Before we get in to the upcoming ART HANG PARTY!, I thought we could take a look at a little recap of this year!
42 Livestreams since March 2, 2023
Top 3 Sessions (views):
STICKERS MAILED to 30 locations across the world (not counting the ones I’ve handed out locally or included in other packages)
If it’s not already obvious, I LOVE the ART HANG PARTY! community that we are building together!
Thank you for being part of it! 🤗💖✨
Ok, back to our regularly scheduled content :)
THURSDAY, JANUARY 4 @ 7:00PM ET on YouTube & Twitch
The graphic designer in me is so excited about this week! I’ve pulled together a ton of vintage, retro and just plain fun package designs for us to draw!
I have 28 references locked and loaded (with a bunch more on the pinterest board), but I think we should set the timer a little longer for this session and spend at least 5 minutes with each one, so we won’t get through them all.
✏️🤗💖✨
Next ART HANG PARTY! will be Thursday, January 11 at 7pm et on YouTube & Twitch
Theme: CATS!
Do you have an idea for a future ART HANG PARTY! theme?
Follow and DM your doodles to @arthangparty on Instagram to be shared on stream! Tag @arthangparty to be featured in our stories!
Join the ART HANG PARTY! discord! https://discord.gg/XztzrCkQT5 🤗💖✨ A place to share your AHP drawings, theme ideas, inspirations, artworks, and for us to get to know each other better! 🥰
Watch past ART HANG PARTY! replays here
THIS WEEK IN MY SKETCHBOOK
MONDAY, DECEMBER 25
I didn’t do any art today, but I did make a full turkey dinner!
TBT my illustrated recipe / method of roasting turkey:
And while we’re on the topic of food, my mom usually makes this merengue - cream cheese - whipped cream - cherry pie - thing, but I offered to make it this year as she and my dad were doing the bulk of the meal (this was for Christmas Eve). I thought back to our retro holiday food ART HANG PARTY! session and decided to make it look like that really scary meatloaf Santa, haha!
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:
Aside from cooking a turkey, we spent the entire day watching basketball! (Celtics beat the Lakers!)
✨🎄 MERRY CHRISTMAS! 🎄✨ although by the time you read this Christmas is going to feel so long ago, LOL
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26
When my mom asked me what I’d like for Christmas she wouldn’t accept “nothing” as an answer (she never does, despite me insisting every year), so I wrote up a short list of some art supplies. It included sketchbooks, some paint brushes and a tube of Daniel Smith’s Moonglow watercolour.
I normally would not get myself a spiral-bound sketchbook, but that’s what I was gifted and so I decided I would use them! I’m not sure I’ll only do self portraits in them, but that seems to be what I’m starting with.
I really did enjoy doing the quick single-line blind contour self portraits last year, but this time I think I’m going to change it up. For this one, I took a photo on my iPad and did a quick trace/sketch in Procreate, then laid the paper over the screen and traced it onto the page.
Friends, meet Moonglow!
Isn’t she pretty? The granulation is fascinating. I started with light washes and then patiently waited to add more and more to create depth and shadow. My hair is looking a little Jackie-O or something, but I think I caught some likeness, especially around the eyes.
Since it had been a few days since I spent any time with my sketchbook with all the Holiday Festivities and whatnot, I really wanted to spend some time with it. It has also been a while since I did a master study, so I pulled out my Helen McNicoll / Mary Cassatt book and decided to tackle Mary’s ‘Young Girl at a Window’ with just my Neocolor IIs.
editing note - I did blend the background and I think it works a lot better!
After watching a few episodes of Girlboss on Netflix I felt like doing some drawing on my iPad, so I pulled up Sophie’s past Scribble Brigade sessions and found one that looked fun - Retro Pottery! (I think this one is a Patreon-only, but there are plenty of public sessions to choose from)
I used my Neocolor II-ish brushes (available to download on the ART HANG PARTY! Discord if you want to play with them!) and colours and sat on the couch and just had a nice time drawing retro pottery.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27
Another self portrait! This time I used the Indian Red paint from the Kuretake Gansai Tambi set and went in freehand with simplified lines.
