EXPERIMENTAL EXERCISE: A LITTLE GLUE INSIDE MY SHOE

February 26, 2026 | Patricia

“I was reading a book titled The History of Glue – I couldn’t put it down.” ~ Tim Vine, Comedian

In an effort to do something creative every day, I sometimes find ways to experiment with unusual materials.

After finishing my morning bedside sketch, using coloured pencils, I noticed the pile of multi-coloured pencil shavings from sharpening them and wondered how I might use them in another art exercise.

So, taking a new sheet in my small bedside sketchbook, I dribbled glue on to the flat surface, creating a network of lines encased in an outline of sorts. I then took the pencil shavings and sprinkled them on top of the still tacky glue. I propped the sketchbook up on a basket beside the bed to dry.

Later, I realized that the glue was more runny than I thought, and had dripped off the page. When I put my shoes on, I realized that the glue had dripped into the inside of my Clark’s clogs and was now also all over my socks!

To me this piece could represent a flock of birds or butterflies alighting in a stand of saplings, or maybe wilted flower buds browning on wintry stems. Kind of like a Rorschach test. What do you see?

So, today’s message is don’t mistake your brush cleaning jar for your cup of tea; and watch out for dripping glue into your shoes, LOL. What strange or funny things have happened to you when you are working on a piece?

Art created 2/22/2026.

Daily Soft Pastel and Pencil Sketch

February 22, 2026 | Patricia

“In the springtime, the heart regrows hope.” – Angie Weiland-Crosby.”

ART FIX: I, once again, have restarted my practice of daily experimental art-making. Sketching, collage, writing, anything to drag the ideas out of my head and on to paper.

Journals for creative writing as well as to make notes for art-making. A tiny sketch pad and a small basket of writing, drawing and painting materials close to hand.

This is a quick little soft pastel and pencil sketch, exploring texture and colour combinations.

Grabbed colours randomly, without thinking about how they might work together. Not sure how successful this combination was but it will form part of my colour catalogue to inform choices for future works.

Practicing a total spur-of-the-moment, don’t-think-just-do, creating.

Drawn 2/6/2026.

What practices do you use to create when the spirit is not moving you?

Drawing is Putting a Line Around An Idea: Henry Matisse

September 1, 2025September 1, 2025 | Patricia

“In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.” ~Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890), Post-Impressionist painter.

I love both of the quotes above. Matisse’s observation that drawing ‘puts a line around an idea’ is spot on. Sometimes getting an idea from the head to the hand is harder than one might think. Other days it flows easy as silk.

The Van Gogh quote speaks to me at a gut level. The advancing osteo arthritis in my shoulders and hands has been an ongoing block over the past few years leading to great stretches of time where I do little drawing and instead concentrate on writing (often using a voice-to-text app). Still I push on because making art is simply part of my DNA.

Drawing is still my all-time favourite way of expressing myself artistically. Whether as a simple HB lead pencil scribble or a more ‘finished’ example, such as the canine eye study shown here. Drawing is the skeleton that underlies all other techniques. It is the base construction. Here, I was demonstrating how sharpening coloured pencils to an extra long point offers a variety of line and shading techniques to the artist—from fine lines to broad shading.

What is your favourite medium? The ‘go-to’ tools you pick up when a spur-of-the-moment idea strikes your creative funny-bone? Pop them into the comments section.

Altered Ego: Daily Notes App Drawing

June 21, 2025August 11, 2025 | Patricia

“There’s a mysterious alter ego in everyone. Some call it hallucination, some call it art.” Bhavik Sarkhedi, Author and Branding Expert

This Daily Drawing is part of a recent series of posts showing work that was created in the Apple Notes App (essentially a writing app) using just the basic drawing tools within the text-based app. The basic art is sometimes resized and enhanced in Procreate 5 on my 12.9” iPad Pro. Over the past year or so I have experimented with simple drawings made with these rudimentary drawing tools iPad Pro using a second-generation Apple Pencil as my sketching pencil, ink pen and paint brush.

