Johanna's Creative Space

It's been a long time!

2012-01-24T21:37:00.003+01:00

New year, new goals, new lots of things. This blog has been inactive for far too long now, and it's time to do something about it. I have a challenge going on with a friend, (visit Anna's blog here), that every day we do some kind of artistic activitiy, even if it's jus a five minute sketch.

Last week end we went to sketch crawl with some awesome artists which was awesome to get back into the saddle. We spent a few hours in the amazing Citykonditoriet, Stockholm, which has marvellous interiors. Great for drawing.

View from our summer house

2010-08-23T20:44:00.005+02:00

I'm back. It's been a long summer and I've spent my tim enjoying the short but beautiful swedish summer, rather than updating my blog. We spent a few weeks at our summer house by the lake, where we have this gorgeous view.

In watercolor (Winsor Newton, artist's quality, don't remember what kind of paper though)

In ink (Lamy Safari pen, on some crappy paper I found in a cupboard)

And as comparison, the same subject from three years back. What do you say? Personally I must say that I think I've done a bit of progress since then!

Join the fight for a better world...

2010-06-19T20:44:00.002+02:00

In the words of my friend Anna:

"A world in peace. Where we take care of our planet so future generations may live in prosperity also. Where we have sustainabiltity, or even "thriveability". Where all humans have an equal value. Where animals are treated with love and respect. And where Moleskin makes Watercolor Notebooks in portrait formats! Well, you have got to start somewhere... so start by joining the facebook group We would love to see a Moleskine Watercolor Notebook in PORTRAIT format started by Nina Johansson, today!"

I couldn't have said it better myself.

For Ebba

2010-06-08T20:25:00.000+02:00

I know a girl named Ebba. This is a portrait I did of her, at the coffee shop where I had coffee with her mother. She wasn't very cooperative as a model, so I took her picture with my iPhone and used it as a reference.

This is Ebbas doll (yes, I have coffee with her mom every now and then), which is called Julia.

Everyday in May 21-31

2010-05-31T22:57:00.002+02:00

It feels like I have crossed the finishing line in a big race or something. When I started out I had no idea it would be this challenging to do a EDM challenge every day. But I did it. And here are my final drawings for this challenge - ten challenges in the same post, must be a new record for me!

EDM 21 - something old
Welcome to my home town, Stockholm. Founded in the 13th century, I's say it certainly counts as something old.

EDM 22 - a piece of clothing
My son's jacket.

EDM 23 - my foot

EDM 24 - fruit, EDM 25 - a glass, EDM 26 - a vegetable

EDM 27 - anything
EDM 28 - an appliance. This is our television showing the winner of the Eurovision song contest. For those of you not familiar with the eurovision I'll just say that it is the second biggest TV-event after the Super Bowl, and it's a music contest. This year Germany won, and rightfully so, they had a great song and a great singer)
EDM 29 - a book. Getting things done, by David Allen. This is something I need to learn very badly. How will I find time to actually read the book?

EDM 30 - a chair. In bright sunlight, so very hard do draw, but i managed to get a bit of our new mini deck in the drawing too. Very pleased.
EDM 31 - something I collect. Can't say I really collect anything (but I wouldn't mind some of these extremely cute mugs with Moomin characters on them). But, well yes, I couls say I collect good times with my friends, and they usually include coffe. Hence the coffee mug.

Everyday in May 18-20

2010-05-29T22:21:00.000+02:00

I'm still drawing, but not photographing and posting (however it's more of a challenge to keep up with the drawing too). Here are a few drawings, and there's more to come.

EDM 18 - the view from a window. This is the view from the café where I happened to be sitting on the 18th of May. Boring. My computer screen in the foreground.

EDM 19 - something I made. This is a rune stone. I made it as a special assignment in high school ages ago. That is, I found a stone with the right shape (well in the viking days they would obviously shape the stone too, but I didn't go that far), and researched a proper formulation, and then chiselled it and finally painted in white paint to make the inscription stand out. The inscription says something like "Johanna made these runes for her self". In the viking days most rune stones were made in memory of someone who died, but there were a few that were more "ego" like this one. These days it resides in our garden.

