Sparks of inspiration October ’24

Some good things from me to you

Oct 03, 2024

As always playing with mixing colours! Here I was experimenting with various triads of primaries.

This month’s collection of inspiration comes a little later than usual as it’s quite a busy time for me right now - I started university again plus we moved to a new place and I am a little overwhelmed. In addition to that some unexpected news got me off track in my everyday life and it affected other areas, including my art practice. And, lastly, the darker part of the year tends to be the most difficult for me mentally. Because of all that I might slow down some of the things here, but I still plan to show up regularly. Most probably I will just write shorter posts. My monthly inspiration and creative prompts are already short format, so I’ll probably just write more concise essays and studio notes, other than that nothing else should change.

Have a happy and creative October! I hope you’ll find these sources useful and inspiring.

Inspiration from the Master

Last month I joined a live online class from Jeanne Oliver devoted to Turner. His sketches inspired me so much, they are so expressive and powerful. I want to share with you his sketchbook and his watercolour palette. Warning, the urge to start painting after looking at this is impossible to overcome!

Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1775–1851, The Channel Sketchbook, ca. 1845
Watercolour test paper taken from travelling watercolour box owned by J.M.W. Turner

The creative process

Notes From The Studio | September 2024 - Renee Mueller. Continuing the topic of studying under the masters - an inspiring example of how you can explore an artist’ work!
Learn new ways to paint with Andrew Tozer - Artists & Illustrators. A great article devoted to the artist’s process, using artistic license, developing a style and much more! Andrew’s painting are amazing!

Sketchbook practice

Ink and watercolour pencil sketching - Liz Steel. Sometimes taking out your paints on the go isn’t the most convenient option, I love how Liz creates her sketches with watercolour pencils, they are amazing!
Line and Form - Zane Prater. A great free mini tutorial on drawing, explaining a lot of the basics.
My favourite stitches for soft cover journals - bitter melon bindery. If, like me, you love making handmade sketchbooks and art journals, this video is a must to watch!

Building a colour palette

My 24-Color Watercolor Palette - Everleaf designs. I couldn’t write this newsletter without mentioning colour palettes! I really like this example, it has a great mixing potential combining various primaries, convenience colours and neutrals.
My Updated Daniel Smith Palette: 15 Colours for Creative Mixing - Laura Horn. This is another great example of a mixing palette, that also has a little less colours and seems to be more portable!

Art and mental health

As I already mentioned the colder and darker months aren’t the easiest for me that’s why I also decided to add to this month’s collection of sources a couple of articles related to mental health.

The mental health benefits of creating art - Jackson’s Art. Molly Lemon shared this article on her socials and it really resonated with me. I had a long period of not making art and when I was in a very bad place mentally the first thing I decided to do was start creating art again. Every time I go through a difficult period I think that whatever happens I will always have my art and this thought gets me going.
Why the end of summer fills me with dread - Language Laddie. This additional article isn’t about art, but I decided to add it, because it contains so many useful tips. Already looking for a light therapy lamp for this season!

I hope you found something useful and inspiring for yourself!

Feel free to share this list with a creative friend and I’ll be very happy to hear from you in the comments!