It’s DECEMBER! And I’ve got some exciting news to share later today!!! But first things first: my dear friend Riikka and I have prepared another Inspired By for you!

Riikka and I challenge each other each month to create something with a particular theme or thing in mind. This theme or thing can be anything and for this month we wanted to create something inspired by an album cover.

I browsed my record collection in search for one we could use and I found a couple, but there wasn’t one that really stood out for me. And because the idea of using an album cover originated from something I saw on Pinterest, I turned there to look for better options.

Let me tell you: there are more than enough beautiful album covers on Pinterest to fill a lifetime of Inspired By‘s… I pinned a few that looked interesting to me and let Riikka choose her favourites. We both loved the cover of the ‘Safe Ship, Harbored’ album by The Crane Wives.

I had never heard of the band, but I listened to their tracks and I’m glad to say that I really liked the sound! They’ve made another record since the release of ‘Safe Ship, Harbored’ and the art work on that cover is equally stunning. You can check it out here!

This album cover appealed to me because of the wonderful colours and the texture of the pencil, paint and pen on wood… It’s simple and stylized and yet there is so much to see here!

I’ve been wanting to create something on wood for some time now and this was my chance! Fortunately Harold keeps some scraps of wood in the shed and he cut me a small piece of scaffold wood, measuring about 20 x 23 cm.

I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to create. Christmas is coming up and I haven’t decorated yet, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to create something seasonal.

I started with sketching on paper first… I struggled with how I could use the cover image and translate it into something ‘me’. I was enjoying myself, drawing and doodling, but it wasn’t quite coming out the way I had imagined it. Maybe I was using the wrong pencil… or maybe my wood wasn’t smooth enough. Or maybe I just lacked drawing skills…

I don’t know what my problem was and it doesn’t matter in the end, because the point is: I needed to let the original image go. I needed to let go of my own expectations. I needed to stop thinking and start doing… with my own skills and my own materials.

I needed to try this as an exercise so that maybe somewhere down the road I can create something really, REALLY cool on a scrap of wood. Because I can see potential here:

See… It’s still a fun little piece. And I do like it. But it’s NOTHING like that beautiful album cover!

I was worried about not being able to paint in the little crevasses so I mostly used markers to add the colours. That of course meant I had to work with the colours I had on hand, instead of being able to mix just the right colours.

I discovered I have a multitude of leaf green markers and I have a serious lack of light blue and teal markers. And I discovered why I hardly ever use my markers in the first place: I think they are way too dark and too vibrant.

Unfortunately I never realize how dark and vibrant the outcome will be until it’s too late. Or the ink bleeds into the paper (or wood) and ruins everything! Maybe I need to invest in a new set of lighter colours… Or maybe I need to invest in a whole other type of marker? (I’m open to suggestions!)

I also discovered that Uni Posca markers and Faber Castell Big Brush and Artists Pens rock on wood!

Now it’s time to see what Riikka has created with the ‘Safe Ship, Harbored’ album cover in mind… I already saw this sneak on Instagram and I’m dying to see the whole piece!