EDM 20 - dad. This is my father, who just happened to visit us on May 20. My dad happens to be one of my biggest fans, so I am happy to post a drawing of him here. Dad, I love you!

Everyday in May 13-17

2010-05-20T12:52:00.001+02:00

EDM 13, My phone - I had planned to post it from my phone, just to prove a point. I might be silly, but ok, I'll go for silly, I just love my iPhone. It was a birthday gift from my husband. Has anyone noticed that he gives me fantastic gifts? (The earring from this post was also a gift from him.)

EDM 14, What you see in the morning when you get up. Unfortunately this is not my window, it's the window in my parents guest room, whom I visited last week end. But isn't it a gorgeous window? I experimented with some masking fluid, but it didn't work well at all with the paper in my sketch book, so it got pretty messy. I might ink the drawing eventually, and see if it turns out better.

EDM 15, A leaf. In the park, I asked my daughter and her friend to bring me some leafs to draw, and this is what they came back with. I have no idea what kind of leaf it is, though.

I guess this one is a WIP. I think I want to add something to it, maybe another challenge, or I might color it. But for now this is what it is.

EDM 16, A (favourite) tool. Not sure it's my favourite tool, but it's handy and I bring it with me in my pen case wherever I go, so it was there for me to draw.
EDM 17, A musical instrument. I played the flute for about ten years, when I was in school. Now I don't any more, there is just no time. And again, when there is time I prefer to draw. Maybe someday I'll take it up again.

Everyday in May 11-12

2010-05-15T20:57:00.001+02:00

My sunglasses. I had to draw them really fast, because of all the sun.

I'm keeping up with the challenges, but I haven't really had the time to post lately. But there's more to come.
Thank you all for your kind comments on my previous posts in this May challenge, they are deeply appreciated.

Everyday in May 10

2010-05-14T12:57:00.001+02:00

EDM 10 - draw your hand, or hands, or someone elses.

Well, hands. The far right one is done with my none dominent hand (left). And then just my hand. And a zombie hand.

Everyday in May 9

2010-05-10T13:27:00.004+02:00

This is EDM number 9 - draw a bit of organized chaos. My daughter is sick, and wanted me to sit with her in her room while she rested, so I decided to draw her book shelves for this challenge. And as I did it, I realized that I almost have a theme going, with drawings from her room (it did her bed for EDM no 5, see it here).

* * * * *

This is part of the Everyday in May challenge - drawing something every day in May. A group of us thought it would be fun to do a Everyday Matters (EDM) challenge each day using EDM 1-31. The list of participants in this particular May challenge can be found at Liz and Borrominis blog.
The list of EDM challenges can be found here.

Everyday in May 7-8

2010-05-10T11:01:00.002+02:00

EDM 7 - A tin from my kithchen. This is a tea container from Kusmi Tea, lovely tea and lovely a lovely little tin.

EDM 8 - A piece of jewellery. This is one earring from a set of earrings and a necklace that my husband gave me for our fifth wedding anniversary.

I also completed EDM 270 - draw something you want to preserve. This is my daughter Alice painting a dinosaur at her little easel. I would like to preserver our companionship, and intimacy. Our doing things together, having fun, drawing and painting, or anything really. I really want to see her grow up, and I always want to be her friend.

This is really only a quick sketch. Painting people is hard for me, and this just feels blotchy and very rough. I honestly don't know what I would do next if I were to continue work on this one. Any suggestions?

Every day in May 6

2010-05-07T12:47:00.001+02:00

EDM no 6 - draw a favourite well-loved object or a childhood toy. This bear was given to me by my husband when we had just met and I was going away as an exchange student for 6 months. He's called Kasper-Valter (Valter is my husband's middle name), and was my companion for those 6 months, sleeping in my bed, giving me a good night kiss every night. He is indeed well-loved.

I had intended to do a quick pencil sketch and then fill it in with ink and water color, but then this drawing just kind of came. I was hardly aware of what I was doing. I was even talking to my husband at the same time and the sketch just kept on coming through. Very cool experience, so I've decided to let him stay the way he is (but I really need to get some of that fixing spray, bacause the sketch is really getting smudged, just by me writing next to it). At least for now.

