Creating a Protector of Good
This week we get inspired by spiritual and ornamental art and create a protector of good.
Protector of Butterflies in Colored Pencils
Halloween is not an official holiday in Finland, but we have All Saints’ day soon. I started gathering images for this blog post in the spirit of All Saints’ day, but soon realized that this kind of art has a special role in my life in general. There are times when I want to create art to protect all the good things in life.
In the small colored pencil drawing, I was thinking about the beauty of butterflies and created a protector for them.
At the same time, I created a protector for my sensitivity, and it feels good to have one in my box of joy as I call the collection of hand-drawn paper reliefs.
Protector of Everything Sacred in Collage
Back in 2011, when I wasn’t a full-time artist yet, I made this paper collage from hand-decorated papers.
I wanted to express the atmosphere of a sacred space. My hand-drawn lines were clumsy, but I cut the papers so that they look decorative. I painted icons as a child, so I made the woman’s face in that style. I still like this!
Protector of Flowers and Plants in Oil
In 2018, I was practicing oil painting and explored all kinds of organic shapes. I first painted all kinds of plants and then changed the orientation, and added the madonna. (More about the process in this blog post.)
The frame of the painting has a real silver coating, and I think it fits the image beautifully.
Painting and Drawing Precious Artifacts
We can paint and draw precious things that make us feel protected, like candles and crosses. I found these two gouache paintings from my archives today.
Ornaments can also be more imaginative, like these hand-drawn collage pieces.
You can compose paper pieces together so that they look like a talisman.
Protector of Light in Watercolor
Now when we are entering dark days in Finland, I feel the need to have a protector of light.
This watercolor angel was painted for the class Magical Forest. I developed a method for it so that you first paint the angel figure freely by splashing colors and then add more definition by painting the dark background.
Protector of the Child in Us
I think one of the most important protectors is the one who protects the child in us. I painted this icon in the early 1980s when I was about 10 years old. It was my second, and as you can see, I wasn’t very good at varnishing back then – too much linseed oil!
The teacher of the icon painting group, Irke Petterberg, helped me with the details of the faces. I wasn’t eastern-orthodox; I just happened to live very near the church and love art-making. It was wonderful to be accepted as a part of the group which consisted of adult painters. For me, religion felt like a gate to the world of imagination.
No matter the religion, let’s cherish the child in us and protect the good through art-making.
Autumn Colorings – Video Blog post!
This week, I have a video blog post for you. I talk about this journal spread that I made for my colored pencil diary, but there are also more autumn colorings, art ideas, and inspiration for creating in the middle of life’s small happenings.
In the video, I am talking about colored pencils, the upcoming class about paper dolls and human figures, my friend’s artistic success, blooming orchids, Japanese woodblock print style and style development, and I also draw a Halloween pumpkin from start to finish. There are all kinds of autumn news and autumn colorings!
Autumn Colorings – Watch the Video!
I hope this video inspires you to create and give some extra TLC to your colored pencils!
Links to Related Blog Posts
- The previous video blog post
- The journal spread of Vanda and how she looked a couple of years ago
- Posts about the paintings: The Spirit of the Rose, The Echo of Moss, Forest of Wishes
Links to Other Related Sources
- Eeva Nikunen’s website
- Alice in Wonderland Special at Colouring Heaven’s website
Related Online Classes
- Color intuitively without references: Intuitive Coloring
- Start a colored pencil journal: Fun Botanicum
- Draw scrap reliefs and paper dolls: Animal Inkdom, Magical Inkdom, Decodashery, Doll World is coming soon!
- Paint floral abstracts: Floral Fantasies, Floral Freedom
Fall or Fairytale? – Creating Your Forest
This week, I talk about the colorful bridge that art can build between real and unreal.
This is my latest oil painting called Forest of Wishes. My fall is filled with those – wishes! Wishes that can’t be fulfilled.
I wish winter would only last a day or so. I wish there would be regular life for regular people – not war, not suffering, not lack of anything. And while I am thinking about these melancholic thoughts, it feels like my creativity ignores them and lives in a fairytale. I want to draw you in this fairytale too. I hope these pictures inspire you to create and make life more magical!
Hello Fall – Hello Colors!
In art, colors can make a fairytale. My oil painting brought this older watercolor piece to mind. Like “Forest of Wishes,” this one uses blue in a similar way: to create a connection with the viewer. It’s a reminder that blue can be strong and soulful and approach the viewer, not just stay still in the background.
There’s also a video of painting this!
This painting started with the reference photo, but once the painting process got further, the expression replaced it. And splattering with a brush is a lot of fun!
The Magic of Growth
When I look at our garden, the wonders of summer become visible when trees prepare for fall. They have grown a lot, for example, this monkaburi – a pine tree that we planted a few years ago. Back then, it felt like it would take forever for it to form a gate over our heads, but now it already has a branch that grows over the path.
The magic of growth also happens when filling a blank paper or a canvas. First, there’s very little life, but by adding more colors, shapes, and layers, we can grow a forest.
Sometimes the forest comes in one piece, and other times in many little pieces.
The same applies to artistic growth: sometimes it happens quickly, other times more gradually. I like to break the rules of being a serious artist only and allow play to show me the magic.
I want to learn from Saima, our youngest beagle. She is obsessed with the ball, but when we mention that to her, she seems to laugh: “It’s only a hobby!” At the same time, fetching the ball seems to be both her passionate work, but also a tool for imagining and playing.
Fall Fairytale
In the forest of wishes, we want to use a different mirror for ourselves – not to see the limitations but imagine the potential. It’s an exciting place that has many dangers as well.
Going deep can take us deep down, but when combined with play, the humor steps in. Here’s my wish for a winter that would only last one day!
Ask: “Is it the fall or is it a fairytale – real or unreal?” And then answer: “Today it’s a fairytale, a colorful escape!”
Art can truly add magic to our lives. I feel that life isn’t real without the unreal.
What do you think?
Colored Pencil Blogger – A Video Blog Post!
This week, I have a video blog for you. It’s full of art inspiration, especially if you want to fall in love with colored pencils.
Stories and Inspiration – Watch the Video!
I decided that I have blogged about colored pencils so much that I can call myself a colored pencil blogger!
The video is longer than what I usually record. Is a 30-minute video too much? Tell me what you think!
Links to the Related Blog Posts
Posts about the colored pencil projects shown in the video:
- Coloring Page
- Angel
- Butterflies Journal Spread
- Hearts and Flowers Journal Spread
- Frozen Heart Journal Spread
- Drawing that I showed just quickly
- Previous video project
Posts about the paintings shown in the video: