights the time I spent in my art journal, using a new tool for cutting fabric! I'm excited to experiment with using something other than a regular scissor to create a new design in my art journal. 

For this Part 2 segment, I am sharing a video of my behind-the-scenes activity in my Art Studio space, and I am showing some new cutting tools, my experience with each one, and I demonstrate how I am building a design for a new art journal spread. I'm excited to try new tools that might make my work with fabric easier, since I love using fabric as collage material, which I discuss in detail and show in the video. 

I decided since the Illustration and the video cover the same topic, I thought it would work well together to put them in the same post, so you can see the process of my art journaling and how it translates into something worth remembering from  my day! 

My goal and my delight is for you to be inspired by what you see that will lead to your own creative pursuits! It can be exciting to find a tool that really works to make creating easier and more fulfilling. I wish the same for you in whatever creative activity you enjoy engaging in. If you have recently found a tool in your creative trade that has made a difference for you, you are welcome to share in the comments below! I love celebrating with you in community! 

Journaling Prompt: 
What makes keeping your journaling practice easier? Is there a particular tool such as type of pen, journal or other accessory that you especially enjoy using? Why? Is there something you would like to experiment with that you have yet to try? How do you think it will enhance your experience? 

Thank you for being a part of my artistic journey. I appreciate your presence here. 
And I wish you the Very Best of Beginnings! 

Hello and welcome back to Beginnings! I'm having so much fun sharing with you my choice for Pic of the Week from my daily personal illustrations I create in my sketchbook journal when I do my evening practice. It gives me such JOY to create these "spot illustrations" inspired by moments I want to highlight from my day. 

This week's Pic features me in the kitchen cooking lunch (having just sliced some carrots for my veggie to be boiled), while doing a video chat with my daughter, Sarah, the day after she turned 32! Yes, it was party time! We had such an enjoyable conversation, especially focused on her poetry, which is her most natural way to express herself (for many years!). I enjoyed telling her what I was making for my meal, what my ingredients were for my customized "coleslaw" I make for myself, which she thought sounded delish. We did a lot of laughing and enjoyed one another's company. 

I enjoyed celebrating with my daughter as she turns another number, with her being my winter lady. (I don't call her a Baby anymore!) It was so good to see her mega-watt Julia Robert's smile. 
And in our house, birthdays are celebrated all month long...so day 2, we're just getting started! Ha! Why not, right? 

Art supplies: 
I used fine line pen for the figure and objects along with colored pencil and pastel for the garments. The lettering is pencil and pastel combined. I absolutely LOVE the texture the pastel adds to the mix. Texture is one of my favorite elements of making art. What is yours?

Journaling prompt: 
Do you have a special way you make birthdays last longer? What is your favorite way to celebrate your own birthday? If you could ask for something as a gift, what would it be and why? 

Thanks for being a part of my artistic and family journey; I enjoy celebrating with you! 
​Wishing you the very Best of Beginnings! 

Welcome back to Beginnings! We are having fun in the Studio making some decisions about Art Supplies; I have recorded a Behind-the-Scenes video showing you some of my art supplies and discussing what I have determined to remove from my art supply collection and why I'm choosing to. Get a peek at some of my rubber stamp collection and Alpha stamps, and a bit of history about my Art Journalig Journey (I reveal how long I've been keeping an art journal!).

I also want to give a shout out to my daughter, Sarah, who's birthday is today, 1/23/24! I filmed this on her birthday so I want to wish her a Happy Birthday! May all your wishes come true! 

Do you have any supplies that you have accumulated, whether art or otherwise, that you can declutter, that you aren't using anymore?
Let's declutter together!
It's perfect time with this being a New Year of 2024. Out with the Old, right? I'm cheering you on! 

Thank you for being on this artist journey with me; and for your interest in my Studio life! (And if you give me a thumbs up on my video and subscribe if you haven't already, I will be delighted!!)

Journaling Prompt: 
What do your art supplies say about you? What are your favorite go-tos in your studio and why? What have you been meaning to remove but haven't yet and why? Make a list and take action to make your space as inviting and relevant as possible. Happy Creating! 

​And I wish you the very Best of Beginnings! 