And this is how the intire spread turned out in the end, for challenges 5 and 6.

Everyday in May 5

2010-05-06T19:45:00.000+02:00

This is EDM challenge no 5 - draw your bed. My own bed was occupied by my husband putting our son to sleep, so I decided to draw my daughters bed instead. We both had a great time, me drawing her bed and her painting beside me. The duvet cover has Barbie on it, only partly showing, which my daughter wasn't very pleased with. She also insisted that Barbies hair wasn't quite so fuzzy in reality so I had to explain to her about artistic freedom. :)

* * * * *

This is part of the Everyday in May challenge - drawing something every day in May. A group of us thought it would be fun to do a Everyday Matters (EDM) challenge each day using EDM 1-31. The list of participants in this particular May challenge can be found at Liz and Borrominis blog.
The list of EDM challenges can be found here.

Everyday in May no 4

2010-05-06T08:48:00.000+02:00

I have no comment to this one. I did a mug and some other stuff, so challenge completed. And then lets forget about this one, ok?

Every Day in May no 3

2010-05-05T13:13:00.001+02:00

Here's my beloved Marimekko tote. I love it because of the wonderful colors, and because I can fit a lot of art supplies in it!

Every Day in May

2010-05-03T10:28:00.000+02:00

EDM no 1 - Draw a shoe

EDM no 2 - Draw a lamp

I decided to try the Every Day in May challenge. The idea is to do one of the EDM challenges each day starting from no 1. It seems like a lot of fun, and the list of participants can be found on Liz and Borominis blog. Check back tomorrow for todays challenge - draw a bag!

Negative space

2010-05-02T21:33:00.000+02:00

I've been trying some negative space drawing with my new Lamy Safari pen. Love the pen, negative space is fun but difficult. Any hints on what to think about?

Just a little something

2010-04-27T22:10:00.000+02:00

Having brunch with my friends, and finishing it off with coffee and cookies, and a sketch. Splashed with some actual coffee.

Peace lily & da Vinci

2010-04-20T22:20:00.000+02:00

I'm introducing my son at pre school, so I've been spending some time there these past couple of weeks with him. To kill time I've been drawing a peace lily they have in the window. The top one is pen and ink in my new sketch book (yep, I just did it. I might put some color in it too, I'm not sure yet.)

These are done with pen and water soluble ink, and then water color, which dissolved the ink totally making it look kind of like a negative space drawing. I like the effect!

This last sketch includes a copy of Leonardo da Vincis drawing "study for the last supper". I'm thinking that copying other artists portraits might help me improve my own portrait drawing skills.

Here's the reference picture I used (I tried to make it smaller, but don't seem to succeed in any easy way, so this is what you get):

EDM 268 - something I need

2010-04-18T14:16:00.000+02:00

This is a portrait of my husband. I cannot imagine a life without him. <3

I have set a goal for myself to improve my skills at drawing portraits, which is something I find extremely difficult. Do you have any tips for me on how to get better at getting a good resemblance? I find that I can get different parts to look pretty good, but if I'm just half a millimeter off somewhere, then the whole thing looks wierd. (I think that's why I like doing flowers and stuff, it doesn't matter if it's a little bit off LOL).

An apple a day...

2010-04-14T20:39:00.000+02:00

I copied this design from my friend's table cloth, which was in black and white, and then colored it with water color. It was a very quick sketch, nothing I put much thought into, but I really like the way it turned out. Funny how the quick and dirty things we do often turn out the best.

I am currently working up the nerve to start using my new sketch book (given to me as a birthday gift by my talented friend and fellow EDMer Anna, check out her blog here) . Why is it that by the end of a sketch book, I don't care what a sketch looks like, I just paint and draw for fun, for practice, to pass time, but the first few pages I get a silly idea that it has to look good and be perfect and get struck by performance anxiety. Anyone else have the same problem? How to get over it?

EDM 267 - something flexible

2010-04-09T21:50:00.000+02:00

This challenge made me think of a classic drawing exercise: wrapping rubber bands around a glass, which is by the way a brilliant exercise when it comes to drawing what you see. So this is my drawing for something flexible.

