It's time for some Doodle Dynamics! I have such fun creating doodles each evening as a way of Honoring My Day and recognizing the themes of what I experience. These visuals are a type of "encapsulating" with my viewpoint on my daily life.
With this one, Schedule Shift, it was a reflection of what my whole day looked like just as a result of doing something in the morning that I normally don't do, so that pushed off everything else, thus the Shift. Sometimes when we have a shift in our schedule, it can leave us feeling all discombobulated since it's not what we're used to; but when we choose to go with the flow instead of viewing it as an interruption, we can really see good things happen. Thus I used bright colors to convey my day. To create this doodle, I started with letters fully recognizable, but sort of compressed together, like there's no breathing room to speak of, with one thing right after the other. Yet there were good points to the day, so I wanted the visual to reflect the fun element of spontaneity that is often unexpected. So I added polka dot circles to enhance the gold tone. Then I decided to add balls, with that association of having too many balls to keep in the air to make sure everything happens when it's supposed to. I also added movement lines to create that bouncy look. For the Shift word, the letters looked like they're all lined up and working together as they move ahead to get the job done. I added stripes to convey that forward movement plus using those stripes to added more color changes for visual interest. Then I added movement lines. The arrow helps to convey that movement forward. I've been really loving arrows lately and have been adding them frequently to my doodles. I also filled the arrow with stippled dots for a fun visual effect. All the letters are defined/accentuated with shadow lines to give them dimension and a unified look. Journaling Prompt: Have you experienced a day with unexpected shifts in what you had planned, thus moving things in a forward direction? What kind of a day did it turn out to be? Were you frustrated or did you simply run with the spontenaity and enjoy the ride, trusting the process? How did you best benefit from this schedule shift? Art Journal Prompt: Create a visual of your usual schedule that you follow, then cut them out and mix them all up! Note any changes you may want to make as a result from any insights you gained.
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A Total Eclipse. A Recent event with the blood moon, starting late in the evening. When my husband, Bill, mentioned its occurrence, we decided to check it out. We tried the back yard, but with too many trees, we had no visibility. So I suggested we try the front yard. Much to our pleasure, we had a good view standing in just the right spot between our live oaks. The eclipse was well under way but we saw just a sliver of the moon still visible so we were just in time. That was a memorable moment as we saw a rare event in progress, just the two of us relishing our time together. Although blood moons are rare, and so are total ecliipses, this one happening together was a true anomaly. But what about life eclipses...eclipses of the Heart? When we feel overwhelmed or are in a dark or uneasy or unsure place. When we're off our center and need to get back. When we face life challenges, especially those kind that persist, bringing chronic trouble to our weary souls. These are emotional eclipses. And what do they accomplish? They leave us feeling joyless, disheartened, and maybe, sometimes, resentful or bitter. Yuk. Doesn't sound like much fun, does it? No, I didn't think so either. So how do we prevent or reduce eclipses of our hearts? In other words, how do we manage challenging situations without losing our joy and enjoyment of life on a daily basis? Well, that's where daily refreshment comes in...and a refreshed mindset. How we view our challenge can make a difference in how we respond to it. If we see the situation as out of our control, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So we need to get a fresh view and transform those dark spaces into areas of clarity, truth and light. Sometimes this takes time in our journals, expressing just exactly what is bothering us so we can figure out our eclipsing triggers and their source. Getting it down on paper can make all the difference in gaining clarity and figuring out our most effective and authentic action steps toward healing and well being. When we can get to a place where we have a clearer view and a greater understanding of how we can respond, taking care of ourselves and still being responsible, caring individuals, we can experience, once again, inner joy, gratitude and that sense of being Aligned with Who We Are, back to center. This is where we feel relief, release, and rest for our souls and healing to our minds and hearts. And when we take the time to engage in those refreshing activities that speak to our hearts, we can create a place of comfort, of relishment, of honoring Who We Are, which can really enhance our daily experience and, perhaps, even minimize the effects of those eclipses, so they don't have a chance to completely extinguish our joy, but simply initiate more time to care for ourselves more deeply. Perhaps that can be the silver lining, like the silver of the moon, which shines once the eclipse is over. In all of its beautiful glory. Shine on, dear one, and feel that fulness of joy deep in your soul. Journaling Prompt:
Have you experienced a Total Eclipse of your heart with a disheartening or challenging situation? Detail your eclipsing triggers with the intent of getting to the heart of the matter. **Describe your emotions and record any resonating situations that you may recall in connection with your current situation. Then detail how you can take action to transform this dark spot into a place of clarity and light. Art Journaling Prompt: Find images of an eclipse to Honor your Challenge, validating your emotions but also with the visual purpose of gaining clarity, with whatever colors, textures and text that resonates most powerfully for you. Let this be a healing process that brings you to where you feel you can shine once again. **Please note: If you find this activity too overwhelming, you may want to speak to a trusted friend or therapist if necessary. Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring Copyright 2015 Graphic Header by Dawn Herring Welcome to my first Doodle Dynamics post at Refresh Daily!
