30 Drawings in 30 Days! Part 2

Let's jump right back in with the second post about my 30 Drawings in 30 Days challenge! Here is a link to the first post, with days 1-10.

11. Draw something using crosshatching (drawn in pencil) This one was really interesting! I struggled a bit at first with my lines, then found a good rhythm. It doesn't help that I picked the shiny side of a pressed penny as my subject! In the end, I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and would love to use this technique in future drawings!

So shiny!

12. Draw a dragon (drawn with pencil, inked with pen, colored with multicolored colored pencil) Now this one was more my style! I had recently discovered a colored pencil with six different colors in one pencil in the depths of my supplies, and thought it would be the perfect way to give this fluffy dragon a magical sort of look!

I bet he smells like cookies.

13. Draw your non-dominant hand (drawn with pencil) Pretty sure it's a right of passage to have pages of hands drawn in your sketchbook. Maybe not. But hands are hard, which is why I always say "Practice, practice, practice!"

Welp, it's a hand.

14. A blind-contour drawing (drawn with a brush ink pen) Blind-contour drawing is when you don't pick up your pencil (or whatever you are using to draw with) until you are finished, and you also don't look at your paper, you only look at your subject. I did accidentally lift my pen in this drawing, you can see the broken line where it happened. I picked my daughter, Alex, as the subject for this one. She was watching TV on the couch a few feet away from me, and was a perfect still model! I love the way blind-contour drawings turn out, and should really do more of them.

You can kind of tell it's a person!

15. A motorized vehicle of some sort (drawn with pencil, inked with pens) I probably should have picked a car, as my car and truck drawing skills are MIA (missing in action - as you can see in the tiny sketch below) but instead I chose a Segway! 

I've never ridden one, have you?

16. A landscape of your choice (drawn with pencil, inked with pen, and colored with colored pencil) Of course a toaster was going to make an appearance at some point in this challenge! 

Be free, little toaster!

17. A drawing with pointillism for coloring/shading (sketched with pencil, drawn with markers) Another toaster?! This wasn't my favorite one so far, but it was interesting. I'd do more pointillism (using "dots" to create an image) in the future, I think.

Even the lines are dots!

18. A scene with single-point perspective (drawn with pencil, inked with pen) I had started off with this being a cityscape because I loooove cityscapes but after one side of flat, bland buildings I wanted this drawing to get wEiRd!

After 20 years, finally some proper surrealism!

19. A non-motorized mode of transportation (drawn with pencil) The whole point of this challenge was to try techniques/subjects I don't usually use in my art. We have proof that realism isn't my specialty (sorry again, Jessica!) but I do keep trying! For this one though, I wanted something a little more my style. And in the end, I really like how it turned out! 

I've never ridden one of these, either!

20. A non-scary monster (drawn with a soft brush pen) I had DC, a couple of toasters, a city... it only makes sense that I'd include one of my monsters as well! This time with classic reclining style!

Oh my.

Well folks, we are two-thirds of the way through the challenge! Again, here is a link to days 1-10, and here is a link to the last set, days 21-30.

30 Drawings in 30 Days! Part 1

There are hundreds if not thousands of daily drawing prompts you can find online, all laid out nicely for months of creative inspiration and practice. Many of them consist of a single daily word that leaves all sorts of room for interpretation, like “red” or “enlighten.” I thought it would be fun to build a list of my own, and share the results. My goal was to stretch my artistic muscles a bit, so some of the prompts I came up with are very different from what I normally draw! This will be a three-part post, with ten prompts and images included in each post, in the end totaling up to 30. I started this on July 1st, 2022 (but Haley, aren't there 31 days in July? YES! And on the 31st, I took a break!)

Let’s dive right in (pun intended) with 1. Mermaid/merman/aquatic person (drawn with pencil, inked with pens) This character is called Rema, and she's a water fairy from a fantasy story I've been rolling around in my head for a while. In this drawing, she's pregnant and about to birth her egg!

Bloop, bloop!

2. Self-portrait in pajamas (drawn with pencils and gel pens) I'll admit, the first thing I reach for in the morning is my robe! I've probably mentioned this before, but every time I draw a self-portrait, I represent myself as this demon-cat-princess named DemoniCat (DC for short.) It's also how I sign all my artwork (prints get signed with my full name.)