I often write a paragraph or two story idea reflecting my daily Notes app sketch. Here is an excerpt from the Altered Ego work-in-progress story:

“She woke up feeling fuzzy-headed, one foot still in the sleep world and the other planted firmly on the floor beside her bed, feeling something heavy and oppressive commanding her thoughts. Thoughts that were still back in the realm of the sleeping, not quite connecting with the waking world.”

This exercise has been an effort to show that all the bells and whistles contained in dedicated paint applications are not always needed to create interesting art. If you try the experiment of sketching in the Notes app with its in-app drawing tools, please post a link to your work in the comment section.

Notes App Drawing – World of Many Suns

June 8, 2025June 8, 2025 | Patricia

“If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendour of the mighty one.” ~ from the Bhagavad Gita, a quote made famous by J. Robert Oppenheimer in reference to the atomic bomb.

What would happen if the earth was thrown into a system with multiple suns? Would it survive? Could it adapt? If life was sustained, how would it be different?

This Daily Drawing is part of a recent series of posts showing work that was created in the Apple Notes App (essentially a writing app) using just the basic drawing tools within the text-based app. The basic art is sometimes resized and enhanced in Procreate 5 on my 12.9” iPad Pro.

Over the past year or so I have experimented with simple drawings made with these rudimentary drawing tools iPad Pro using a second-generation Apple Pencil as my sketching pencil, ink pen and paint brush. This exercise has been an effort to show that all the bells and whistles contained in dedicated paint applications are not always needed to create something interesting where there was nothing before.

If you try the experiment of sketching in the Notes app with its in-app drawing tools, please post a link to your work in the comment section.

‘EYE SEA’ – A Wee play on words

May 23, 2025May 23, 2025 | Patricia

“Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change.” ~ Wayne Dyer

This Daily Drawing is part of a recent series of posts showing work that was created in the Apple Notes App (essentially a writing app) using just the basic drawing tools offered within the text-based app. The basic art is sometimes resized and enhanced in Procreate 5 on my 12.9” iPad Pro.

If you try this experiment, sketching in the Notes app with its in-app tools, please post a link to your work in the comment section.

One of my first ipad drawings was drawn in 2016 using the ‘we transfer Paper’ App

November 13, 2024November 13, 2024 | Patricia

I remember being so excited about the iPad app, Paper by We Transfer. Love the notebook format and the ability to save collections.

This first drawing, a design for a Christmas holiday card, was drawn on Friday, February 12, 2016 at 1:17 AM using just the rudimentary tools available within the Paper app.

Basic drawing and fill tools are offered:

I love the journals configuration of the app that lets the user save collections of work in separate books.

If you are using the Paper app, post a link in the comments.

Analogue collage Digitally-Enhanced

October 15, 2024October 15, 2024 | Patricia

“The word ‘collage’ comes from the French word “coller” which means to stick together or to glue.”

What is collage art in simple words?

Collage is an art-making technique where pieces of paper, pictures, and other things are arranged and stuck down onto a surface. It often includes magazine and newspaper clippings (though I generally like to use only content I have created), photographs, ribbons, paint, bits of colored or handmade papers, portions of other artwork or texts, and other found items.

I have always loved creating collage art. Enjoying the extra dimension of layers of added paper or other materials.

This small piece was created some months ago. I started by ripping pieces from a landscape texture sheet in one of my sketchbooks, shaping as I tore, to use as the broad areas of the apple shape. Then I added paint splatters and a light was in the background. The black ink lines were added in Procreate 5 on my 12.9” iPad Pro.

I am currently working on publishing a book of my Apple artwork. I have 25-30 Apple art works at present.

Do you incorporate collage into your art? If so, please post a link to your work in the comment section.

Somewhere There IS A Light: Apple NOTES APP Drawing

October 4, 2024October 4, 2024 | Patricia

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” ~ Desmond Tutu

Some followers may know that I have been battling with debilitating osteo Arthritis for several years which has thrown a spanner into my art practice. On those days when I cannot work with analogue materials, I often draw on my iPad. This Daily Drawing is part of a recent series of posts showing work that was created in the Apple Notes App (essentially a writing app) using just the basic drawing tools offered within the text-based app. The basic art is sometimes imported into Procreate 5 on my 12.9” iPad Pro and enhanced.