I quite like how it turned out!
After dinner I turned to my people board on Pinterest and this cute lady and her pigeon friends really stood out, so I decided they would be next in my sketchbook
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28
I don’t know who she is, but here’s another “self portrait” LOL!
I went freehand again, which might have been a mistake, but I want to learn so I have to be brave and accept the outcome. I started with a light beige to sketch in my face and all the elements and loosely place the shadows, then added layer after layer to build depth. I used the blue as the main face shadow, but it was looking really sickly, so I went over with pink and I like how it kinda looks like a multiply layer.
I don’t totally hate this. I kinda like it. I just don’t think it really looks like me.
It’s Thursday, which means it’s ART HANG PARTY! day!
It was snow week and it was a good one! I had collected some high contrast reference photos so that we could focus less on the actual snow and more on shapes and shadows.
We started out with the timer set at 1 minute for the first 4, then turned it up to 2.5 minutes for the majority, until we turned it back to 1 minute for the final 4.
Look at Moonglow doing her thing!
I ended up cutting the sheets into little cards that I’ll send out with shop orders or sticker requests!
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29
A self portrait done while eating breakfast and binge-watching Marie Sisul art vlogs on YouTube over a few books she mentioned that I took note of, and a quote I copied down that lives on her studio wall.
🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 ← drumroll!
Inspired by my big Strawberry painting, I have decided I’m going to start a new painting collection with plans to complete 8 to 12 pieces in total over the coming months!
The collection will be focused around memories of my grandma’s garden, and this piece is all about eating raspberries directly from the bush. I used to put a raspberry on the tip of each finger and then eat them one by one - pop! pop! pop! pop! pop!
Here’s where I ended after the first painting session:
And here’s a little of the process:
And here’s the background added:
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30
When we were on our walk at lunchtime, we walked by the marina and my favourite (local) willow tree at The Music Garden. I haven’t really seen it in its winter-state yet this year so I snapped a few photos and knew I’d spend some this afternoon with it in my sketchbook.
I added some watery Inktense paints to the background, and over that added Necolor Is and coloured pencil scribbles. I think it definitely captured the wintery vibes.
Then as I was talking to my friend on the phone for just under two hours, haha, I started working on a study of a Lawren Harris piece from a Group of Seven art book.
I had some yellow acrylic paint leftover from finishing (maybe we’ll see not quite) the Raspberry painting that I covered the sketchbook spread in, then used a fluorescent red pencil to sketch everything out and more coloured pencils to colour it in.
I’m not sure it’s finished, but I am finished with it, so this is how it’ll live forever.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31
I added the little hairs yesterday, and just finished with the yellow sides. I’ll hang it up on the wall for a bit beside the big strawberry piece and see how it feels, but I think the Raspberry is done!
Some closeups:
I’m really excited to start working on this collection and share the process with you!
Questions for Planning a Creative Year
I just came across
’s post about Planning a Creative Year, where she shares some really good questions that get you thinking about where you might want to focus your creativity in the coming year.In the interest of sharing and accountability, here are my answers 😅
What is your topmost creative goal for the year?
To complete a collection of paintings focused on memories from my grandma’s garden
Are you doing a daily or 365 (total) project? If so, what is your plan?
Not officially, but I will continue to create every day
Do you have other “daily” creative tasks/goals planned? List them.
No
Do you have “weekly” creative tasks/goals planned? List them. (“Weekly” means you hope to do x once a week.)
ART HANG PARTY! on Thursday’s
Illustration project to build portfolio
YouTube video
Substack post
Do you have “monthly” creative tasks/goals planned? List them. (“Monthly” means you hope to do x once a month.)
Painting for collection
Art Chat video for YouTube
Do you plan to participate in any monthly challenges? List them by month.