Anyone else rock the robe life?

3. A cat/dog/domesticated animal (drawn with pencil) This is our Jack Russell terrier, Lola. She didn't sit still long enough for me to finish, but it's a pretty good likeness!

She's a good pupper.

4. The view from your front door or window (drawn with pencil) Across from our house are some fields and a little wooded area where we regularly see wildlife - I don't usually draw landscapes, so this one was fun to do!

No wild toasters, though.

5. Draw what your feet are currently doing (drawn with pencil) It's funny, but I didn't really consider what I do with my feet when I'm sitting - turns out I tuck my legs up on the couch, feet together, and cross my legs or ankles when I sit in a chair! 

That one's lefty, this one is righty.

6. A portrait of a celebrity (drawn in pencil) Oh Jessica Alba, I am sorry! 😂 I know if I put in more time, I could continue to adjust her features and eventually get it right, I just didn't want to put in that much time. This is why I don't draw realistic portraits!

It's okay to laugh, that's what I'm doing!

7. A piece of furniture (drawn with pencil, colored with markers) This is a tiny wooden rocking chair for my girls that used to be mine when I was their age!

Heirloom status achieved!

8. A character from a book (drawn in pencil) I'm currently reading the Sword of Shannara trilogy, and this is how I picture the druid Allanon in my head.

What does a campfire really look like?

9. Something in the style of Dr. Seuss (drawn in pencil, inked with pen, colored with crayons) I thought using my kids' crayons would be an appropriate medium for this one. This is a self-portrait of me, just finishing up a painting in my studio, when a mouse skittered past my bare feet (we found out it was a mouse when we caught it two days later, at the time it sounded like the size of a small dog!)

Nailed it!

10. A single leaf (drawn with pencil) I'm not sure if one segment of a Christmas cactus qualifies as a 'leaf' but it's what I chose! If I was to choose again, I think I'd pick a dried leaf from a tree, I think those just have more character.

Pointy, yet soft!

There you have it, the first round of daily drawings! Here's a link to the second set of ten, and here's the post about the final ten.

Children's Art Books Reviewed

I have included affiliate links to products in this post to direct people to the books I'm reviewing below. If a purchase is made using the links I will get a commission (at no extra cost to you!) Here is a link to my Disclaimer.

As many of you know by now, I have four children: two daughters under age 5 and two teenage stepsons (I’m both potty training and dealing with empty-nesting, it’s brutal.) Even though talking with me about art is far from my boys’ favorite subject they can understand why I get a kick out of Banksy shredding his art as soon as it was auctioned off.

My girls on the other hand are a little more difficult to explain art to. They both love coloring (one more than the other, so I’m still hopeful one of my kids will grow up to be an artist like Mommy) with crayons; drawing with pencils, pens, and markers; painting with watercolors; and drawing with chalk. Pretty typical kids’ art stuff. But I don’t want to have to wait ten more years to be able to really share my love of art with them, and thankfully there are some fantastic books written for younger audiences that broach the subject in a way they can understand!

I not-so-secretly bought this for myself!

My First 100 Art Words by Chris Ferrie (illustrated by Lindsay Dale-Scott)

When I was pregnant with Emma, I picked up a "baby’s first 100 words" book to read to her, which featured words like “book,” “cup,” “crib,” “bath,” etc. So when I discovered there was a book of 100 ART words, I knew our household needed it! I wholeheartedly give this book a 5/5, and I even learned a few words myself when I first read this book to my girls! One of my favorite things about it is that it covers a wide range of creative fields instead of focusing on the stereotypical “painting.” It includes history, writing, color theory (oh yeah!), photography, theater, archaeology, music, and more! The illustrations are brightly colored and simple, with a happy little face on each item (which I also love, as I’m one of those people who says things like “where do the books live?”)

I love this book so much I've gifted it to other parents!

This Little Artist: An Art History Primer by Joan Holub (illustrated by Daniel Roode)

We have had this little board book for years now! We first got the scientist one and once again as soon as I found out there was an artist one… 😉 It features ten famous artists in a range of ethnicities and from a wide range of history as well. My favorite thing about this book is that the information has three levels to it – the stylized illustrations, a short rhyming blurb, and a few sentences explaining it a little bit further. Very young children can see the bright pictures, the rhymes are simple to understand, and when kids get a little bit older they can learn even more. The very last spread in the book lists 19 more artists (including YOU!), with the challenge of “Crayons, paper, paint or clay – what will you use to make art today?”

