Moleskine Experiment #3 - Fancy Heart

A quick painted doodle in my Moleskine Experiment series.  A fancy heart.  Because we all need a little love :)  Watch me painting it here....or better yet, watch the whole playlist just for fun!

Lots of Love 
                   from 

Peas in a Pod - Dangerous Doodle Drawing Tutorial (Video)

 

I have been doing a bit of gardening lately.  Well let me correct that slightly,  I have been sitting in a deck chair drawing pretty flowers and vegetables in my sketchbook, while my HUSBAND actually does the gardening.   I like to think of myself as providing the encouragement for the garden, saying important things like 'those tomatoes are so big and shiny', and 'how long will that horse poo take to get properly mixed into the compost heap?'. 

My husband has been experimenting with many different compost ingredients, and today brought home a huge bucket of fish guts from the local fish and chip shop.  The cat was given some as his new year's eve present, and set about dragging the stuff all over the place in case some other cats might come along and grab it off him.  I could just imagine my husband lovingly  placing pieces of fish guts around each vegetable in the garden, and inquired whether this was practical with all the stray cats and dogs that hang around our place.  My husband informed me that he would be digging a very VERY deep hole, burying the smelly treasure, waiting for a week or so, and then digging it up again and using it to feed our hungry plants.

So  I am looking forward to the super vegetables all this 'compost gold' will produce.   I seem to recall some famous story about a giant turnip and all the people needed to pull it out of the ground...that could be us in a few weeks.  I will keep you posted.

I hope that little story explains why I have started drawing peas.  Natural objects really have such beautiful shapes, and when you draw them you really have to appreciate how wonderful they are.  I hope you enjoy my latest drawing tutorial video.  Maybe it will encourage you to get out your gardening gloves as well!

Regards,

'Peas in a Pod' A Dangerous Doodle Drawing Tutorial Video
by Miraculous Mosquito.

Flower Explosion - Video Drawing Tutorial

Wellington...howling wind, fog, hail, landslides, earthquakes...and that's just in one afternoon!  Ok ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but generally here in Wellington, New Zealand, we just have to ignore the weather and get on with things.

I was born here but I lived in a very hot place for most of my life.  When I returned and began complaining about the cold weather, a friend of mine who lived here all her life said to me 'Well, you're just going to have to toughen up a bit!'.  She said it in a joking way, of course. I am glad she said it, because it's true, there is no point complaining about the weather. Why? Because when spring and summer come around it is all worth putting up with.

Suddenly there is an explosion of flowers, crystal clear blue skies reflecting in the breathtaking beauty of the harbor, and everything turns an amazing shade of emerald green.  The hills are covered in dense forest, similar in texture to large clumps of brocolli. The botanical gardens come alive and burst into colour, like something out of a children's picture book.

Spring has already sprung here and the flowers are now at their best. Now summer is here. I thought I would capture the floral inspiration before they finish, with this latest tutorial.  These blooms are obviously not going to win any prizes for botanical drawing, they are straight out of my imagination.

Have a go at drawing your own flower explosion...it's lots of fun!  I know the weather where you live may be turning a little chilly, but when you have finished drawing these cheerful flowers, you will feel as warm as a sunny summer's day.

Don't forget to subscribe to my blog and You Tube, send me a video response with your drawing (in the comments below the tutorial video on You Tube), or add your artwork to the 'Dangerous Doodles' group on Flickr,  I can't wait to see your wonderful floral creations!

Regards,

Dangerous Doodle Spotlight - 'River of Lava'

'River of Lava' by Belatrix29.
Click image for more detail.

It's time to spotlight some of the lovely work people have been adding to the 'Dangerous Doodle' group at Flickr.

I chose this piece, 'River of Lava' by Belatrix29 (also known as Helena). You can see more of her beautiful drawings here.

Come to think of it, maybe it could be a bit of a subconscious choice on my part, considering the title of the piece.  Last night I had a rather confused dream about a volcano erupting.  I spent the whole dream either trying desperately to get away from it, or getting distracted by other nonsense. 

Aren't dreams great?  You can be escaping from an erupting volcano, but still have time to pop in to your friend's house for a nice cup of tea.

Anyway, back to the subject!  Helena has encapsulated such a diverse collection of patterns in her 'River of Lava'.  I like how she has framed them all in the circle, and each pattern swirls outwards from the geometric shape in the middle. 