Hello and Welcome Back to Beginnings. For this post, I am sharing my Illustration Pick of the Week from the week of 1/8/24. I so enjoy creating an evening illustration in my journal to highlight something I want to remember from the day's experience. I chose to illustrate and emphasize the One Year Anniversary of my beloved father's passing. My Dad "Danny" Bel-Tempo was the best dad I could have asked for as a child; he was fun loving, enjoyed seeing me happy and had the greatest chuckle to highlight his sense of humor. 
One this Day of Remembrance, I chose to focus on all the things I loved about my Dad and what made him, him. I always loved his choice of grammar and how he would point it out if you weren't accurate with yours. (He did write 3 novels!, one of which was called Foxes. So the fox is the animal that always reminds me of my dad.) 
In my illustration, I aimed to use facial expression to emphasize how I felt that day, still hearing his voice in my head, which is often accentuated with humor. I sometimes find myself laughing out loud at what I hear in my mind's ear. 
Well, Dad, I remembered you and do daily. And now I know you and Mom are reunited, so enjoy! 
With love always, your daughter Dawn

Art supplies: I used a combination of colored pencil and pastel crayon for the letters: ONE YEAR. I used fine line pen for the figure and words, colored pencil and pastel for the wardrobe. I so appreciate the blessing illustration is to me especially when I want to express my love for my Dad. Art supplies are the gift to create from the heart, as I intuitively choose what will best help me make visual what is inside. 

Journaling Prompt: 
How do you best choose to express yourself when remembering someone you love who has passed? Do you find it satisfying? Are there ways you can create a context to support yourself and focus on self care during a time that may be difficult? I wish you well in discovering what that is. 

​And I wish you the very Best of Beginnings! 

Hello and Welcome back to Beginnings! For this post, I am sharing my Illustration Pick of the Week! This is a drawing I did in my personal journal, highlighting the office work I did for meeting a deadline! I used a fine pen for the notebooks and calculator as well as the figure. I used colored pencils and pastel for the wardrobe, hair and skin. 

I think it’s important to recognize a job well done instead of just rushing on to the next task. My illustration practice gives me space to do just that. Very validating! What have you recognized lately? 

Journaling prompt: 
How do you handle deadlines? Do you give yourself margin so you don’t feel rushed? 
Office tip: Breaking down the task into small steps can help with reducing overwhelm and getting the job done with satisfaction! 

Hello and Welcome Back to Beginnings, where we talk about Fresh Starts, New Cycles, Experimentation, Exploration and Creativity. And this is my first blog post for the New Year of 2024, and I'm excited to bring you my first completed art journal spread, which I have titled: Falling Apart in Order to Bloom. I did the majority of this spread in 2023, starting back in July, when I was in the throws of grieving my father's passing in January (1/8/23 will be a year). 

Now, what does that mean exactly? As of this writing, (1/5/24), I'm still contemplating. But in reflection, I think it speaks to the "falling apart," or breaking down phase when you are reckoning with a life changing event that correlates with some very deep rooted parts of your life experience that are foundational to who you are. And my father's passing certainly contributed to that experience. Somewhat of a metamorphosis, which entails a breaking in order to re-build and bloom. And this takes courage! And discernment of how to get from the beginning of this process to the beauty of transformation. 

So here is my art journal tool and supply list used in this spread: 
India ink
Gouache paint
oil pastel
water soluble pastel 
colored pencil, both water soluble and non water soluble
fabric in various prints
buttons
sequins
leaf stamps in various types and sizes
letter stamps
gel medium
matte medium 
magazine clippings 

Journaling Prompt:
Have you experienced a "falling apart" in order to bloom in a new place? What was that like for you? What did you learn from it? What new undrstanding do you have of yourself now that you didn't have before as a result? How did you take care of yourself in the process? 

Thank you so much for being a part of my journey as artist and creative. 
Your presence is greatly appreciated. <3 

​I wish you the Happiest of New Years in 2024 and the very Best of Beginnings! 

Welcome back to Beginnings, the place where we talk about Fresh Starts, New Cycles, Experimentation, Exploration and Creativity. And in this special post, I am sharing a behind-the-scenes view of the Creation of my brand new Header Logo, Beginnings! I'm excited to chat with you about what Beginnings is all about and why it's important to Celebrate each beginning we encounter as well as how we can be Intentional about our Beginnings. In between chatting, I also share with you my art supplies, my color choices, and the reason for the steps I take to create this piece of art. 

I recorded the above video in Real Time so you can see and hear me as we create this art together...bring some of your own art to work on if that inspires you! And I'd love to hear about what you're creating. This piece of art/logo is actually a special one because I am Celebrating One Year of Beginnings, and I'd love for you to join me. 