An excellent resource for explaining museums to young kids!

My Day at… the Art Museum by Kelli Heil

We not only read this one every night in preparation for our trip to the Sioux City Art Center earlier this year, but we also brought our copy with us to the gallery! This book features simple, bright illustrations – on the left page is an example of different artworks, and on the right is the rhyming text and a scene from Charlotte’s (the main character) trip to the museum. It follows a typical visit to a gallery, complete with a brochure and guide, drinks at a café, various sizes and types of artwork, and in the end encourages kids to become artists themselves: “I just have to work hard, be kind, and always follow my heart.”

Our copy has clearly been "loved" for years!

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! By Karen Beaumont (illustrated by David Catrow)

It’s not technically an art book, but it is about painting (the illustrations have SO much energy in them) and it’s definitely an entertaining read! The very first page starts off with a room covered in paint, “on the floor and the ceiling and the walls and the curtains and the door…” Literally everywhere EXCEPT the canvas on the easel (which is where the text is instead!) As the story continues, the main character makes himself a work of art by painting his own body – making the story useful in multiple ways – listing both colors and body parts until he runs out of both and ends up in the bathtub! It’s a relatable and fun book, and I thoroughly enjoy reading this one to my girls at bedtime.

Reading books after brushing teeth has been a staple of bedtime at our house since Emma was about 9 months old. Now that Alex is old enough to pick her own book out we read two books every night. Some I enjoy reading more than others, but art books are always welcome when Mommy does bedtime!

Art from Emotional Scars

According to ArtTherapy.org, art therapy employs an approach to therapy using art-making and creative process. It can help a person express themselves when words just aren’t enough. I have used my own creativity as art therapy for years as I struggled emotionally through my teenage years, and it’s a practice I am finding I still employ when I need to.

Oh to be a dramatic teenager again.

This piece is called “Heart’s Band-Aid,” and started off as a pencil sketch. I scanned it in and colored it digitally, adding song lyrics for a background. The story behind it? I had tried calling my boyfriend one night, who immediately hung up on me and then turned his phone off. Fearing the worst, I got in my car and drove to the farm where we lived together (he had unsuspiciously told me I should stay that night at my mom’s) and ended up walking in on him with another woman. He was the second boyfriend in a row to cheat on me, and his was the final nail in my trust/insecurity issue coffin (which wouldn’t be dismantled until five years later.) It was a messy enough breakup, and as I did so often during my teenage years, I made art about it to help express myself when I didn’t feel confident to put my anguish into coherent words.

The title is just deafening silence.

I have drawn pregnant women a number of times before, and doodled little comics about being pregnant, but have only made one real art piece about my own pregnancy before – the one above. It was left untitled, as the words couldn’t be spoken at the time, but I had to express myself somehow. It was drawn and colored with permanent markers on paper. Once it was finished, I framed it and then hid it away behind other things on my art table (it’s still hidden there today.) Here’s the story behind it:

When I was 19 weeks pregnant with my second daughter, I was diagnosed with placenta previa. That means that the placenta was positioned over my cervix, blocking baby's exit. My doctor told me if I started bleeding from the placenta, there was a possibility of me bleeding to death before I could make it to the hospital here in town - and if I was rushed to the hospital, they didn't have a large enough blood supply to save me. I needed to be taken care of in Omaha, an hour and a half away.

Not one week later, I had a bleed and spent four days in the hospital. My mom and stepdad came to visit for a few hours, and Jon brought me a book to read, otherwise I was all alone with my tiny baby. I had a team of nine doctors, all specializing in high-risk pregnancy. They would come in and check on me with their students, do ultrasounds, give me steroid shots, and tell me the odds of baby’s survival if they had to deliver then to save my life (it was less than 10% at the time, but got a little better each day.) Every so often, Alex would move and bump around in my belly, reminding me that she was still there and just needed more time. I had a second bleed there at the hospital, and they told me if I had a third I would be hospitalized until I gave birth.