Let's have a closer look at some of those patterns, and discuss how Helena has used them to create a really wonderful artwork.  This is something useful that you can do with your own drawings as well.  If you select interesting pieces, cut them out (either on Photoshop, or with good old scissors) then they become even more beautifully abstract.  You can even use them as starting points for new artwork.

This pattern resembles 'Sea Sick', a very wavy doodle which has puddles of concentric circles wedged in between moving parallel lines.  Helena has taken the pattern to the next level by adding a subtle shadow next to the wavy lines, which creates even more texture, height, and layering.

 Here is such a beautiful interpretation of  'Shell Treasures'.  Helena has drawn overlapping shells which get smaller as they work their way around the spiral.  This adds perspective/distance to the piece.  She has also layered some gentle hues of pink and purple to the shells which really bring them to life.

 Here we see 'Deep in the Jungle', with vines curling around themselves, and lush green leaves popping out here and there.  I love the way she has added a hint of shadow in just the right places to make the vines look three dimensional, as if one curl might be in front of another.

 The 'Over and Under' Dangerous Doodle is a very versatile one, as it can be interpreted in many different ways.  It could be a crisscross of highways, branches, nerves, or whatever your imagination dreams up.  Belatrix has used this pattern to emulate waves of hot molten lava, using sizzling colours of yellow, orange and red.  She has woven this through a darker background, which really makes it stand out.

This reminds me of some wooden steps going down to some sort of mysterious trapdoor.  Again, those wonderful shadows do the trick.

 Sometimes it is not WHAT you draw, but it is what you DON'T draw that makes all the difference to a shape!  Leaving out a little piece of each line in these swirls gives them the effect of being ultra shiny...great technique!

 Cleverly hidden in the 'Sea Sick' pattern are some sharp 'Spikies'...  Watch out!

This wonderful pattern reminds me of a futuristic transportation tunnel made of glass.  Again...great use of perspective, with the lines all disappearing at a vanishing point behind the curve.





Thanks again for adding your wonderful masterpiece to the group, Helena!  That's the end of the second Dangerous Doodle Spotlight.  Don't forget to subscribe so that you don't miss the next exciting episode.  Keep adding your drawings to the Flickr pool...yours could be next!

Regards,

Dangerous doodle challenge #2 - 'UP!'

Are you ready for the latest Dangerous Doodle Challenge?  Well here it is!

Use the latest tutorial 'Cumulus, Head in the Clouds' as inspiration for this challenge. Interpret the title 'Up' in an artwork, and include the cloud pattern somewhere in your work. There is no time limit, just post it to the Dangerous Doodles group pool and we will all then 'oooh' and 'aaah' at it. 

The group now has 38 fabulous members, by the way! I wonder if we can make it to 100? Don't forget to tell all your friends :)


When you post your work to the pool, include this tutorial link in your description so that I can click the 'approve' button:
miraculousmosquito.blogspot.com/2011/09/those-lovely-soft...

Have fun!
Regards,

Those Lovely Soft Fluffy Floaty Things - A new Dangerous Doodle Drawing Tutorial.

Clouds...something we get a lot of here in Wellington, New Zealand.  My house is often actually IN the clouds, as we live fairly high above sea level.  Sometime I look out the window and see the fog rolling in from Wellington harbour, in between the hills.  It's a really eerie sight, and one I always love to watch.  Within minutes it envelopes everything, and you can barely see the house across the road except for a few lights, and it can sometimes stay like that for days. After assuming that the whole of Wellington must be getting tired of this heavy fog, I am surprised when I drive down the hill towards the harbour and see that the rest of the city is drenched in lovely warm sun!

Clouds around here mean business, they are not just for looking pretty.  They usually mean either heavy rain that goes sideways and will knock you off your feet (with the help of the sideways wind, of course) or hail that covers everything in tiny little white perfectly shaped balls.  Sometimes we even have snow, although that only happens about every 10 - 20 years apparently.  Wellington is one of those places that can have 'four seasons in one day'.  It pays to wear lots of layers of clothing sometimes, as you could either end up wearing a t-shirt or a large jacket at any time in one day.  And don't even THINK of opening an umbrella, or you (and the umbrella) will suffer the consequences.

And so...the subject brings me to my next 'Dangerous Doodle' Drawing Tutorial, named 'Cumulus, Head in the Clouds'.  Use this to draw a masterpiece of floating white fluffies, or dark brooding stormies.  Your choice :)  Don't forget to subscribe, so that you don't miss the next tutorial.  To see all the tutorials, click on the tab at the top of the page.