(I really, really need to get Photoshop so I can correct my photographs, but this is the best I can do at the moment).

EDM 266 - something you cherish

2010-04-08T21:30:00.000+02:00

EDM challenge 266 - draw something you cherish. My wedding rings, need I say more? But, wow it's difficult to paint metal!

The other two sketches are from a very sunny day on my friends' porch, I love that spring is finally here. I used the wrong pen for the sunglasses sketch, and used water soluble ink, but it made for a pretty interesting effect.

The full picture

2010-04-08T21:12:00.000+02:00

In my previous post I showed you some of the elements of this page, well here's the full picture. Raena - here's your answer regarding the shadow on the duck!

Inspired (again) by Nina Johansson as she describes in this post, I have been trying to do weekly pages (or as in this particular one, bi-weekly). Just to keep the drawing and painting alive, and doing something every day, even when I haven't time to do anything more serious. Which is basically the whole point of EDM as I understand it too :)

Some small sketches

2010-04-03T22:51:00.000+02:00

I've been trying to get in to the habit of sketching a little bit every day (even though I don't always succeed), so I've been doing some small sketches.

The kids' rubber duck.

This is actually a rose made from silk or something, but it looks pretty good and it was a lot of fun to sketch.

Another rose. I'm very much in to flowers right now, I think it's the long winter has me longing for spring and summer.

Sketch from skiing vacation

2010-03-30T09:52:00.000+02:00

Due to all sorts of illnesses in the family, and a skiing vacation, I've not posted anything lately, but I've not been entirely inactive. Here's a sketch I made during our vacation

A hand - blind contour

2010-02-21T10:43:00.000+01:00

As I said in my precious post I want to do more blind contour drawings. So here goes - my hand!

Orchids aka EDM # 257

2010-02-17T15:23:00.001+01:00

I have an orchid in fabulous blossom, which of course inspired me to draw. So here comes EDM # 257, draw a house plant.

First a couple of flowers. They are in reality pink with darker pink/purple dots - but I got bored with the dots far to quickly (in the left flower). Should I press on, to see the effect?

I had planned for this to be a full value drawing, but then I liked it so mych as a contour drawing, so I couldn't bring myself to continue. Should I?

A very quick sketch.

An attempt at cross hatching - and the result is just terrible. How do you do it?

A blind contour drawing. I love the result, the way the line is so confident, I really want to work on incorporating this effect in my regular drawings.

Belated Valentine

2010-02-15T10:09:00.001+01:00

To all of you friends and fellow artists out there - hope you had a great Valentines day. Here's my greeting to all of you! Thank you all for your kind words and comments on my drawings. I deeply touched and greatful for all of your compliments, and even more thankful for your hints and advice on how to improve my drawing and painting skills.

Sunflower and landscape

2010-02-14T19:51:00.001+01:00

I'm experimenting a bit with ink and watercolors, learning to use these mediums to create the look I want. Not as easy as it looks when I see other peoples work, for example I can't seem to get an even wash using watercolors, without the "coliflower effect", and when I wanted some life in the background it just turned out messy. I guess I need more practise. This is from a photograph I took back in september.

This little miniature landscape (about 10 by 10 centimetres) turned out a little more like I wanted it to, but still the blue wash for the sky is a bit messy, I wanted a smooth blue wash - how do I do that? Any tips are greately appreciated! Ink and water color, from a phograph in a book I found at home (it seems I'm always looking for motives to draw or paint these days).

Tenerife

2010-02-13T20:57:00.000+01:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. This is partially due to vacation in Tenerife (wonderful wonderful wonderful to get some sun after all the snow and cold we have in Sweden now), but mostly I must admit I have been lazy. I promise to better my ways and post more frequently from now on (I have been drawing more or less every day, it's just I haven't been bothered to photograph and post my sketches to the blog).

Anyway, this is the view from our hotel room in Tenerife, and a part of the parapet and decoration on our balcony. I'm not very happy with how the palm tree turned out. I think it's mostly because I finished it when I didn't have a view of the actual tree, so it feels kind of... flat.

