Hi there! It’s the 10th… And I have the February instalment of the ‘new’ Inspired by for you!
Much of the past month has revolved around Creative JumpStart 2018 and around Creative World, the massive annual trade fair for hobby, craft and art supplies that is held in Frankfurt.
And though I also managed to sneak in some artist dates, I haven’t been able to process those yet, so I’ll save them for another time.
This post is about what has truly inspired me in the past month. So… let’s go!
Max Ernst
Remember that I told you last time that I didn’t think the impact of my visit to the Max Ernst Museum was over yet?
Because of the frottages, I did as a result of that visit, I accidentally discovered that crayon and monoprinting are a match made in heaven!
Check the Gelli Arts blog to see how I created these prints in my most recent published video tutorial.
Creative JumpStart 2018
I managed to create along until my own video went online on January 21st. That means that I filled a total of 21 pages in my passport sized Traveler’s Notebook!
Some people say that it takes 21 days to create a habit, but unfortunately, in my case, it didn’t. I just stopped on the 21st.
In my defence, it was the de week before Creative World, so that was my main priority at the time.
I plan on watching all of the remaining videos eventually, but I have started new projects that need my attention first before I can dive back in.
The student gallery is a huge inspiration too. So many talented people joined Creative JumpStart 2018!
It is a delight to see what inspiration the participants took from each daily lesson and especially to see what they created after seeing my CJS video.
Work shared by Jacqueline van Zuiden, Mary Thoma, Sue Sharp, Jennifer Reardon, Anne Aitken Anderson, Karen Hall, Debbie Kreischer, Cath Sheard and Tracey Gurley
I can’t believe the event is already over. Creative JumpStart is always such a blast!
Instagram Stories
I’m inspired to get the hang of posting InstaStories. My regular Instagram feed is suffering because of it, but it’s such a relief to not (have to) overthink posting.
I mean: of course, I do! But I try not to.
Pantone Fashion Color Trend Reports Spring 2018
Llama marionettes created for DoenKids.nl
I know the trend reports were published months ago, and the Pantone colour of 2018 was announced in December, but I guess I can’t wait for Spring to arrive and I wanted to play with a springlike colour palette.
I’ve created a colour chart, and I’ve already been using it for a couple projects this month!
Books
[vimeo 254909514]
Fabric printing and stitching have been on my mind, and I’ve been checking the craft department of my local library for books on art quilts, patchwork, embroidery and/or stitching.
I found a couple, but I feel the library collection is somewhat dated. So if you have any book or source recommendations for these topics, then please do leave them in the comments!
I’ve also been reading The One Thing by Gary Keller (aff. link) which was recently recommended by Andy J. Miller on his podcast ‘Creative Pep Talk‘.
Creative World
Dina Wakley’s art journal and table at the Notions booth
And then there was Creative World!
It’s too soon to tell if and how the things I saw, heard and tried will inspire my work. It will take a while for specific items to hit the stores and besides I haven’t even had a chance to use any of the samples and goodies I brought home with me yet!
It always takes time for me to process what I saw, what I want to try, what I want to explore, what items I would like to add to my stash, what I want to do and who I want to work with.
One thing I know for sure is that we are all going to be affected by the trends. I always make sure to visit the trend shows at Creative World as well as Paper World, and I take photos of anything that catches my eye.
According to Creative World, the 2018 trends are:
The Purist
The Gardener
The Colourist
As you can probably guess, this last one was the most exciting to me, though I liked some of the ‘botanical’ stuff too and that has actually sparked some ideas.
The stationery trends at Paper World showed similar colours, patterns and ideas, but in a sleeker and more elegant way.
A lot of what I saw of the stationery trends made me very happy. Especially the colourful and graphic patterns.
As for everything else that I saw: it just needs to percolate a bit before I can tell. You’ll have to stay tuned for that!
Siegfried Woldhek
Yesterday I went to Deventer for a portrait drawing workshop by Dutch artist and illustrator Siegfried Woldhek. I was allowed to take photos, but not allowed to share any on the internet.
It was super inspiring though!
It came as no surprise to me that I was one of the lesser skilled students, but I soon discovered that materials make all the difference. And my results are much better with materials I never use. My portrait drawing confidence is officially boosted!
That’s a wrap!
That’s it for this month’s Inspired by!
Don’t forget to stop by Riikka’s blog Paperiliitin and read what has been on her mind in the past month.
Inspired by is a blog series by my friend Riikka and I.
On the 10th of each month, we share what inspired us that month with you and each other.
It can be anything from a person, a film, a book, a painting, to an item, something found in nature or in the city, a colour scheme or some materials we bought or discovered.
We will also share how the source of inspiration affects our work. Consider it as a window into our creative minds!
