We all need some encouragement now and then, especially when we’re faced with challenges we weren’t expecting.
🟠 Have you ever noticed that when you acknowledge someone’s disappointment and struggle, that it makes everyone feel better? I think they call that empathy. 🟡 Consider this post my reaching out with encouragement to you wherever you may be today. Stay in the moment and look for something that can comfort and give you courage! 🟢 Please know I am rooting for you! 🟠 This is an illustrated cartoon doodle I created to honor my day’s experience. ©️2022 Illustrated Cartoon Doodle by Dawn Herring
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Welcome back to The Sweet Spot , where we focus on All Things Essential, Simple, and Satisfying! For this post, I will be sharing with you the significant and relevant life experiences and developments I have had in this past year and why they matter to me. Some will be practices that I have carried from previous years and some are new to my spiritual/creative practice. I'll be dipping into my art, music and journaling practices I've tapped into this year, along with other relevant happenings. Thanks for joining me on my 2021 Year in Review! I would have to say that my most Exciting and Rewarding development was with a focus on MUSIC, and specifically with learning to play piano. Let me give you a bit of history...I started writing spiritual songs several years ago being inspired by sacred text as well as with prayer/meditation, essential parts of my spiritual practice. In my third year of writing spiritual songs, I decided I needed to learn to play an instrument so I could accompany myself as I sing. Up til that point, I was using a tambourine for percussion. I got myself a piano app to try my hand as learning to play one of my spiritual songs by ear. I succeeded in that endeavor, so after a few months, I decided to get myself a digital piano! Back in March, it arrived and I was absolutely thrilled! I have added new songs to my piano book over the months and now have over twenty songs I play. I don’t have any of them fully memorized, but I’m learning to play some parts by memory just from regular practice. I learned the keys intuitively rather than putting stickers on the keys to remember where each one is located. I have also watched various YouTube videos by Pianote and Jazer who teach online. So I’ve learned to play 1, 2 and 3 note chords in addition to the melodies in various ways for my songs. I am super excited with how far I’ve come since March. It is deeply satisfying to compose, play and sing my spiritual songs on my piano. It lifts my spirit, strengthens my faith and calms me when I’m stressed. Sometimes I play several times a day, and even when I’m waiting to do something else, because I enjoy it so much. Music has always had an important place in my life and heart, and this just brings it to a whole new level that deeply touches and satisfies me. As an artist, my goal is to learn new skills and expand on what I’m already doing, especially if I’m deeply curious about a specific skill I haven’t learned yet. Last year, I learned to draw a cartoon properly and, as a result, I consistently draw myself in cartoon when I create my daily evening doodle, which consists of a word that summarizes my day. I draw myself (with the clothing I wore that day) inside one of the letters (similar to the header at the beginning of this post!). One day I asked myself, Wouldn’t it be cool to draw other garments on my cartoon figure? So I decided to create a drawing illustrating myself in a dress which you can see below. I had so much fun with this new approach to fashion illustration that I decided to do more than one! I also tried my hand at illustrating one of my nieces in dance ensembles which you can see in a previous post. This was a fabulous learning experience with body anatomy and fashion combined. I intend to do more of this Fashion Illustrated cartooning in 2022. I may also dabble more in face cartooning on a larger scale. Also, on the art front, I’ve taken a deep dive back into Art Journaling. This time I’m focusing on using gouache, ink, pastels, fabric and embellishments in my art journal play. The collage aspect is super fun for me and fabric is a deeply satisfying element to use in my spreads. The combination of texture, design and color is perfect for my purposes. It’s interesting that I’ve been collecting a fabric stash over the past several years and I’m finally using this in my art application. I enjoy pinning my fabric on cork for inspiration and cutting and trimming to fit different fabrics in specific spaces that work for me in my composition. I have deeply missed the entire intuitive process of creating from my heart onto the page using color, texture, mark making, stamping, inking and collage, with messages that reveal themselves over time and place. Art journaling is a process that enables me to express myself deeply, honoring who I am and what Spirit wants to say to me through this medium. Plus, it’s a whole lot of fun! In other journaling news, I continue to add Bullet Journaling to my daily mix, using it to track important aspects of my life, from sacred study notes and song writing, to keeping track of my wardrobe choice with color and daily choices, to Gratitude and Sweet Spots (moments in my day that I want to recall that lift my spirit, make me smile or laugh, etc.). I don’t make it fancy or elaborate. I keep it simple, relevant and fun. One of the advantages of my bullet journal practice is keeping me aware of the things that are deeply meaningful to me, like what I’m thinking about, dreaming about, and keeping track of what I accomplish each day. It’s a totally different approach to my narrative journaling in my blank sketchbook. And using them in tandem just broadens my journaling horizons in meaningful ways. In the earlier part of this year, I co-hosted two episodes of Keeping It Sweet with my dear friend, Carrie Aulenbacher, You can view all episodes by searching navigation for our page here on this website. We have such fun together taking about all things Essential, Simple and Satisfying. I trust that by sharing my Year in Review, that you have been inspired to focus on what is Essential to you, what areas where you can keep it more Simple, and finding ways to find the deepest Satisfaction in what you do on a daily basis. It’s important to celebrate your wins, take care of yourself in ways only you know work for you, and finding the Sweetness in every day!