Every single time I went to the bathroom for months, I braced myself for more blood. Every morning I woke up, I wondered if I would die that day. I had weekly ultrasounds in Denison, and monthly ultrasounds in Omaha. At the 31 week ultrasound I told Jon to just stay in the waiting room with Emma, since there wouldn’t be anything new to report. When the tech was finished, she got the doctor, who had to check for himself in a second ultrasound. The placenta had moved up and out of the way, and I was no longer in danger!

It's been over three years now since Alex was born full term in a textbook, complication free delivery (besides having a velamentous cord attachment that was worthy of clinical study post-delivery) that didn't require surgery of any sort. The only thing I felt, for her first 24 hours, was the tremendous relief that it was over, and that we were safe.

I still break down when I talk about it, particularly when I say out loud that I think my husband was afraid of losing his wife. They are hard words to type, even harder to say out loud. And maybe it will always be hard. That's alright, because sometimes life leaves scars.

“Goodbye” made from watercolor and acrylic paint on watercolor paper, with plastic gems, white ink, and permanent markers

It was Christmas Eve morning, 2021. I was driving about an hour away from home to visit my surrogate grandpa (he was my best-friend-since-8th-grade’s grandpa and growing up we spent a lot of time on his farm) in hospice care for the last time. Later that same day, my parents were coming to visit for the holiday. I hadn’t seen my dad in over four years. It was shaping up to be one hell of a day. I had spent the two days prior in a daze, distraught that I wouldn’t get to say goodbye again (when my stepdad died the previous summer I wasn’t able to visit due to the pandemic, and all that was coming back.) I started screaming profanities as loud as I could to get rid of some of the tension (I was alone in the car, FYI) and after I was done screaming, the image of this piece popped into my head.

My best friend was there with her husband. She’s always been more stoic with her emotions, I on the other hand cried when I watched the Paw Patrol movie with my 4yo. I openly sobbed the whole time I was at the hospital. I was able to have a brief conversation with Grandpa Dean. He told me I didn’t have to cry. I told him that my parents were coming to visit that day, and that I hadn’t seen my dad in four years. Grandpa told me to have fun and that he would see me later. He passed away a few days later.

And just as I have done for over 20 years, I poured myself into a piece of art. I drew my car-scream, as well as the pained daze. I added in the gemstones and glitter to signify the happy holiday going on around me during my grief. And once I was done, the weight of grief was no longer crushing me.

Not all of my artwork is so emotionally charged, sometimes they are just happy little toasters frolicking in a meadow. But my art will always be an outlet for me; the act of creating a form of therapy and expression when simple words just aren’t enough.

Artist Interview: Deanna Skokan, Skokan Studio

My introduction to the art of Deanna Skokan (Skokan Studio, in Waukee IA) was about a year ago, when I joined the Iowa Artists organization. Between the bright colors, range of subjects, and the energy she puts into her paintings, I was instantly drawn to her art! She describes her artwork as a mixture of realism and impressionism. “I love painting sunsets, sunrises, and storms,” she said.

Her favorite medium to use is acrylics, because the paint dries so quickly. (That’s exactly why I love acrylics too!) “I tend to paint fast,” she said. “When painting en plein air, I love that it dries quickly so I don’t have to worry too much about getting wet paint all over me when I’m packing up after a session outdoors.” Skokan also uses graphite and watercolors, especially when traveling abroad as airport security won’t confiscate her art supplies that way!

“Barnyard Prosperity” 20”x16” Acrylic on panel

She’s currently balancing two projects; the first is studying with master artist Joseph Orr, a founding artist of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society (NOAPS.) “I wanted to push my art to the next level and knew I needed to study with a master to teach me how to create better compositions,” Skokan said. “I know this is an extremely rare opportunity as he doesn’t teach anymore and he’s only critiquing 4 paintings, so I’m very grateful for this opportunity.” She says she’s so eager to try out the techniques he teaches her, that she starts planning out compositions in her head the moment she leaves his studio! “Sometimes I can’t sleep at night due to my brain being in what I call composition brainstorming mode.”

