Sparks of inspiration August ’24
A list of lovely and inspiring things for the month of August
I decided to have a no-pressure approach to both art and writing this summer and I feel that this decision has given me the energy and inspiration to work a lot in my sketchbooks, explore different directions, techniques and ways of creating art. All this without the pressure of creating a certain amount of artwork or keeping up with my usual posting schedule here on Substack.
I actually feel quite inspired and am happy with how my current art practice works. May be the secret was to let go of expectations and permit myself to play and be more relaxed? Who knows!
I hope that your summer (or winter, if that’s the case!) is also enjoyable and full of inspiration, no matter if you decided to create art regularly or if you have a more relaxed approach like me.
Here is some inspiration from me to you for the month of August:
Inspiration from the masters
7 Lessons I Learned From Vincent Van Gogh by Angela Fehr. Van Gogh is one of my favourite artists and I enjoyed this article by Angela with her observations and reflections on how his art changed her own practice.
Utagawa Hiroshige - A Journey in Print - Art in context. I love Japanese landscape prints and completely understand why western artists were so enchanted by them! I want to start experimenting with monoprints using a Gelli plate and this article is a big source of inspiration for me!
Sketchbook love
Exploring sketchbooks for abstract art - Alice Sheridan. If you are reading Art as Home for some time then you know that I am a big sketchbook lover. Recently I have been exploring abstracts in some of my handmade sketchbooks, so this article gave me additional inspiration for further experiments.
A history of the artist’s book and how to make your own - Jackson’s art. “Artists’ books are made with the intention of being appreciated and enjoyed. A sketchbook (the blank object) becomes an artist’s book as soon as the maker decides that’s what it is” - LOVE it and agree 100%. I use my sketchbooks as a learning tool and for experimentation, but I always feel that a sketchbook IS a work of art, however imperfect or messy!
Working on location
Start Sketching Outside - 5 tips by
. Practicing more location drawing is one of my goals for this year and I am always on the search for various tips and inspiration from other artists. I love this video because it has all sorts of tips from packing art supplies, prepping your sketchbooks to mindset and physical comfort.
Colour inspiration
My Top 6 Books for Colour Inspiration and Guidance - Laura Horn. I am obsessed with all things colour and this video is a wonderful guide!
Split primaries in action - Jane Blundell. Playing with colour is my favourite way to procrastinate, but it is also such a great learning tool. Working with different combinations of primaries helped me to understand colour so much more!
Finding your artistic voice
How you can find your voice - Louise Fletcher. I love the warm approach Louise has in guiding other artists to find their own unique way of creating art and she always encourages play and experimentation without fear of failure.
The Working Artist: Making a statement - Artists & Illustrators. I really loved this idea of writing an artist’s statement and using it as sort of a guiding star when developing your artistic style. It helps you to narrow down your focus and explore a specific direction deeper, thus, allowing your natural style to emerge.
Practical tips
Watercolour Paper and Painting Surfaces & How to Choose the Right Watercolour Paper - Bromley’s Art Supplies. These two articles are a comprehensive guide on choosing and working with watercolour paper. As I am always looking for new papers to experiment with I found this very useful!
I hope you found something useful and inspiring for yourself!
Thank you for being here! Feel free to share this post with an art friend and I’ll be glad to read a comment from you!
Until next time!
Lisa
Thank you so much for the mention; and for so many great reads for inspiration - that's my weekend reads sorted! Excited again to try making a saddle stitch artist book after reading your jacksons blog link 💙
What a great round up of inspiration! I totally agree about taking off the pressure and making without expectations - its so freeing! Bookmarking this for later...