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sketches
Art

creative play | sketches with Calvin

Calvin has expressed an interest in art off and on for the past few years.  He’ll ask to paint with me or request that I buy him some art supplies or a sketchbook, but he hasn’t stayed motivated in that arena.  But, anytime he asks, I say yes.  I can see he has a natural inclination for it and I think his mind is well suited for creative work in some shape or form.  So, when he asked me if we could take an illustration class together, I pulled out my laptop and we started watching course trailers immediately. We found a class on Domestika – The Art of Sketching; Transforming Your Doodles into Art and it has been so much fun working on it together.  He took notes as the instructor was going over his influences and wanted to make sure we had all of the right tools to

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May 14, 2021 19 Comments
Creative Play

creative play | customizing a sketchbook

I’ve been spending a lot of time with my Kitchin sketchbooks, reading them, doing pencil studies of the sketches, and scanning each page.  Handling them has made me think about my own sketchbooks and how I approach keeping a record of how I see the world. Beyond admiring the artistry, I love how the sketchbooks are a uniform collection.  Aside from one that is a little larger, all of the books are the same size and covered in linen.  He signed the interior and put his address in addition to labeling the cover and spine with the year(s) the book was filled. It inspired me to go through my sketchbooks and be more intentional about seeing them as a part of a larger collection instead of as individual books.  I still like to have separate books for different mediums and purposes, but I want to be mindful of how they

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May 7, 2021 16 Comments
Artistic Endeavors

lessons from queen victoria’s sketchbooks

A few weeks ago, I was searching around for something short and inspiring to watch.  Maybe a documentary on an artist?  Or a short art lesson?  My curiosity was piqued when I spotted The Royal Paintbox on my Masterpiece Subscription.  I mean, anything about paintboxes these days is interesting to me!  So, I started the documentary.  In it, HRH Prince Charles shares his own artwork as well as art from various royals, kings, and queens, who showed varying levels of proficiency.  The work I was most interested in, though, was the sketchbooks of Queen Victoria. I figured she painted since I have seen that portrayed in movies and series on Victoria, but I never imagined she sketched and painted extensively using different mediums.  As I watched Prince Charles slowly flip through some of her sketchbooks, I had to pause the documentary to see if they had ever been published.  And

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May 6, 2021 24 Comments
Art

creative play | sketchbook tour

I’ve shared in the past that I have a hang-up when it comes to sketchbooks.  Several hang-ups, actually.  I always want to be the person who is filling up stacks of sketchbooks, making notes, sketches, and drawings, capturing thoughts and ideas, practicing.  I’ve gotten much better about it over the past couple of years and I actually filled a notebook with a journal and did several paintings and sketches when I went to Europe in the fall of 2019.  I’ve been more consistent with getting my sketchbooks out to draw quick thumbnails before starting a painting, to make notes when I’m reading books or taking an art class, or to doodle. Here are some of sketchbook hang-ups… I feel like there is a bit of magic that happens with certain paintings that is difficult to repeat.  Some paintings just end up being very special.  What if one of those paintings

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February 3, 2021 43 Comments
a slice of life

vintage-style leather sketchbook & giveaway!

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know that I love having beautiful supplies and tools.  I’m always casually on the hunt for new or new-to-me things that will make working, creating, or making even more enjoyable.  Well, a couple of weeks before Christmas, I found this beautiful vintage-style leather sketchbook from a small shop that sells on . These vintage-style leather sketchbooks come in several different sizes and a few color options for the leather cover. I generally like to have a larger work area, so I have the (above) and Weed Green (below.)  I also have the 13 x 8 in Red Brown.  Sadly, the Weed Green is completely sold out at the moment, but they will hopefully restock soon. I bought one of these sketchbooks initially because I loved the paper with the deckled edges.  I was looking for some paper with deckled edges

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January 22, 2021 574 Comments
a slice of life

My Europe Sketchbook

Just an FYI to those who might be thinking about Mustard Seed Mentoring, but you’re on the fence.  We close our doors tonight (Thursday) at midnight, but before we do, we’re offering the opportunity to have a full membership for ONE WEEK for $1.00!  You can snoop around, join us for a live session and see if this group is right for you and your business. You can get more details about Mustard Seed Mentoring HERE. When my mom and I traveled to Europe a couple of years ago, I brought all sorts of art supplies and sketchbooks and ended up doing two sketches at the airport.  (Insert eye-roll at self.)   I did keep a journal, but I was so disappointed that I let the fear of not living up to my own expectations get in the way of a dream-come-true experience.  See how that worked?  I was scared of

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January 23, 2020 22 Comments
a slice of life

French Inspiration

Last week, I shared that I was heading to France and Italy in September.  In fact, it’s just under two weeks away now and I am positively giddy about it.  I find it hard to even focus on the things I need to work on now, because my mind keeps drifting to my upcoming trip and how much I want to soak it all in.  Instead of fighting the daydreaming, I’ve been allowing it in moderation and I will even admit to feeding it with books and Instagram feeds.  So, I thought I would share some of the inspiration I’ve found as well as some more details about my preparations and plans for the trip. We will be spending the bulk of our time in Italy, but that is the “work” (if it can seriously even be called that) portion of the trip and we’re a part of a group

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August 28, 2018 102 Comments
All Things Home

a new love for dip pens & other found art supplies

I have found a new favorite thing…  dip pens.  Yes, they are completely impractical by modern standards and you have to get used to the rhythm of stopping to dip your pen every couple of lines, but there is something about the scratching sound on the paper and the grace of the delicate nibs that captivate me. I recently bought the D Leonardt & Co Drawing & Mapping set and it comes with a nice wooden nib holder, a small tin for storing nibs, and five nibs made for drawing and mapping (as opposed to calligraphy nibs.) It’s a great set and I’m hooked.  Now, I’m on the hunt for antique dip pens, inkwells, and nibs. I actually had an antique inkwell with a sterling lid that belonged to my great-grandmother.  I didn’t know it was a inkwell until I started searching for antique ones on Etsy and eBay.  I

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June 5, 2018 20 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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