I am a huge doodle fan; I've been creating nightly doodles from the summary word I reference to extract the deepest understanding of my daily experiences. I have been having so much FUN creating word doodles, which I started back in January of 2014 (in conjunction with a fun creative course by Jani Franck) and added COLOR with Winsor Newton Watercolor markers to make my doodles sing back in November of 2014. So it's been almost a year that I've been in the colorful side of my doodles. And I just can't get enough of it! :) I've decided to share an occasion doodle with you directly from my personal journal, especially ones where the design and color scheme really please my eye. I had such fun with this one, discerning. That day I felt my "discerning" vision was very telling and insightful, whether through direct observation or inner consideration, thus the "eyes" in the background, one being more visible, the other more hidden. I used pretty straightforward lettering, but had some delight with embellishing using small circles like little jewels. I filled the letters with Yellow Ochre and then used Sap Green and Cerulean Blue Hue for the jewel areas. I love the contrast between the letter shade and the "Jewel" colors. Journaling Prompt: Recall a day when you had "extra vision" initiating discernment that helped you understand yourself and your world better. Detail what you learned from that discernment and any decisions you made as a result. Did you find that discernment "eye opening?" Art Journal Prompt: Use images of eyes and/or use the word Discernment as a word prompt for your visual spread, choosing colors that initiate clearer "vision" for you. This art journal spread, Pathways, took me on a colorful pathway with reds and purples. Since my previous spread worked out so well with using a brayer to apply watercolor paint to the page, I decided to continue this trend yet again, applying layers of red washes. When I applied the purple hues, I used a palette knife for more focused areas and controlled application. Once I had that done, I accentuated the areas of paint with torn bits of magazine paper in red I had stashed and applied them with matte medium. This created areas or sections on each side, and they reminded me of pathways that lead to different places. Thus, Pathways, became my focus. That's when I determined to stamp out the word pathways along two of those sections, one on each side, using red and purple paint. As I considered the issue of Pathways and what ones are in my life right now, (this is what happens as I'm creating an art journal spread: it opens pathways of thought and brings subconscious ideas to the fore and that's when I learn something about myself; always worth the time invested). As I considered my next step in this spread, I began to think about what this message could be teaching me right now. In this process, I determined to stamp out the question: Where will they lead? I used my Uniball white pen on stamped letters and the wrote the word, Lead, with Uniball pens in different colors. I also outlined the white letters with red pen. Once I had the question down, I knew I needed a conclusive message to sort of answer it...What I determined was...The Aligned Path Always Leads Home. Aha! (Pause for a Epiphany moment). It's funny. My word for 2015 has been Aligned. (Yes, I'm sharing a secret here.) So naturally the word came to mind in conjunction with pathways. And that was my concluding answer...and you know how I determined that? Due to life experience. When I'm aligned, I'm HOME. Everything just FEELS right. And I know when I'm not. And want to get realigned as soon as possible!! So I stamped out the "the" in white Uniball pen, then stamped Aligned with large alpha stamps in red watercolor and highlighted them with white pen. I then hand drew letters for PATH with white pen and filled them with red pen. I hand wrote "always leads" and highlighted with white pen. Then I stamped "home" with ink and alpha letters. I also had some fun cutting out Arrows from colored construction paper and adhered them in various spots around the Pathways showing different directions. But the concluding "Story" behind this spread is I always want to be Aligned becomes that's where I'm home. And it's very good. Journaling Prompt:
