The 2 of Swords is the card of difficult decisions, weighting up options, an impasse, and avoidance. This moment in the early part of our story shows is what our lady can do, and what she still needs to learn. The actions here do show others that she is “ready” for the challenge and she is put into the game. Not much weighing of options on her part, but more for those in the room.
Let’s see what she is up to…
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I don’t know if you are like me or not. I do find that sometimes the requirement of getting out the art supplies alone may shut down the creativity for the day, depending on my mood.
The discovery of Fresco on the iPad has nearly erased that for me now. On the days where I don’t want to get all set up, I will pull out my iPad and open Fresco. I can get going immediately, I can play around with live brushes, and work in pretty much any style I want, while curled up on the couch. No accidental swigs of the paint water.
Adobe Fresco is a free app that can be used on a tablet. Based off of current discussions, the iPad tends to perform a little better, but like with all things, that depends on what you are doing. I use the iPad so that will be where my info comes from.
Fresco was launched, and I found it in 2020 at Adobe MAX. When I say that this broke down a pile of digital art barriers for me, it’s an understatement. I had struggled for a while with digital art, not being able to make the connection from hand to screen, or to get the tools to do what I was picturing. Things got easier when I acquired my first Wacom tablet. Then Fresco, the iPad and the Apple pencil took things even further.
Things I like about Fresco:
Read moreThis is a quote that I read from Skottie Young a while back, and it is beyond true, in all walks of life, not just in the arts.
I am guilty of this myself. We want to wait for the project to be ready before we get going. But the truth is, the project won’t ever be ready if we don’t get going. You have to learn from doing, not just percolating in your head.
As you progress you will learn more and more and you’ll get more confident in what you are doing. A lot of what you are struggling with now will quickly become second nature, you won’t know that you are doing it anymore.
Sometimes it’s ok to let things sit if they aren’t ready. I have had lots of projects or supplies sitting for a long time, just to have the perfect scenario/project/opportunity spring up eventually. Sometimes you do need a little time, but don’t wait too long.
Example:
Read moreThe 4 of cups is the card of meditation, contemplation, apathy, and reevaluation. I chose this subject because, during this time, our two magicians are training for an unknown challenge. They both have uniquely different experiences, but also similar at the same time. Both are isolated and put through challenges. Both need to learn without knowing why. Both have very overpowering teachers, making things even more challenging.
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I used to do this all of the time when I was in school. We would mostly do it with faces from magazines. It teaches us a lot of different things. We can learn colour matching, fill in the blanks/information, and creative license.
It’s a great way to start learning a tool, or developing a new style. I like to use the magazine pages for colour inspiration or filling a section of a page. This is a great process for kicking off an illustration or a painting when you want to “un-blank” a page, or if you have a bit of creative block.
If you pull something out of a magazine, put it on the page, and run with it. You can just complete the picture to help you with your technical skills with a tool or with anatomy/spatial understanding. Or, you can go rogue. Take the image/partial image as a suggestion and let your imagination go wild! See where this quick starting point can take you.
Now that I think of it, I think that this approach might have led to my interest in a paper art style. I use pattern pages in my art on a regular basis now. It’s a great way to fill an area with interest quickly. Removing the scary blank page.
The King of Coins is the card of wealth, business, leadership, security, discipline, and abundance. I chose the train that carries the circus here, as it is responsible for making sure everything gets to the next location safely and on time.
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Did you know that the London Hospitals are building a Local Vendor Program that supports local businesses while raising money for the hospital?
I currently have some of my shop items at the Parkwood Institute Main, Finch Family Mental Health Care Building, and the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care locations. I have a shelf at each of these shops, and all commission fees go to the hospital!
Now, I do hope that all of my lovely readers aren’t required to spend any time in the hospital in the coming months. But, if you do happen to be in these hospitals, or know of someone who is, this program is accessible to you. I have made sure to fill my shelves with activities that can help pass the time, stimulate your mind and ease the tension of being in this environment. I have provided colouring books and colour your own bookmarks, along with some blank greeting cards to brighten someone’s day.
This is a great program, and I am hoping to see it do really well. My products will be available at the above locations until May 2026.
The Knight of Coins is the card of hard work, productivity, and routine. The food vendors within the circus are anything but routine. They are there every night but bringing you the most magical array of goodies that you have ever seen. Candy apples, caramel popcorn, candy mice and chocolate bats are all on the menu, which one do you choose first?
Read moreTemperance is the card of balance, moderation, patience, and purpose. Our journalist character embodies each and every one of these qualities. He discovers the circus and begins the group known as the “reveurs”. The group follows the circus around, but no one quite has the same connection as Herr Frederick Thiessen. Let’s take a look…
Read moreFor those of you who watch my livestream on a regular basis, I know that you will be tired of me talking about this.
This is one of the best pieces of advice that I have received about creating art, I use it all of the time, and if has saved more pieces than I can even count.
Whenever you want to give up on a piece, keep working for 10 more minutes.
Right away, don’t stop and come back to it later, because we all know that that won’t happen. Keep working on it. Work on a different part, a different layer, with a different colour… whatever you do, keep working on it! 9.8 times out of 10 you’ll see new life in the piece… at least that’s my experience.
Give it a try… let me know what you think!
Hues & Tones 