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25/9/2018 0 Comments Inktober!It is the end of September. This time every year for the past 8 years artists around the world have been taking part in the Inktober Challenge, started in 2009 by artist Jake Parker. And this year, so will I! Every year for the whole month of October artists are challenging themselves to either draw and post one ink drawing daily - using a list of official "prompt words" - or to draw and post every other day, every week, or at whatever frequency they decide. The goal is to commit to a month of regular drawing and stick with it. "Posting" does not necessarily have to happen on social media either. According to the official rules, posting on the family fridge counts as long as the artwork is shared. After giving it not too much thought (I tend to overthink) I would like to participate with weekly drawings (Thursdays) and additional ones should I have the time. I will post these on my Facebook page with #inktober and #inktober2018. If you are not yet following me on Facebook, be sure to "Like" the page to see all the quirky, imperfect, improvised posts! My new sketchbook will be perfect for the job - I have already "reserved" pages for every week as preparation. And because this is all about having fun and creating together, I would like to challenge you to join Inktober 2018! All you need is a pen (ball pen, ink pen, marker - anything with ink goes!) and paper. Get creative and then post your drawings to my Facebook page for everyone to admire! Please do not worry that they may not be good enough. This is not about creating gallery-worthy masterpieces - and mine certainly won't be. To make it official, here are the official rules, as listed on the Inktober website: Inktober rules: 1) Make a drawing in ink (you can do a pencil under-drawing if you want). 2) Post it 3) Hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober2018 4) Repeat And here are the Inktober 2018 Official Prompts:  Let Inktober 2018 begin!
Nadin
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My husband and I are on a budget. It is not fun, but it works well for us. Every month I plan and assign money to what I know we will be needing..
But we are only human. Every month, honestly, there comes a time when either of us (okay, to be fair: it's mainly me) really really NEEDS something, which has not been planned for. For example, last month my husband NEEDED an electric handsaw. Yesterday I decided (after watching some inspirational YouTube videos) that I NEED a new sketchbook. The reasons for wanting these items are always valid (we have been on a budget long enough to automatically eliminate big spontaneous purchases). The electric handsaw would save my husband lots of time and energy with his woodworking hobby. And the new sketchbook could finally get me to - well - use a sketch book to experiment and practice with my pencils. Now you should know: I drive by shops, which stock anything we could possibly desire, on my way home from work every day (dangerous!). All I would have to do is stop, hop into the shop and buy that much needed item (plus another one or two items - even more dangerous!). Instead, my standard immediate response (to myself and my husband) has become: Okay, I'll see how I can fit it into the budget. This requires me to look at the numbers, estimate how much the item will be and how it will affect our monthly savings - a step which is always sobering and often painful. In addition to this I easily find some reason why the following day it would be too inconvenient to stop at the shop: dinner will be especially time-consuming, I left work a bit late, or maybe I have to go to the shop later that week anyways. Most times, the motivation is gone when I am in the car, tired from work and ask myself: to shop or not to shop? For once, my laziness works to my advantage. As it turns out, delaying the purchase in many cases makes us realize that we do not actually need the item all that desperately after all. When I asked my husband about that electric handsaw the next time I worked out the budget he simply said: "Actually, I am fine with using the (non-electric) saw. It's okay." That just saved us around $100. Today I am still fantasizing about the new sketchbook. I could go to the shop after work, but... I will be at the shops anyways tomorrow. Might as well get it then. And instead of walking all the way to the fancy bookstore, why not pick up a cheap one at the discount store right next to the supermarket I have to go to. I can always get a fancy one next time. That just saved me $25. Nadin 15/5/2018 0 Comments It's done! I love that feeling of putting the finishing touches on something, of painting the last brush strokes, adding the final piece, typing the last sentence or clicking the "Submit" button. The work is done.
