30 Day Drawing Challenge Day 24- Tombow Marker Sketch

30 Day Drawing Challenge Day 24- Tombow Marker Sketch

©Rebecca Zdybel 

Today I'm breaking out my Tombow Markers and doing a sketch, and I'm encouraging you to give it a try as well.  If you have another water-soluble marker, then you can substitute it for this one, but my favorite is this Burnt Sienna color  #947.
 If you would like to get one, it's around $5-6. Here is a link to order it:  Tombow 947 Marker- Amazon

One of the things I love about this marker is it's ability to almost disappear once you bring water to the paper.  However, as with most ink applications, don't be too heavy with your lines at first.  Also, this is important...if you plan to use water on your sketch, make sure that your paper is watercolor paper or mixed media paper. 

Here are a few examples of sketches I've done with this marker.  All have been drawn in my favorite sketchbook, my Aquabee Super Deluxe sketchbook.  The paper holds up well for most media, and allows me to bring water to the page without it breaking down.  

I'm not going to tell you what to draw today...keeping it short  and hoping you feel inspired to continue sketching on this 24th Day of our 30 Day challenge.  The subject matter is open, but try using your Tombow pen or a water-soluble marker if you have one.  Otherwise, you could substitute your water-soluble crayons or watercolor pencils if desired.  

Tombow 947 marker, permanent marker and white gouache
©Rebecca Zdybel 

Note: These markers come in all colors, and the sketch below is an example of the many color varieties available. I'm just sharing my favorite with you, but you might experiment and find another color your like better.  Experimenting is the perfect thing to do during a sketch challenge!

©Rebecca Zdybel 
This is a page from my sketchbook.
There are many zentangle patterns recorded here.
All were drawn with various colors of Tombow Markers and Staedtler Mars Black permanent inkpen. 

This challenge is a huge commitment, but you are almost done!  Keep up the good work and send me photos of your finished drawings!  Fellow challengers are drawing their hearts out and are being so dedicated!  Here are some beauties that have been sent my way:

Above: What a lovely sketch of Shadows with Color and Drawing from still life using red and blue Elegant Writer markers on Day 21 of our 30 Day Drawing Challenge. Here's the link in case you missed it: 30 day Drawing Challenge Day 21- Shadows/Color

To the right: Illustrations of Letters give a chance to practice letter making as an art form, and picture making as a means of illustration.  It's fun! If you'd like to try it, here's the link to Day 22:   30 Day Drawing Challenge Day 22- Favorite Letter Illustration

And below:  I had to include this beautiful Zentangle as a reminder of how beautiful pattern making can be.  Obviously influenced by Klimt, this student created something the great master might envy!  In case you missed that lesson, here is the link to Day 20- 30 Day Drawing Challenge- Day 20

Rebecca Zdybel

Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor

Art Lessons: Drawing, Watercolor, Acrylic, Collage, Mixed Media

Myrtle Beach, SC

rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

Spread Light, Share Love, DO Art!

Feel free to share any of this blog post on your own blog or website, but I ask that you you include:

Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

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Out of My Mind Again! Art- My Favorite Drug of Choice

Have you ever had an out of body experience?  I just did.  I passed a very long 9 hour flight without the need to sleep despite getting up at 3 AM in Athens.  I'm a little fatigued, but during the flight I completed a few small watercolor sketches in my travel journal, and did some writing.  So fun! I was really "in the zone".  Either that, or once again,  I was out of my mind!

Athens

Octopus on the line...Scala Sykaminia

Remembering Manh Manh Restaurant in Athens...OHPAH!!

Note to self: sketching is probably best done on smooth paper...

this one done on rough paper is an illustration of why =)

Windmills of Chios- a must see!  You can eat dinner there as the sun sets...just lovely!

If you're as old as I am, you may remember that old Calgon Bath commercial.  The catch phrase was,  "Calgon, take me away....!" Good old Calgon Bath products never had that effect on me, though if I had enjoyed them this way, perhaps they might have!  

If you're old enough to remember that commercial, you may also remember the natural child-birth technique called Lamaze.  Breathing was at the heart of the Lamaze method and I relied on for all 4 of our children's births.  It really worked.  

That was the first time I remember being transported mentally in a remarkable way without chemical assistance.  I always thought of Lamaze as self-hypnosis, and a way of going "somewhere else" in your head while all hell was breaking loose with your body.  

That feeling is not just available through chemicals or hypnosis.  Music can also transport me.  Playing music can be a quick way to lose a few hours once I settle in and get engaged.  

Sports can also take me there.  Being an athlete all my life, I've had times when I've played "out of my mind".  My hand and eye were incredibly connected.  When this happened my entire being was on fire and I was doing things I could not believe possible.  Everything worked and was in sync. I was in the zone.  It was the best!  If you're an athlete, you may have also experienced something similar.  I don't think I'm that special...I just think it's part of the human experience.  

Those times are incredible, and sometimes I feel myself in that same kind of head space while "in the zone" doing art.  Every artist who has seriously spent time focused on their artwork has felt some version of this phenomena.  Time slips away, you're focused and ideas are flowing.  You see more and more clearly, perceive more and more discerningly.  Associations come, ideas flow, and you may even forget to eat, drink, or sleep.  Concentration is keen, and yet you are not on edge.  It's a calm and centered mental place to dwell.  In her book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, Betty Edwards calls this mental state, Right-Brain Mode.

Having grown up in the generation before the "just say No" era, I confess to having personally had a motto of "just say Yes" to a whole lot of things that would prevent me from running for political office.  Having sampled a few wares of the legal and illegal sort,  I can report to those of you who may have made other choices, that nothing compares to the "high" I feel from art. ART is my new drug of choice.  


I have had conversations with a few of my friends who write as their means of expression.  They report a similar feeling when they are focused and feeling especially creative.  Betty Edwards encourages writers to do a sketch prior to writing as a means of focusing their creative centers and starting up that sense of flow.  The idea is, that once you begin the Right-Brain Mode, you can transition to writing and ride the wave of creativity a little more easily. 

Have any of you had this feeling?  I'd love to hear about your experiences..comment here if you would like to share.

Rebecca Zdybel

Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor

Art Lessons in all media

Myrtle Beach, SC

rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

Spread Light, Share Love, DO Art!

Feel free to share this blog post on your own blog or website, but I ask that you you include:

Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/