Happy Doodling!
Regards,

Some Of the Artwork Inspired by Dangerous Doodle Tutorials.

A beautifully intricate artwork by 'Country15' inspired
by the 'Shell Treasures' Tutorial.

The Dangerous Doodles group on Flickr now has 32 members, and the photo pool features some fantastic artwork!  Here is a slideshow for you to enjoy.  I'm thinking of having a competition or two...what do you think?  Perhaps you have some competition ideas...I'm new to all this sort of thing, but it would be fun to try it and see what sort of response I get.  I also want to encourage the nice people who have taken the time to add their artwork.  Write your ideas in the comments below :)

You can see the tutorials here.

Regards,

PS:  Click on the arrow to begin the slideshow.

A New Video - 'Hidden'.

This was supposed to be a 'work in progress' video, but I couldn't help myself and turned it into a sort of mini tutorial as well.  You can read more about it in my previous post.  Hope you like it :)

Regards,

Dangerous Doodle Challenge #1 - 'BREAKFAST'

The Dangerous Doodles Flickr Group now has 24 members...YAY! Many of the members are very talented doodlers, so I really appreciate the fact that they have chosen to join our little group.  If you are interested in joining, you can find out more about the group in this previous blog post, or just click on the pink logo to the left which will take you straight to the group.

There have already been some good suggestions on the discussion board, such as having some doodle challenges.  So here is the first one for you to enjoy.


I recently found this great video called 'The Art of Breakfast' made by Danny Gregory.  Take a look at the video, it really made me feel like breaking out my inks and watercolours!


The Art of Breakfast from DannyGregory on Vimeo.

Breakfast...what a great theme for our first challenge!

Interpret it any way you will, and come up with a doodle or artwork, created by yourself, which somehow relates to the theme of 'BREAKFAST'. Somewhere in your work should be one or more of the DANGEROUS DOODLE DESIGNS featured in the tutorials. There are 4 designs to choose from at the moment , and I will be adding many more very soon. Oh, and you don't have to draw the designs exactly as I did, please use your imagination and adapt them to your own liking.

Don't forget to link to the Dangerous Doodle Tutorial/s you used, in your description, and write 'Dangerous Doodle Challenge #1' somewhere in your title.

There is no time limit (there are too many time limits about these days, who needs another one?) just take your time and add your masterpieces to the group if and when you feel like it.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I hope that all makes sense! Feel free to ask questions if you have any.

Happy doodling!
Regards,

Join the 'Dangerous Doodles' Flickr Group and Add Your Artwork!

Some of the designs from the 'Dangerous Doodles' Pattern Tutorial Collection

Thanks for all the encouraging comments about my new 'Dangerous Doodle' Pattern Tutorials.  I am feeling very inspired about these, and have already recorded many new doodle videos which are waiting in line to be edited (including the new shell design you can see in the picture above). Don't forget to subscribe to my blog if you haven't already, so you don't miss any new ones.

The good news is, I have created a Flickr group named 'Dangerous Doodles' where you can share any artwork that you have made with these tutorials as the inspiration.  You are welcome to join and post your masterpieces!  They can be made out of any material, or be in any shape or form, as long as they are clearly inspired by the Dangerous Doodle tutorial series in some way.  Just include a link to the particular tutorial/s that you used, in the description of the photo/picture.

I have always loved this style of drawing, and I am so happy to see that there are others out there who also enjoy it.  I think it really began for me as a serious addiction during maths class in high school...was it the same for you?  Where did you first discover you had an uncontrollable urge to doodle?

By the way, in case you were wondering, I never did too well in maths class.  Art class, however, well that is a totally different story!  The Art room was my favourite place...I think I even used to eat my lunch in there!

Don't forget to tell all your mates about 'Dangerous Doodles' the new Flickr group!

Happy doodling!
Regards,

Get Ready For...Dangerous Doodles!

Well to be exact, these doodles are not exactly dangerous, but we all love a bit of alliteration now and again, don't we?  I had to think of something dramatic to get your attention! 

This first video might not be dangerous, but don't eat too much before you watch it...there are a lot of wavy lines.  Hence the name 'Sea Sick'.

Some of my YouTube subscribers have commented that my drawing videos are a tad too fast for them to follow, so I have come up with a series of pattern drawing tutorial videos which are a bit more simple and straight to the point.  That way people can use the designs to adapt to their own artwork, and whatever shapes they want to fill. 

I have named them my 'Dangerous Doodles' Pattern tutorial series, and I hope you like them.  Let me know what you think in the comments below this post, or under the video itself on YouTube.