Do you know where your Aligned Path to HOME is? If so, detail what it feels like and looks like when you are there. Also describe when you know you're NOT aligned and the process you use to get realigned. Art Journal Prompt: Honor your HOME place in your art journal through images, text and maybe even colored arrows pointing to home using your favorite or associative colors that remind you of HOME. You can also use the word Aligned as a focal point. Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring Copyright 2015 Art Journal Images by Dawn Herring Copyright 2015 Art by Dawn Herring I love going for walks in my neighborhood. With sidewalks on both sides of the street, and lots of great trees, it has always made for a pleasant stroll. I often see birds, butterflies and sometimes squirrels and even a rabbit once in a while. I love taking snapshots of these mini adventures and reveling in the moment of my minutes outdoors. Recently I noticed a big change in the FACE of my neighborhood: many of the trees have been recently "pruned" with larger limbs removed; this I was not expecting. I guess I just thought my tree-lined sidewalk would always look the same. It reminded me of a rain forest, with lots of greenery all around me. But with those pruned changes, that same walk has truly opened up. It almost feels bare in a sense. Quite frankly, I was disappointed by this change, yet, also realized that that's the way life works. Change is inevitable...especially for growing things! But noticing the changes in my neighborhood trees, and working to be flexible with these visual differences even if I wasn't happy with the change, had me thinking about the changing "Faces" of Life in general. We all experience them at one time or another whether we think about them much or not. Of course, there's the obvious change of aging in our visage we all experience. But what about the Faces of our cities, our local landscape, our highways as they expand to accommodate our growing population (Here is McKinney, Texas, the best city in the U.S. to live, we have been experiences major highway construction for several years, but we can see how much better and wider it will all be when it's finished!) Then there's the face of our families, as new ones are born and older generations pass from this life into the next, leaving memories and photos to treasure. How about our friendships, some with long-years staying power, and others just for a time. There's also the changing FACE of our employment, sometimes causing us to actually change where we live, being transplanted for a whole new life. These Faces of Change can often be difficult to adjust to, especially if it means loss to us. We have to be gentle with ourselves as we work to understand the changes we are experiencing without being overly critical with ourselves, and yet, also creating a balance of our view so we can still be at peace with what is. There is always something to learn from the changes in life--especially when they are least expected. So how do we stay flexible when changes come, especially when these changes are out of our control and must simply be accepted as they are? I think validating how we feel about these changes, recognizing what we will miss, and perhaps honoring those changes creatively so we have something to remember them by, can help us assimilate what we are experiencing without being too hard on ourselves. Change will come. We will change with those changes. Honoring Who We Are and Who We Are Becoming through those changes will help us understand ourselves better; and perhaps, as a result of loving ourselves through those changes, we can leave a meaningful mark in our changing world. The above images of the tree limbs give me hope since they are what's left of the branches on my neighborhood walk that haven't been pruned, thus I really appreciate their beauty!