The second project is preparing for her solo exhibition at Arts on Grand in Spencer, IA. “As an artist I feel my job is to show the beauty that God created to the eyes of others. Beauty is all around us. Take a 360 degree turn and notice all the beauty that abounds.” The exhibit, titled “360 Degrees of Paradise: Find the Beauty Around You” focuses on paintings that portray places abroad as well as places closer to home. “I’ve been blessed enough to be able to travel to some amazing places,” Skokan said. “All you have to do is look closely and you can find beauty in everything.” Well said!

Skokan has taught some classes of her own, but Covid-19 shut those down (just like everything else.) She says she wants to return to teaching classes someday, but for now is enjoying traveling with her newly retired husband (congratulations!)

Another stumbling block Skokan has encountered (which I personally believe is a universal struggle for artists) is the distance between the head and the hand. “In my head I know what I want it to look like, but not always do my hand and brush transfer that to the canvas,” she said. “Part way through I can tell it’s not working. Usually, that means I’m tired and need to put it away for a week and come back with fresh eyes. Usually that does the trick, or turning the canvas upside down works too. Most of the time I end up painting over an area after saying to myself, ‘Duh! Why didn’t I see that sooner?’” She says if she’s really stuck she will use a mirror to analyze the painting or ask her husband for advice. “He’s great at pointing out something I can’t see because I’ve stared at it too long. He really knows good art!”

“Summer Storm” 16”x20” Acrylic on canvas

Skokan said her favorite art tool is a blender brush! “I found it years ago and should have bought several to have... It is thick with short, soft bristles and is great for cloud work. Another favorite is actually more of a convenience for me — my grayscale tempered glass palette. With the use of a palette knife, it makes for very quick cleanup and is great for mixing colors. I do have 3 of those in different sizes.”

Any advice for people beginning their artistic journey? “I recommend buying a small journal and drawing on a page a day. Date the pages too. That will push you to keep doing it. When we were in Florida this past winter, I painted with my little journal and watercolors every time I went to the pool or beach, which was pretty much every day! When I had my coffee in the morning, often I’d sketch with my new graphite pencils whatever was on the table. Nothing fancy. Maybe a deck of cards or a coffee cup. Just quick sketches and watercolor paintings. To learn some of names of people I met at the pool, I’d paint them and write their name on the page. You’ll be amazed at how fast you improve as an artist.”

“I’d also read the book Alla Prima II by Richard Schmid. I’m only 3/4 the way through, but that’s because it’s chock full of good tips and techniques and I’ve reread several chapters over and over, each time learning something new. It was the first book Joe Orr told me to get my hands on. It’s a bit pricey but so worth it!”

“Also, learn to develop a thick skin early on. The first year an artist I worked with told me he’d never ever like my work. So I tried and tried to get better thinking surely I could paint something he’d like, some pretty scene. It was sort of a challenge to me,” Skokan said. After a year, she realized that he would never like her artwork, because his favorite style was anime! ”That’s when I realized as an artist, paint for yourself and what is your passion, not for others, unless of course, you are doing a commission piece. That’s different. Painting for others and not what you find beautiful may keep you from pushing harder. Let the comments roll off your back if someone doesn’t like your style. It’s not anything negative against you, it’s just that is not what they gravitate towards for art to enjoy. Instead, find your tribe, your followers or collectors. They are out there. It just takes time to find them. Once you find them, it’s like you found a treasure at the end of the rainbow.”

“Bridge to Autumn” 9”x12” Acrylic on canvas

As I mentioned before, Skokan and I are both members of Iowa Artists, a nonprofit group of about 300 artists, ranging in skill level from beginners to professionals. “We have some great art shows in the spring with judges who give awesome critiques to help everyone learn more, and we hold workshops in all 12 regions of Iowa.” Iowa Artists also partners with over 75 art centers and galleries to help spread the word about the members’ artwork. “New this year we are starting some plein air events for our members to participate in. It is an encouraging group and a great way to network with others pursuing the same journey you may be going through. I encourage all interested to join in making Iowa the best state to be an artist in. You can go to https://www.iowaartista.us to read more about the group or check out our events and newsletters for art tips.”

To see more of Skokan’s artwork, you can sign up for her e-newsletter on her website at https://www.deannaskokan.com, or follow her on social media at @skokanmd (Instagram) and Deanna Skokan (Facebook.)