You’re welcome to share below how you’re Keeping It Sweet and how you plan to continue in 2022! I also want to take this moment to thank you, my friends, for following my art and music and journaling journey in 2021. It has been fun and inspiring to share what I’ve been up to along the way. What else would you like to know about my practices? Let me know in the comments. Wishing you All The Sweetness in the New Year! Welcome back to The Sweet Spot where we focus on all things Essential, Simple and Satisfying! And for me, Experimenting with my Approach to a sector of my Art has taken CENTER STAGE, which is very exciting for me. It’s so important to expand our Creative Horizons to see what we’re capable of! And have Loads of FUN in the process! Anytime I’m working with the Dynamics of FASHION (which has been an interest of mine for decades!), I find it immediately engaging. In the past few posts, I’ve been sharing my exploration of combining fashion illustration and cartooning. You can view my Illustrative Sketches from my first post here, and Part 2 is here. And if you’re curious to see my sketches of a family member in dance ensembles, go here. I am back with a new Fashion Illustrated Cartoon Sketch as I continue my exploration and experimentation with pen, watercolor markers and dynamic designs I’m drawn to, All while emphasizing my new-found skill in cartooning; not as a funny comic but as a way of illustrating day to day life, only with a focus on new wardrobe possibilities! Why not “try on” some new options for “size” visually? Sort of like using a virtual try on room only through illustration. Yes, it’s fun! ☺️ Ok, so, I’ve had the resourced image for this garment stashed in my drawer for Years. I finally pulled it out with combining the fashion illustration and cartoon approach and thought it would be fun and challenging. The black and white design drew me in immediately as well as the pose “in motion” in which the model was engaged. My first decision was to replace the head with my cartoon version. The face was an Immediate challenge since I usually draw it like a portrait with it fully forward. This was almost a profile but not quite. But I managed to portray without too much a-do. The arms positioning was a fun but challenging aspect of this dynamic posture. It reminded me of the finger position of this family member in ballet pose. The garment itself self along with the dramatic creases based on the figure’s pose was fun to create (using varying grays and dynamic strokes to create the illusion of depth. The actual black design with white negative space was super fun to follow with my India ink Fabre Castell Pitt Artist Pens, then using my Tombow marker to fill the larger areas of black. Then there was the fringe along the edges, a combination of applying grays, carefully placed black marks, to emphasize the negative aspect of white. The whole process of seeing what works with my tools and their application is truly dynamic and fun for me. And seeing the result, even as just an experimental sketch (This is not final artwork), is truly Satisfying and motivates me to keep going and see what else would be Fun and Dynamic to try! For this 3rd experiment with a Fashion Illustrated Cartoon, the drawing I rendered the first time was on a larger scale, filling the sketchbook page from side to side. The other two (linked above) were smaller in size. So I decided, for this one, to do two renderings instead of one, making the second closer in size to my typical illustrated cartoon I do each evening. So, yes, I drew the dress twice! It was fun the second time around, since the marks had already been created with the first drawing. I simply repeated the pattern I had already done for the second mini version, so it didn't take as long. I used the same approach with pens and markers for shading and depth. I was a bit more "sketchy" with the boots since this is not final artwork, just experimental. This experiment, with both drawings, shows me where where I can improve as far as proper form of the figure goes. Not trying to be exact since this is a more sketch-like approach with cartooning in mind.