 If you would like to have a go at drawing these patterns yourself, don't forget to use the pause button if you want more time to think about each line and shape before you put it down on paper.  Don't get too caught up in trying to make your drawing look exactly like mine.  The idea is that you express the lines and shapes in your own way.  After all, we all think differently and hold our pens differently, so no two drawings are ever going to turn out the same...that's what makes art so interesting!  Just relax, go with the flow, and overall make sure that you enjoy what you are doing. 

Use different colours and materials.  You don't have to stick with ink.  Try a thin paintbrush with some different coloured inks, coloured pencils, aquarelles (water colour pencils),  or whatever takes your fancy.

Made a mistake?  Fantastic!  There is no such thing as a mistake in this sort of drawing, in fact mistakes are a great way to come up with a new pattern or idea for another artwork.  Just draw around or over it and turn it into a masterpiece.  After all, no one will ever know that it was a mistake except you....shhh!

I have so many more ideas for these tutorials, and have already recorded about eight of them so far, I just have to edit them, and hey presto!  So make sure you subscribe to my blog and youtube channel so you don't miss a thing.

If you use any of the patterns in your artwork, I would love to see it, and maybe post it on this blog to inspire others.  You can send it to me at miraculousmosquito (at) gmail (dot) com.

Have a great day (or night, depending on where you are on the Earth!)
Regards,

P.S: (You are welcome to use the 'Dangerous Doodle' pattern designs in any of your own creations, as I have provided them for free, however I would really appreciate it if you have the chance to link back to my articles so that others could share the doodly fun!  Thanks :))

In The Depths of the Earth - Underground Rock Pattern Drawing Tutorial

An enlarged section of 'Illuminated M' - Ink drawing.

Natural patterns can really add beauty to a design.  Organic shapes and textures bring your artwork to life, because they are not predictable.  A pattern which I use often in my own work is rocks, which can be used in many ways.  For example, an underground 'cut earth' look, or an old stone wall. 
On the left is an enlarged portion of an ink drawing I recently finished. If you want, you can read more about it here.  I have used the rock pattern to add a bit of interesting texture.

THE BASIC PATTERN

It is easy to draw your own rock pattern, if you follow these simple steps.

STEP ONE

Draw a general oval shape, but make sure you add a few flat sides.  You can make it as sharp or as smooth as you want, depending on what sort of rocks you want.

STEP TWO
Choose one of the flat sides of the first rock, and draw the next rock close against it.

 STEP THREE
 Continue to draw a few rocks in the same way.  Make sure you vary the shape and size of each rock...

 ...until you have an interesting pattern.

SHADING THE ROCKS

STEP FOUR
Now that we have the basic pattern done, we can begin to add the shading.  This is what makes the rocks look 3-Dimensional.

Choose a rock, and draw some lines on one side of it.  This is sometimes known as 'hatching'.  Try and follow the shape of the rock.

 STEP FIVE

Draw some more hatching lines in the same place, but change your direction slightly.  Do this a few times until you think it looks good...

 ... and don't be afraid to draw really dark close to the edge...now it's really beginning to look like a 3D rock!









STEP SIX

Now you're an expert!  Go ahead and shade all the rocks, making sure that your shading is on the same side on every one.  

Click on image above to enlarge.

DRAWING THE EARTH

Each rock will be surrounded by earth, so now we need to add a bit of cross-hatching in between.  The rocks need to look as though they are sitting on something, instead of just floating in mid-air.

Just like we did with the rock surface,  hatch in one direction, then in the other. Remember, it is dirt, so you can be as messy as you like with this bit!  Hatch in many different directions to show lots of texture.










Give your drawing a once-over with a bit more darkness, especially in the areas closer to the rocks.  This adds a bit more depth to your drawing, and helps make the rocks look more three-dimensional.

Add a few wiggly cracks here and there to make your rocks look authentic.  They have been underground for thousands of years, after all!














You are now ready to use your new rock drawing skills to create a bit of fancy artwork!  Add tree roots, fossils, insects, or even ant tunnels.  Experiment with pencil, pen, paint, colour.....have fun!

'Illuminated M', by Miraculous Mosquito, which features the rock pattern technique.  Go here to read more about it.  Go here to purchase a print of this artwork.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, don't forget to comment, share and subscribe.  More coming soon!

Did you use this tutorial in your artwork?  Please show me, I would love to see it:)
Have a suggestion for a drawing tutorial?  Let me know in the comments below.
Regards,

MM.