Journaling Prompt: Is there a specific "FACE" of life in which you have experienced change, whether small and more surface, like the trees I've given as examples, or something life changing with loss of some kind? Honor that change by detailing how it has affected you and changed you. See if you can recognize and visualize a positive aspect to this loss as you detail this change. Art Journal Prompt: Honor any visual FACES of change you have experienced by creating a spread with images of this change and what it means to you, both at face value as well as within. Use the colors that speak meaningfully to you and consider what those colors are saying about the change you experienced. Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring Copyrigt 2015 Images by Dawn Herring I always love it when I find something unexpected when I shop at my favorite stores. Several months ago I ran into some sock wear at Target that really caught my eye: Vibrant Colors and Patterns reigned! My artist self was gleeful at such inspiring accessories, I just Had to check them out. I decided to get just one pair just to see if I liked them and if they fit well. The orange slices was my first choice. What fun fabrics to add to my already-colorful wardrobe! I couldn't wait to find an outfit that would suit these socks just right. It didn't take long for me to find an appropriate day to wear them with my sneakers for my morning walk. Although it's hard to see them when I'm wearing long pants, when I take my shoes off, they are all in their colorful glory. But just knowing I had them on made me happy since I knew I was wearing my favorite colors, and I happen to have a painting I did with watercolors my first year of keeping an art journal and it features orange slices! (See image below!) After several wears, with these socks that are mostly polyester with a bit of stretch, I did notice a bit of pilling when they came out of the dryer. I think they do better when hung to dry. I also noticed that the top band that really holds the sock up is a bit tight and leaves an indention in the skin, but I found this to be a minimal issue. Several months after I purchased my first pair, I was back at Target and I saw that socks were on clearance, so I checked to see if those vibrant patterns were in the mix, and to my pleasant surprise, they were! And at a bargain price! Here was one pair I purchased that remind me of a patchwork quilt. The image above is the full sock and the one on the left is a bit larger for detail. Cute, huh? I love the designs all mixed up and with some of my favorite colors! These would probably fall into my "crazy wear" category of wardrobe finds which is just fine by me! I love the zig zag patterns and the flowers and the stripes, oh my! The socks featuring the leaves pattern to the left and below were also in the mix and I was really happy they were, since they would have been my second choice after the orange slices. I just love all the greens and the layers of leaves and it looks like the sun is shining through in parts. I love the way that looks on the trees in my front yard. That's probably why I like these so much. I couldn't wait to share with you these Fabulous Finds with vibrant colors that I love to wear and to paint with! It's so much fun to incorporate what I love into many dimensions of my life, honoring Who I Am as an Artist and Lover of Color. Journaling Prompt:
Do you find yourself purchasing items that inspire you in some way due to a feature that draws you and makes you happy even if all the elements of that certain something aren't perfect? Detail you latest find that fits this description and share why you choose to get this item even with its imperfections and how that makes you feel. Would you purchase that item again, knowing what you know about it? Art Journal Prompt: Use a page or spread in your art journal to showcase a recent purchase of something that truly honors Who You Are in any life dimension and include detail as to how it honors you and why you purchased it. You may want to mention any imperfections it may have. Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring Copyright 2015 Header Image by Dawn Herring Copyright 2015 Photos by Dawn Herring Note: Fabric design is not my own. Special Thanks to the artist who created this design! The brand of socks featured in the post are Photoreal by Xhilaration.
Welcome, Art Journal Enthusiasts! I have a new Art Journal Spread to share with you; I've titled it, The Dividing Line. This particular spread features Modeling Paste, home-made by me. I used a mix of gesso and baking soda, which can be really crumbly and messy if you don't use enough gesso to make it look like cement. This takes practice, messy practice. *wink*
My goal with this spread was to test out this home made-modeling paste to see how well it would work with a stencil, and this time I made a stencil of my own with long dividing lines. I knew pretty quickly I was going to use them across the top of the page, but I also decided ahead of time that I wanted to put some color down first since when I used modeling paste before without color on the background, I didn't like it as much. I used a brayer to lay down watercolor paint; this is the FIRST time I've used a brayer to lay down color. I have used brushes, sponges and even my fingers, but not a brayer.
First tip with a brayer: always make sure it's clean before you use it! I had to put down many layers of watercolor before I was satisfied with the coverage. Plus the color was very washy, not thick and dry. (This is not acrylic paint, so there's a bit more effort put in since watercolor isn't opaque and takes more applications for good coverage.) But once I used the brayer, I found that I LOVED the textured look I got from using it, versus laying down color with a brush. Once I had the color down, then I applied the modeling paste with my hand-made stencil. Very messy procedure but I loved the result. That's when the name of this spread came to me, since the lines were creating divided space. So I decided to tear some good 'ole colored construction paper into pieces and stamped out the letters individually, then adhered them with matte medium. I later edged them with more watercolor; love that look.
As I filled in more of the space, It almost felt like a cliff with a dam of water both visually and viscerally, so I decided to emphasize a separation between the top of the page and the bottom. I tore some gold colored magazine pages into pieces and used those to create a division. I also used a small round sponge on a wooden stick to add more watercolor after I used the brayer and created lines of "water" coming down in a circular motion; as I did this, the idea of a turning came to mind. Then I realized the connection: The Dividing Line Becomes a Turning Point! Wow.
