inspiration monday

when i first began my downton diary,  i must admit that i was quite mesmerized by the thought of drawing all the architectural ins-and-outs of the house.....nothing makes me happier than getting caught up in all of those yummy details!

and while i would love to have a journal filled with the details of highclere castle ,  my inspiration for this project comes from my addiction fascination of the actual downton story......

and the central focus of the downton story is the family that lives there,
not the actual house they live in.

 

and, inspiration or not,  i find the idea of drawing people completely intimidating.  mainly because i know myself well enough that i'm going to fuss and become totally frustrated if they don't look exactly the way they look when i turn on my tv.
(hello, hints of perfectionism!) 

i will openly confess that the idea of drawing these characters is so far out of my comfort zone i feel like i need a passport to get back home.....

but as i was finishing this page spread,  i was thinking that's a huge part of what inspiration is all about.....to stretch us in all kinds of different directions, take us to new places, and to grow us by leaps and bounds.

so, thank you, inspiration, for bending, stretching, twisting and shaping me........
i think.  :))


{this artwork was created in my downton diary using derwent inktense pencils,
waterbrush, pitt pens, uniball signo white gel pen, 5B graphite pencil}

inspiration monday

when it comes to being at the crawley house.....

i think the service-life downstairs can be just as exciting and inspiring as
the Grantham-life upstairs.....

especially when there's such a sweet anna-and-mr.-bates love story going on!


{this was created in my downton diary using derwent inktense pencils, 
a waterbrush, pitt pens, uniball signo white gel pen, and a 6B pencil}

inspiration monday

                    it's  downton diary time, and one thing about the Crawley family that always inspires me is the fabulous dialogue,  the "friendly banter".....

and the great advice....

given by none other than the sage of wit-and-wisdom, herself!

there's nothing better than a good dose-of-violet to get your week started right!


{this was created in my downton diary using derwent inktense pencils,
pitt pens, 6B graphite pencil, waterbrush, uniball signo white gel pen}

inspiration monday

once you've made a brand new journal, and decorated the cover, 

it's time to tackle all those blank pages inside!  if you're like me, this can be both exciting,

 and a little intimidating.....how do you know where to start?!

that's where inspiration will take the lead and remind you that the best place to start with any new project is at the beginning......

and at the Crawley house, the best place to start is the front door!
(and as a result, no more blank page!  woo hoo!)


{created in my downton diary using koi watercolor, derwent inktense pencils,
pitt pens, 6B graphite pencil, waterbrush}

inspiration monday

one of the best things about making a new journal for yourself is deciding how you're going to fill it up!   for me, that means coming up with a "theme" that really, really inspires me.....because if i'm not inspired, i'm not going to want to work in it.  but with this journal, i've already discovered that sometimes inspiration will lead you down a path that you kinda wish you hadn't gone down.....

because even though this topic really, really inspires me, i may have bitten off a little more than i can chew!  i found myself drawing tons of lines and details that started to make my eyes cross, but once i added some watercolor......

it all became a lot clearer to me that when you're really, really inspired by something....

(okay, i'm beyond inspired with this topic....it's more like borderline obsessed!)

it's worth pushing yourself through, because when you're done, you'll overlook all those slightly wonky, wavy, and a little off-kilter lines that you just drew, and instead, look forward to the next path your obsession inspiration will take you!!


{i created this downton artwork using koi watercolors, waterbrush, pitt pens,
derwent inktense pencils, uniball signo white gel pen, 6B graphite pencil}