Admin Post: Community Check-In for February 2024

[goss]

Today's the last day of February, and we'd love to have you check in and chat with us. How have things been with you this past month?

Did you sign up for or take part in any fandom activities in February, or have you been working on any personal art projects? Are you currently trying to meet a deadline? Feel free to share upcoming art challenges that have got you excited, any frustrations you've been experiencing, possible goals for the next month, and so on.

Our Round-up of entries for Drawing Challenge #62: Zentangle (From the Heart) will be posted tonight, and a new monthly art challenge will be issued this week. :)

Comments

[goss]

I feel a little more settled into the new year now, and had a bit more time/energy to devote to art this month. So I managed two Zentangle entries, which were both a lot of fun, and also sort of meditative in their repetitive nature.

I also fulfilled a pinch hit for the Candy Hearts Exchange this year, which was an abstract painting - something that I don't have a lot of experience with, but was great to try: Abstract Art - The Untamed, G

I'm really enjoying using my tablet to do digital drawing and painting, and especially the freedom to change course, midway and use that Undo button. :) But I do miss using traditional media, so perhaps I'll get back to watercolours or pencils for the next art challenge.

[amberdreams]

As usual I didn't get round to the Drawesome challenge, but I have been busy painting an Asian elephant (finished and ready to go back to the trail headquarters) and a castle.
I'm also continuing with my evening class about creative sketchbooking, which is an interesting mix of fun and challenging, and just started a life drawing 6 week class, which has some tutoring but of the very hands off kind.
Here's my journal update re: the trails if anyone wants a peek. https://amberdreams.dreamwidth.org/960224.html

[amberdreams]

I've been wondering about trying some more abstract work to try and loosen up - interesting to see you having a go!
I do like your digital work but I'll be happy to see you return to traditional too.

[goss]

I love seeing the creative work you do painting upon a 3D surface. :)

just started a life drawing 6 week class

Nice! It's always great to get practice drawing figures irl.

[goss]

Trying to do abstract was such a different mindspace to when I draw fanart normally. I'm glad I had a bit of direction with regard to colour choices, but otherwise it was mostly...feelings? And relying on intuition?

I imagine it'll be a great tactile experience to attempt this style with traditional media too. :)

[amberdreams]

Thanks! And yes, I do enjoy life drawing a lot. We had a group who met semi regularly before covid, but that obviously stopped and the organiser has had trouble finding suitable (cheap!) venues since. But she's now got a couple of venues and so those sessions are starting again, and this one I'm doing is a separate 6 week course run by a bloke who used to draw cartoons for various newspapers. So it's all good news for my attempts to get better at using charcoal... 😂

[mekare]

The Zentangle Challenge was perfect for me this month to destress from work commitments and low energy.

I also finished some WIPs this month! It makes for a good start of the year, and while there are still many, I might designate another month as WIP clean-out month later. (Doctor Who WIP, WIP3 for a 2023 Drawtober idea).

I also posted a sketch I‘m not sure I want to work on more, so it’s off my mind. There is a scan of a pencil portrait I did earlier in the month in that post too, plus a piece from November I had forgotten to post on Dreamwidth.

Fandomwise, Modao Zushi and DMBJ dominated he month. There was an exchange reveal with two watercolour pieces I made in January (SGA crossover, Fun at a Salon) and I made some character focused pieces for Wen Ning and Lan Xichen.

[mekare]

Oooh life drawing! The nearest class is half an hour away and late in the evening which is not a good time for me currently. I did have a look at the art courses offered by a centre for adult education here, but so far either the course didn‘t speak to me, or it clashed with my schedule.
Have fun in both classes!

[mekare]

Yay for more art energy! And while I enjoy your digital process videos, I‘d also love to see some traditional art from you again.

[goss]

Thanks for the encouragement! I think I'm gonna pick up my brushes this weekend and do a couple simple washes just to get back into the mode. :)

[goss]

Yay for another very productive art month for you! *high fives* \o/

And I'm so glad the Zentangle challenge worked as a de-stress exercise. Thanks for kicking off entries for this challenge! ^__^

where did February go?

[eye_of_toad]

I absolutely intended to do the Zentangle challenge (and still hope to, even though it will be late), but February just complete got away from me. (I didn't hit my Draw-a-Box goal either even though I was totally on track until ... suddenly I just stopped. Got distracted by some real life stuff that took precedence and kept telling myself "tomorrow" and then before I knew it the month was over.)

I *have* been working on one of my mixed-media art projects. I'm gluing alphabet magnets to a canvas. (I've just been randomly collecting plastic letters for years because "those would make a cool art project some day" and now it looks like it's going to turn into more than one project because I still have a ton of letters left and I think I'm about 75% done.

Re: where did February go?

[goss]

I absolutely intended to do the Zentangle challenge

Awesome! And no worries, you are more than welcome to do challenges after the end of the month. *cheers you on*

kept telling myself "tomorrow" and then before I knew it the month was over

Aw man, that happens so often with me too! I keep telling myself I'll return to my Chinese brush painting lessons, and then somehow the weeks turn into months and I *still* haven't gotten around to resuming it. /o\

I *have* been working on one of my mixed-media art projects

Sounds really fun - good luck with getting it finished! :) :)

[mific]

February was a busy month, with a couple of romance festivals in SGA for me. I managed one zentangle art and meant to do another but ran out of time. Other works were a podfic art/cover for Sequelae, and a 10 page John/Ronon comic for Romancing SGA. The podfic was looong, as was the comic - so those, plus some writing, pretty much used up Feb for me. :) Just before making the comic, I happened on a useful app called Comic Draw, which I haven't mastered in terms of doing full comics in yet (there are Youtube tutes) but I grasped enough to use it to do the panels and speech bubbles which were then easily imported into Procreate.

[mific]

Yeah, I've been doing a little traditional art too. I have a worktable set up in my living room now, looking out at the garden. :)

[mific]

Your big 3D works are very fun!

[mific]

Busy busy - go you!

[amberdreams]

Well I do enjoy painting them!

Re: where did February go?

[mific]

Time, where does it go? The mixed-media project sounds like fun.

[goss]

Oh, that sounds nice! :)

I think one of the biggest reasons why I switched to digital art over the last couple months is that the room with my art worktable has now become a shared space. I really need to reclaim a spot solely for working on my art.

[goss]

Congrats on creating the comic! And thanks for sharing a link to the app. :D

[amberdreams]

It's frustrating there aren't any offerings that suit you, hopefully something will come up soon!

[seleneheart]

Going back to the meditation of Zentangle has helped my art block this month. I found that I'm mentally planning out pieces and thinking about creative things, instead of the blank space in my head where that stuff was missing. I made the February journal prompt (posted here), and then went back and did the January prompt. I also made several Zentangle tiles that I'm pretty pleased with.

It's just nice to *want* to make art instead of feeling like it is a chore.

[seleneheart]

Doing the comic sounds like a really fun challenge! Congrats!

[goss]

The zentangles are so satisfying. ^__^ Glad that you were able to recapture the feeling of wanting to create. <3