Since I have many years of experience with contour drawing of models in dynamic fashion (all the way back to the 1980’s-yes, I’m dating myself 😉), it’s easy to fall more toward realism as opposed to cartoon drawing. Perhaps it’s a little bit of both. 👀 (Maybe more cartoon-like with the second drawing, more like the size of my daily illustrated cartoon doodle.) I’m enjoying this foray into these new combinations to see where it will take me. Using limits and, yet, expanding my horizons at the same time. It feels good. It satisfies. And it’s enabling me to grow as an artist in these areas that interest me, which is essential for my Creative Well Being. So, how are you growing your Creative Horizons? Any curiosities you want to follow? Anything inspiring you to try something new? Share in the comments below so I can cheer you on! Let’s create and discover those Sweet Spots together and see where it leads us; it just might make each of our worlds and the world overall a happier, more colorful and joyful place. Hello friends! Welcome back to The Sweet Spot where we focus on all things Essential, Simple and Satisfying. For the past two posts, I've focused on my illustrated doodle cartoon and combining that with Fashion Illustration, where I illustrate fashion from other imaged sources aside from my own wardrobe. I have always enjoyed fashion illustration from a young age, mostly with contour drawings in my younger years. But since I have been using Markers and Pens for my evening doodle, I have translated my love of fashion illustration into cartoon format and have such fun doing so! I recently tried my hand at combining my cartoon with a multi colored floral dress design which you can see here. I just completed my second try at this new combination, this time with a belted floral coat of sorts. The original color scheme for this piece was lighter than what I used, more like pink and orange pastels. But, since I don't have those colors readily available in my art supply stash, I went with a bit of a bolder color scheme with darker pinks and deeper oranges, which suit me just fine. It does give it a lot more pop than the original. Not sure which color scheme I like better, but, to keep it SIMPLE, I went with the colors I had. Usually I try to match things as closely as possible for a more aligned image, but this time, I chose to simply go with what was in hand. And be okay with that. I'm not really into pastel colors, although I do have a lighter purple in my stash that I use a lot. Vibrant colors are usually my go to, which, if you've followed me for any length of time, you know it's what I create with and what I wear, for that matter! In my first attempt, which you can see here, the drawing of the dress is smaller is size. This 2nd attempt is broader with the shoulders and pattern. I'm still trying to decide if the cartoon head should have started out a bit bigger. But once it's drawn in ink, it's permanent. It's often in retrospect that I see what I could have done better. But, alas, this IS an Experiment and I'm having a delicious time with the process.
I always start the drawing with the head and move to the contour of the garment right from the shoulders. So placement is key for sizing. If the shoulders are drawn too wide, then the whole garment will be broader. Every drawing for me is a learning experience. I'm still proud of my work and my efforts to expand my artistic horizons. Would I draw this again to make the proportions more accurate? No, probably not. Moving on to the next thing with new knowledge is the way I'm most likely to go. This is a very busy pattern of mixed florals. I really love larger motifs like this and the contrast between the white detail and the varying mixed color palette. Would I wear this? Probably not. I would choose a less busy pattern personally, but it was a fun challenge to draw. This approach to fashion (a combination of cartoon and illustration is pen and marker) is a work in progress and it's fun to see the choices I make as far as images I'm drawn to each time. Art really does equal awareness: of what I like, the color patterns, the motifs I enjoy, the size of the detail and design, the layers I incorporate as I draw and "Paint" the colors to accentuate shadow and depth. To me, art is a gift. No matter how you apply it. Creation is all about paying attention to what you love and what you care about. And using creation as a way to express yourself. Give yourself that gift in whatever form is Sweet for you! Thanks for sharing in my artistic journey! I wish you all the Sweetness! Welcome back to The Sweet Spot! I share all things Essential, Simple and Satisfying in my life with the purpose of showing what a difference it can make to be mindful of these elements. As I recognize what is Satisfying to me, I want to do more of it. When I see what is Essential for me, I want to be sure I make space for it. When something gets too complicated for me, I want to find strategies to make it simple and do-able. For this post, I plan to share a bit of my cartoon doodle art (and the history behind my process), which is something I create on a daily basis in the evenings. I started off about 8 or 9 years ago, when