I absolutely love it when this happens; do you know why? Because when I play in my art journal, I gain understanding of myself and my life experiences, bringing the subconscious to the fore. The realization with this spread is a perfect example of what I mean. Once I had this idea solidly in mind, the rest of the spread just fell into place. From the application of the words "Becomes a" to the words, "Turning Point." For "becomes a", I used a white Uniball pen on stamps for the letters, reinforcing the letters with pen directly on the page for solid coverage. I LOVE the contrast of white on the darker bluish hue. It really POPS.
For the "turning" word, I wanted it to express itself with its meaning, so I stamped it out in a turning manner. And for "Point," I wanted it to have a directness to it, so I included an arrow pointing at the end and highlighted the letters with my white Uniball pen. I also painted the dividing lines with a gold color. I love the contrast of the gold with the bluish hue.
I really enjoyed the process of creating this spread, the realization of learning more about myself, about making decisions and how those decisions can become turning points toward authenticity. We all want to be authentic, don't we? Each decision we make can help us be more authentic than ever.
Sometimes when we face a life challenge, it can feel like a dividing line, especially when we determine to say NO to something we were once saying Yes to. But once we make that decision, knowing it brings us into our authentic path when we do, it becomes a turning point of truth in our lives. When we know the truth and live it, we are free, aren't we? Journaling Prompt: Have you recently experienced something that felt like a division or a change of direction for you? If so, detail it in your journal, including how you felt and responded to the realization that you needed to make a change of direction toward authenticity. Affirm your choice to Stay Aligned with Who You Are.
Art Journal Prompt:
Dedicate a page or spread to a recent decision you made, changing from YES to NO or from NO to YES; you may want to use the NO or YES as your starting point and stamp out the meaning behind the decision. Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring Copyright 2015 Art Journal Images by Dawn Herring This Refresh Daily Rewind video focuses on dealing with False Starts and what we can learn about our creative process with the decision on where to go from a place of uncertainty and finding the value in every courageous step we take in our creative lives.
As a watercolor artist, I am always thrilled to find books with watercolor as the focal point, ready to learn, find insightful tips and travels in the wonderful world of this vibrant and fun medium. So when I ran across Watercolor From the Heart by Barbara Nechis, I thought it would be a great read...and it was!
The title drew me in with a focus on the Heart since I know from personal experience how valuable expressing yourself from the heart can be. (You can view my Refresh Daily Rewind Video on this subject.) In Watercolor from the Heart, Barbara shares her thoughts on her watercolor journey, including her past teachers, the rules she learned and finding her authentic watercolor path. I really enjoyed diving into her past experiences and into what she thought was valuable experience for her as an artist. She also shares about the watercolor techniques she found fascinating that enabled her to find her signature style of sorts: using water to create shapes and edges that are the foundation of her fabulous layered paintings, which often feature soft edges of flowers, landscapes and still lifes. Many images she takes for reference are also highlighted as she talks about the importance of observing and taking photos of places and things that fascinate and fill the creative well. She touches a bit on using other media with watercolor, such as gouache, crayon and pencil and offers some fascinating design elements as well. There are step by step examples of her watercolor techniques and also ways to take advantage of watercolor issues that arise and make the best of challenges. I really enjoyed the journey with Barbara and I admire her authentic path as a watercolor artist. Copyright 2015 by Dawn Herring Copyright 2015 Header by Dawn Herring
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Dawn HerringDawn engages in many roles: As Writer/Blogger and Artist/Creative and Founder of Refresh with Dawn Herring: Where Art and JOY Align, She enjoys sharing from her vast experience as award-winning, life-long artist and leader in the field of written journaling, offering encouragement and proven tips to other journal keepers. Dawn's focus is on written journal keeping, artistic expression and finding your Creative Voice, and positive change that leads personal empowerment, encouraging you to leave your authentic and positive mark in the world. Dawn is a Commercial artist, hand letterer/illustrator and writer/blogger and enjoys sharing insights, humor, and encouragement as she shares from her life experiences as a woman, wife, mother of two grown daughters and as a Grandparent to a special needs grandson. She enjoys keeping a journal and reading spiritual texts to help keep the light on. May JOY Align with Your Creative Heart. Archives
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