I had imagined drawing and painting on the balcony every evening of our vacation after the kids had fallen asleep, but then I started reading this book instead, and then I was caught. So not a lot of drawing, but I enjoyed the book, so never mind.

Sketch book - first spread

2010-01-13T22:11:00.000+01:00

This is the first spread of my moleskin sketch book. The text translates:

Pens, colors, eraser
A brand new book, full of blank pages
Creativity, lust for creation, hesitation, expectation
All possibilities lay open
Now
THE GREAT MOMENT

Sketched with pencil, filled in with ink.

(I just wish I could use watercolors in my moleskin, but I guess I better get a moleskin watercolor book as well).

Poinsettia

2010-01-09T20:13:00.000+01:00

Inspired by Nina Johannson I wanted to to my own version of the Pointsettia. In Sweden this is by far the most popular flower at Christmas, we even call it "christmas flower".

EDM # 252

2010-01-02T22:09:00.000+01:00

EDM # 252, draw a pine or fir

HB pencil in moleskin sketch book.

A small branch from a pine tree in our back yard (we have four or five huge pine trees). It's way too cold and snowy here for me to draw outdoors, so I let the tree come inside instead.

I must admit I simplified the branch a bit, all the needles made it quite difficult to draw. But nontheless I am happy with the result, I wasn't sure I would be able to pull it off.

Edit - put in a better photograph on jan 9.

EDM # 251

2009-12-30T11:00:00.000+01:00

EDM # 251 Draw a perfume or a scented product.
Sketch in pencil and then filled in with fibre tip pen in my moleskin. Tried to work with lines only. Click on the picture to view a larger version.

I am still struggling with photographing my drawings, or rater too lazy maybe to redo it once I realised it was out of focus. Sorry about that.

EDM # 250

2009-12-11T21:45:00.000+01:00

EDM # 250 Draw something you got for free

My daughter Alice got this bag filled with candy from Santa at a christmas fair we visited last week end (sticking up is a lollipop made from a marshmallow with sprinkles, wrapped in plastic. The plastic was particularly difficult to draw). It was fun to try colors in a drawing for once.

Click on the image for a larger picture.

Magnolia

2009-12-07T16:53:00.000+01:00

I like doing the same motive in different techniques. This is a magnolia in graphite and water color. I'm nore sure the water color is quite done yet, it might need some finishing touches.

Any feedback is welcome.

EDM # 1

2009-11-24T20:41:00.000+01:00

EDM # 1 Draw a shoe

Just one challenge a week just isn't enough, so I decided to start from the very beginning as well! So here is my shoe. I realise I didn't chose the easiest shoe to draw, something with less shoe laces would have been a lot easier and quicker. But it turned out pretty good in the end, and I'm happy I stayed with it even though it was tricky. Good exercise!

On a different note, thank you so much for all of your kind comments! I am surprised and very touched, and it inspires me to keep going. I can't promise to keep up with all of your posts all the time, but I'll do my best.

Edit - put in a better photograph on jan 8, 2010.

EDM # 249

2009-11-21T21:40:00.000+01:00

EDM # 249 Draw a coffee pot

EDM #248

2009-11-19T21:53:00.000+01:00

A while back I stumbled over something called "Everyday matters". It's a group devoted to drawing and art and that get a challenge every week for something new to draw. For me it's perfect, I get inspiration and a push to work on drawing every week.

Last week was my first time and the theme was "draw a lock". I found a padlock that I use for the gym, and it has the keys fastened with a rubber band, which was also very good practice to draw.

Of course I couldn't do just one :)
(Shown in the order I drew them, the top one first, and the combination lock last)

'

My creative blog

2009-11-19T21:43:00.000+01:00

My name is Johanna, I live in Stockholm, Sweden with my husband and two kids. I recently realised that I had forgotten a very important thing in my life - my own creativity. So I am in the process of starting to express myself artistically again. Mainly drawing, but also some water color.

This is where I will share some of my drawings and paintings, I would love it if you gave me some feedback (positive or negative).

I always had a notion that it was cheating to draw from photographs, that it was more real if you did drawings from real objects, but then I never really had the patience to really work on my drawings. Now I've tried photos, and I find it excellent for practise - I can take a break and then come back and the motive is the same!