Splashing Through Life - Art by Patricia Henderson

  I have been having lots of fun in my very cheap sketchbook that I bought a few months ago. I think I said a few posts back that I was going to start a new sketchbook and make it myself. Well, I did make one, but I've decided to use it for special projects like Sketchbook Revival or something similar.  I got this book at Walmart and I think it's supposed to be used for pencil sketching or writing. But I decided it was something I could use to play in and not worry about ruining something.  I've been doing very, very quick mixed media abstracts on the left page (a lot of collage involved) and on the right page I do something completely different, but using similar colours. Last night, I was laying in bed and thought, "It's been so long since I have done any sketching!" And it's been quite a while since I've sketched a bird. A few years ago, mostly during COVID, I painted and/or collaged 100 birds. I guess I was a bit birded-out after that!  I also have...

 I bought a cool square mixed media sketchbook over two years ago. I decided to set a goal for myself to fill it with fun stuff within one year. But life has a way of messing with plans and good intentions.  But the other day, I was quite excited to finally finish this art journal! It took about 2 years and 4 months. I actually felt quite a sense of accomplishment, even though this book does not contain any "fine art", nor does it have cohesive theme. It was just a place to experiment, play, scribble out my feelings, and learn new techniques. My next art journal has less pages! Maybe less intimidating? I recently learned a few basic bookbinding techniques, so I'll be making more journals by hand in the future I think! 30 seconds of what goes on in my head! I stole this idea from the artist Austin Kleon who wrote the book Steal Like an Artist . I'm sure he'd approve. Over 300 grams of "stuff" added to this journal.

 On May 1st, I decided to participate in a wonderful free 2 week art experience with a whole bunch of awesome artists teaching their techniques and ideas. It was called  Mastering Mixed Media Expo 2025 hosted by the awesome Tamara Laporte @ willowing.org . Even though there were over 35 sessions, I was only able to complete 3! Life certainly has a way of foiling your plans. But I really enjoyed the ones I did. While my art is normally representative and somewhat realistic, I enjoy experimenting with more abstract ideas in my sketchbook. Those were the sessions I was drawn to this time. The first session I watched was by Laura Horn . I forgot to write down the name of the lesson, but it included using watercolour, pencils, acrylic markers and other types of media making simple shapes and marks. It was very calming and meditative. Here's what I came up with: The next one I watched was called Layers of Light by the fun Jackie Bernardi. Here is a link to her YouTube channel . Jack...

 As a Canadian, the last several weeks have been frustrating, frightening and confusing, amongst other things. Talks of annexation by the United States, tariffs, and tension with our neigbours to the south have made for a lot of anxiety and worry.  I'm finding it hard to concentrate on art-making, even though I know it is very therapeutic and I should be doing more of it. I've been turning to my art journal a bit more often because there are no expectations to turn out a good piece of art. I don't need to show any of it to anyone if I don't want to. During the pandemic, a wonderful artist from Michigan, Kimberly Santini, generously produced a series short videos on Facebook called Journal Through It. I watched quite a few of them and still use some of the ideas in my art journal today. One of the things she does is to write down whatever is in your head: just spill it out onto the page. Write out all of your fears, angry thoughts, worries, hopes. Scribble it down fast ...

I have a bunch of sketchbooks/art journals laying around that I had been sporadically working in. I get very excited every March when Karen Abend starts up Sketchbook Revival and I work away each day, discovering new ways to journal and sketch, and discovering wonderful artists, crafters and writers. But when March is over, I go back to only getting out my books just every once in a while. I've decided to change that and start a "Regular Art Journal Practice." That doesn't mean that I will be slavishly producing something wonderful every day. Some days I work at something quite intricate and intense, other days I will just cover a page with leftover paint from my palette! Other days I won't do anything at all. But it's not long before I get back into a sketchbook. I thought I'd share a few pages with you and how I came to make them. Many are inspired by prompts or demos by other artists that I admire, some come from books or prompt cards that I own. S...

  Updated: Oct 26, 2023 Once again, I'm digging through the archives of my old blog to bring you this tiny tutorial. I love my meander sketchbooks. I may have to make a new one myself! JULY 20, 2020 BY PATTY With so much going on in the world today, sometimes it’s hard to concentrate on working on a “serious” piece of art. By serious, I suppose I mean something that is going to be a finished or complete project; something that you are going to show others, hang in your home, or sell. Right now, my mind is all over the place, so I’ve turned to my Meander Sketchbook, where I just play with colours, using any or all of my supplies. For these, I’ve chosen not to paint anything specific, but instead I’m painting completely non-objective, or what some call abstract. These paintings are just for me, so there is no pressure to do a “good job”! It was a few years ago at a meetup with some watercolour painting buddies that my friend Charlene McGill demonstrated how to make a Meand...