No
What projects or explorations do you plan to do (other than any 365 or monthly challenges)? List them in order of interest or planned sequence.
Research the business side of illustration
What projects, not yet listed, are bucket list projects that you would like to do “someday” and keep putting off and carrying into the future?
An exhibition of my artwork centred around my painting collection of memories of my grandma’s garden, but also including other work
Selling at an art market
Setting up an art studio in our front room
Of your bucket list projects, which one is most important to you? Is it something you could tackle this year? Why or why not? What is in the way? (Are there any bucket list projects that you are ready to let go and remove from the list?)
The exhibition. It could happen this year! Aside from completing the artworks, I would need to get over my fear and feelings of not being good enough.
Is there an area, material, or medium you would like to explore? (If so, what?) What holds you back? Could you make this happen this year?
I would like to try filming art/studio vlogs for YouTube. It’s doable. I need to capture little moments as they happen throughout the day.
Do you plan to take classes or workshops this year? If so, list them.
I don’t know about classes or workshops, but I will research the illustration industry and how to break in and make it a viable part of my business
If you have multiple “daily” creative goals, look at your list and estimate how much time they might take (all together).
Art time - 20 minutes to 2 hours or longer
Is this amount of time possible in your day? (If not, return to the “daily” list and really look closely at what you want to do daily versus, for example, weekly or monthly.)
It has been so I expect it to continue!
How do you “feel” when you look at your list of projects? (If your list inspires anything less than positive thought and excitement, you may need to reevaluate! If your list overwhelms you, definitely look again!)
I feel excited and ready
Does your list of projects and goals/tasks allow room for discovery, flexibility, and “new” projects that will arise? If not, look closely at your list to make sure you have flexibility. This is very important! Things always come up that you didn’t plan on. You don’t want to lock yourself in for the year. You want room to take on new things that spark interest!
Yep!
What one goal can you meet in the first month of the year to make you feel good about your creative life? (You should repeat this question in advance of every month.)
Finish another painting for the collection
What is your word for the year? (If you don’t know yet, what words are you considering?)
GROWTH
This is also really helpful to figure out your word (I got Growth, Growth, Community!)
How do you summarize your creative life or art to someone else? (1-3 sentences.)
I’ve never really thought about it, but my website bio says:
I’m a self taught artist, illustrator and graphic designer living and working in the beautiful Harbourfront neighbourhood of Toronto.
My personal and commission work is rooted in observational drawing, with a bold and vibrant approach to colour. I like to work traditionally with gouache, watercolour or acrylic ink, often layered with seemingly haphazard scribbles of coloured pencils and wax pastels that results in vibrant and energized finished artwork.
How does that summary make you feel?
Like an imposter, even though it’s true!
What makes you happiest or brings you the most satisfaction in your creative life?
Hosting ART HANG PARTY!
What would you like to change about your creative life?
More illustration work
Selling more artwork and prints
What steps can you take to bring about that change?
Outreach to people I have worked with in the past.
Tell people I want to do more illustration work.
Reach out to companies.
Make illustrations even if nobody asks and share them.
Market myself and my work
How will you keep yourself on track this year to meet your goals for your creative life? (In other words, do you have an accountability system or partner? Do you need one? How could you create a system that gives you just the right nudge?)
Sharing my journey on YouTube and Substack
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
It’s the last day of December which means it’s time to revisit all the art I made this month!
🤗💖✨
Ok, that’s it for me!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! See you Thursday at ART HANG PARTY!
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I will catch up the AHP on Friday, but if I'm awake I can enter a bit to say hi 😊 it was nice to read your answers to those questions about your art and intentions, crossing fingers for the exposition! ❤️ p.s.- have you ever had a snail drawing session? 🐌
I love that you reflected on the questions and shared here. Great to see your work from the week. (I’m new to your substack.) I’ve considered moonglow a few times - it looks lovely - and great self portrait. Happy New Year!