And so my Big Project of the past months comes to an end. My Colouring Book is now available on your national Amazon website! English Edition: www.amazon.com/Colour-World-Animals-Nadin-Birke/dp/1980951810/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526627415&sr=8-1&keywords=colour+the+world+of+animals German Edition: www.amazon.de/Bring-Farbe-die-Welt-Tiere/dp/1981015523/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526627511&sr=8-1&keywords=bring+farbe+in+die+welt+der+tiere What is it? 30 pages of animals, from different continents, environments, habitats. There's a good chance your favorite is in there, too! There are realistic drawings, cute drawings, abstract drawings, intricate drawings, simple drawings... Something for every mood! Why should you order it? Did you colour as a child? Have you noticed how in many place, like on planes and in restaurants kids are given crayons and a colouring page? It keeps them calm and focused. Colouring is active meditation - and it is fun! It relieves stress, increases mindfulness and improves hand flexibility. But don't take my word for it - try it! Nadin 17/4/2018 0 Comments How a Colouring Page is born...I am so excited that the work for my first Colouring Book is almost completed! Just a few more weeks and it will be available on Amazon!! For every single one of the 30+ pages I am going through exactly the same process. At the end all picture pages will be reviewed as I pick the final ones to be included in the book. So how does a Colouring Page come to life? Let me show you! The following 11 steps are taken for every single page: 1. Deciding on the subject – which animal am I going to draw? I am trying to include a variety of animals from all over the world! 2. Planning out overall composition – will the orientation be portrait or landscape? How will the subject(s) be arranged? Do I need a frame, a background, etc? 3. Sketching out the basic shapes in pencil while looking at reference pictures and living models if necessary. Below is just a rough sketch, but getting it right at this point is important. After this step it becomes very difficult to fix positions, composition or elements.  4. Building up the rough outline of the subject(s). I like using geometric shapes to construct an animal!  5. Drawing the actual subject over the sketch. Adding until I am happy with the result!  6. Adding the details and erasing/cleaning up.  This gives me the pencil drawing of the subject!  7. Sometimes I have to go back to sketching and studying if it seems like the overall composition is missing something… A frame in this case. I did not remember how to draw a basic knot, so I had to tie one for a reference.  8. Starting to outline the pencil drawing with black pen. For me this is surprisingly difficult. I have been taught that in real life things do not have an outline, so when drawing I purposefully avoid this. But here I have to narrow my sketching lines down to the one line which defines the object.  9. The Big Erase – once everything is lined the pencil drawing is erased.  10. Scanning and digital post-production – the scanned image is ‘cleaned up’ using image-software. Smudges and spots are removed and small corrections made – like thinning a too-thick line or adding a bit of line where my pen did not reach all the way. It is very important to me when colouring that all areas have closed borders... if you understand what I mean? 11. All done and good to go!  27/3/2018 0 Comments A Running Start for Big MomentsDo you remember applying for your first job? Getting your first big commission? Landing your first deal with a customer? Or maybe just starting a dreaded conversation?
How did you approach this Big Moment - did you visualise, mentally prepare yourself, or just jump off the cliff? Your approach will probably be determined by your personality. Whether you are hesitant, courageous, self-confident, extrovert, etc. I am more the hesitant introvert, who procrastinates and pushes the Big Moment out as far as possible. But I have found a strategy, which helps me tackle and win in these situations: I need to hit the ground running. Both in life and in business I arrange for a trial run where possible. This means that before applying to the job I want I will write and send out at least 3 applications for jobs I do not really care about. It is not about landing an interview with these, it is about gathering experience and momentum and confidence before the one application which really matters. Applied to other situations this means: Before taking on the first big commission doing a small one for a friend, complete with payment to iron out any creases in the process. Before talking to the gallery I really really want my art to be displayed in, to go and talk to one or more galleries I do not really care about. Or even before diving into a painting on a huge canvas (these are expensive...) to plan and sketch out the painting on paper. This prepares me mentally, gives valuable experiences and feedback and expands my horizon. When the Big Day comes I know that I have done this before. No reason to worry :) Nadin 12/3/2018 0 Comments Story TimeA long long time ago in a far-away kingdom, there lived a young woman. She was happily married and had a good job. But ever since she was a little girl she had dreamed of one day becoming an artist, who would paint and share beautiful paintings with the world.