I used a word to summarize my day, and took up a challenge to create a doodle a day for 7 days and used that word as my source for the doodle. Well, I guess you can say, I never stopped! I was having so much fun creating doodle designs, I just wanted to keep going with it. It was fun and inspiring and a relaxing way to end my day. Once I started using markers and pens to bring color into the. mix, then the sky was the limit! Winsor Newton watercolor markers, Tombows, and Faber Castell Artist Pitt Pens came into the mix, for detail, full color, highlights and designs. I found myself using dots, circles, Lines and spiral motifs repeatedly since that's what I used in my paintings as well. I just go with whatever comes to mind. It's a very intuitive process that delights my Artist Self. As I mentioned in a previous post, Illustrated Doodle Cartoon, where I share my recent foray into fashion illustration from an outside resource other than my wardrobe, I greatly desired to learn how to draw myself in cartoon form. I've wanted to do this since high school! Over the years I looked for instruction through different books on cartooning, and I finally found one that suited me with a step by step. After several months, I began to create a cartoon that resembled me somewhat and have improved it with facial expressions (eyebrows really do make a difference!), and work on the figure (which is a work in progress!). Of course I do all of this in pen, so NO ERASING. My work is all free-hand. There are times when I really like the result. Other times, not so much. I've learned what to draw first so it looks naturally layered with no lines interfering with other illustrated parts. I just go with the flow and learn from my perceived "mistakes". I'm having so much fun with it! It is truly a Satisfying engagement for me as an Artist. When I first began my evening doodle, I just used black and white. So I was purely focused on the design aspect of filling in the letters and creating a doodle that looked like what the word meant. I even read a book on the subject to learn various letter designs to try and incorporate the feeling of the its meaning. Once I added color, I was still outlining in black pen. Several years ago, I decided to draw with colors for the outline of the letters, eliminating always outlining in black pen, and that really made a difference in the way the doodle looked. Brighter, more intuitive, and lively. So, now I always start with color. I rarely just draw the doodle outlined with black pen. When I entered my cartoon into the mix, I drew with black pen from the start and still do. I fill each cartoon with go to colors for skin and hair, plus adding design elements for the wardrobe, such as lines for stripes. I try to capture the motif design as much as possible without making it too complicated. When I draw the fabric, I don't reference the garment in front of me. I just go by memory. I think back to what I wore that day and just run with it. One thing I want to point out. When I started this doodle process, it was just for fun. In black and white. Adding color came almost 2 years later. Drawing with color instead of black pen even later still. Adding my cartoon has been a recent venture in the past year and a half. All these elements took time to develop and include in my daily art practice. Not all at once.
So, if you're looking to create a routine with an art form, keep it simple right from the beginning. Simplicity is key to trying something new. And if you run into something, a new idea, that feels right, try it, with no expectation for the outcome. And if it works, run with it and see how long it keeps your attention and satisfaction. Change things up if that's what suits you. Be patient with yourself if it doesn't turn out "right" every time. Practice is key, especially daily practice. I look forward to creating my illustrated cartoon doodle each evening. It always relaxes me and gives me space to practice design elements, cartoon form, illustration, and overall capturing of what matters to me in my day. Essentially, it's a visual colorful diary in addition to my evening written reflection. It shows my ups and downs and keeps me in the know of how I'm doing. In other words, it's relevant to me on a daily basis. It holds meaning that I feel is important to myself as an Artist, a Creative, a Family member, a Business Partner (with hubby), an emerging musician (Just learning to play piano!), and female human. I trust you have enjoyed this foray into my illustrated cartoon doodle journey and my goal is to inspire you in your creative pursuits, whatever they may be. Just remember to keep it Essential, Simple and Satisfying to creative as many Sweet Spots in your daily life! Wishing you all the Sweetness! |
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AuthorHi. I'm Dawn Herring. Here at The Sweet Spot I love writing about how I'm keeping it sweet with music, song writing, cartooning, doodling, watercolor painting, movie watching and book reading. My goal is to share what feels really sweet to me and why. Perhaps it will inspire you to do the same. Archives
February 2022
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