I did record the creation of Beginnings Logo in several sessions so it's a longer video of 35 minutes, which includes introduction of what we are making and the action behind-the-scenes. It is my delight to share this with you and I trust you will be inspired with your own creativity and maybe learn something along the way. You're welcome to drop a comment, either on YouTube (and subscribe!) or right here at Beginnings, to let me know what you think, what your greatest take away is and how you've been inspired. 

And of course, I wish you the very Best of Beginnings! 

Hello and welcome back to Beginnings where we talk about new cycles, fresh starts, experimentation, exploration and creativity. For this post, I’m sharing an Art Studio tour (fresh start!) (still in the organization stage but progress is progress!) along with my busy illustration happenings (both commercially for blogging and personally in my journal). You’re welcome to come along with me as I show you behind the scenes including some antiques from childhood! Plus I chat about our friendly felines in the neighborhood. I hope to inspire you in your own creative pursuits! 

Journaling Prompt: 
What fresh start are you celebrating right now? Detail it in your journal. How do you feel about it? Are you excited, uncertain, disorganized or aligned? 
It’s ok to feel out of sorts with a fresh start; after all, you’ve entered some new territory. Try to take it slow and go gently. Don’t expect perfection from yourself. Where do you want to go with this fresh start? What would the ideal look like for you? 
Write the smallest step you can take in this new space to make it feel like Home. And then, do it! 

I wish you the Best of Beginnings! 

Hello and Welcome Back to Beginnings where we talk about Fresh Starts, New Cycles, Exploration, Experimentation and Creativity. In this post and video, I share a new illustration, talk about specific art supplies and how I've been using them. I also discuss new music I'm working on. 

I'm all about experimentation with new supplies and with new approaches with different substrates. 
With my new illustration, I share my art supplies from CaranD'Ache and Prismacolor and when I use the water soluable qualities of the colored pencils and pastels. 

In my previous illustration that I shared in this video/post, I did not use water. I just used the art supplies dry. 
But I desire to stretch myself as an artist and try new things and see what works and what doesn't. Yes, this requires some risk taking! But it's essential to explore with my art tools to see what they can do and the effects I can create with them. Some I love and some I don't. I take note mentally of what works and what doesn't. 

I use scratch paper to test supplies and wet them to see what they will look like before applying them to my illustration. 
Sometimes even after application, I have to learn how well the pencil or pastel works. And I also note how the paper holds up with repeated application. 

Strathmore is my go to substrate of choice; in this video I show the size pad I used and how that worked out for the size of the illustration. 
I show the actual result of my work in the video. You can also view the illustration on the website for Bill's Quality Electric, LLC on our electrical safety blog here. I have really enjoyed writing scene based posts for electrical safety which I talk about in the video as well. 

I also share the two new songs I've been working on plus my most recent song I've composed for piano and what that experience has been like. 

I trust you will be inspired watching and reading and I wish you the Best of Beginnings! 

Journaling Prompt: 
If you work with art supplies, what are your favorites and why? What are you go to tools to create what you love? 
If you work in other contexts creatively, what is your favorite aspect of this activity? How often do you engage in this activity? Do you want to make more time for it? If so, what time would work best for you? How do you feel after a session in your creative space? Note this in detail in your journal. 

Hello and welcome back to Beginnings, where we focus on Fresh Starts, New Cycles, Exploration, Experimentation and Creativity. This is a special post since I am sharing a new video where I've come back to say hello and share my new Life Cycle, New Art Studio and some art I've made in the past few months that you may not have seen already. 

You'll see two illustration and an art journal spread that I shared in a previous post. I also share what's going on with my music and my new art studio space and how I'm processing some major life changes that I've shared in previous blog posts. 

I'm not referring to this video as a vlog. It simply an update so I can say hi and share from my heart to yours. 
I hope this video is an inspiration to you in your own creativity! 
You're welcome to leave a comment either on YouTube or here on this post sharing your life update or a new life cycle you are currently experiencing. I am here to support you just like you have supported me and have been part of my journey. 

I also would appreciate it if you enjoy the video to please give it a thumbs up and if you haven't already subscribed, to subscribe if it is beneficial to you. This helps my channel get more visibility. I so appreciate your support. 

Thank you for watching and reading and I wish you the best of Beginnings.