So as her life was going so well, she decided to pursue her dream and started painting and sharing, and more painting and more sharing. Unfortunately, paintings take a long time to complete. Eventually, she found herself painting in the evenings after work, and on the weekends, and on holidays. She loved it! But her husband less so. After some time of this, there was an argument. He pointed out that she invested all her free time into something which did not really make profit (yet). And besides, why did she have to have this second 'career' next to her job? She argued that he got to do whatever he wanted in his free time. And that painting made her happy. Since both of these people were adults and knew the basics of communication and conflict resolution, they eventually worked out a compromise: The young woman was going to devote one hour per day to painting - more only if they both agreed. The husband was to let her enjoy her one hour per day. In addition to that, they were going to devote some time in the evening to go for a walk, go out or watch a movie together. The young woman knew that sometimes one has to find the balance between pursuing her own dream and being considerate to her spouse and family. So she made the best of this temporary solution, concentrating on painting and treasuring the creative time she had, never giving up hope that soon she would have more time. And slowly, over time, maybe the husband would discover a creative hobby of his own and understand. The End. Disclaimer: Of course the persons and events in this story are completely fictional... A studio for me is the place where you create your art. I would like to make a distinction between 'studio' and 'workplace' by saying that a studio is where you can leave your work more or less permanently, while you may have to clean away everything from a workplace (such as the dinner table). Every artist has a workplace, but not everyone has a studio. Both result in you being creative, but there are some advantages to having a dedicated space for your art (also see my blog "Making space for art"). I find that having a studio raises the importance of your art. It makes it a permanent part of your life. And there is a good chance that your studio will even become a place of refuge from the stress and distractions of daily life. The good news is - it is not difficult to turn a small space into a studio space. I have previously done this with part of my closet...  Here is what I would say are the basic necessities for a traditional artist's studio:
So when are you going to roll up your sleeves and turn that closet into your first studio? Or do you already have a studio and would like to add something I forgot? Let me know in the comments! I would also love to see your art space if you are willing to share it! Nadin Have you ever felt like you absolutely had no drawing in you. Like you could not even pick up the pencil, because you'd just be staring at the empty page - no inspiration, no energy, no motivation.
My guess is most of us have. There are plenty of Youtube videos teaching you how to get yourself out of a rut, motivated, push through, beat the art block... I have definitely had to deal with those down days - and still do. There are plenty of them. Especially on days when my job requires lots of brain work or problem solving, the last thing I feel like doing after work is being creative. But I have found that this helps me: My comfort doodle = something I can always put on paper; the first thing that comes to mind when I pick up a pen(cil) without a plan. For me this is a horse head and swirly lines. I have studied the outlines of horse heads so extensively (years ago this was pretty much the only thing I would draw) that it just comes naturally. Swirly lines seem to be a similar story - they are natural to me and come out when I doodle automatically while on the phone or listening to something. So since I know that these are my natural, automatic comfort doodles, when I have no inspiration at all they can get me started and provide a bridge from art block to actually doing some serious drawing. Next time you feel like you are outside your creative head-space and lost the key, try this:
Voila! You have created something. Good-bye art block! Nadin I have met my sweetest and possibly youngest supporter. She came along with my colleague to our Christmas BBQ at work. On a spare working desk paper was laid out for her, and while we got everything ready for the Christmas break she kept herself busy with some colored pencils she had brought. For reasons not relevant here (ok, related to my superiors), I ended up wandering to that spare desk where I sometimes go for a few minutes of quiet. I really should have asked first, but since she was not around I just started doodling while cooling off. Something like a small pink unicorn with some flowers, and then I went back to work. But it wasn't much later that someone came to visit me in my office with shining eyes, asking whether I had drawn that picture for her. She handed me a small drawing she'd done just for me to say thank you. Awww. How sweet is that? Needless to say that her artwork now has a prime spot in my studio.  Yes, she spelled my name wrong, but who cares! I kept thinking over the holidays about what I could whip up for her. She said she really likes to draw, and - to all you parents out there - that is something to be encouraged :)
So I have gotten the idea of drawing a Colouring Book. And of course she will receive her own copy once it is published! This is a very exciting project for me and it is wonderful watching it come together. At this point in time I have finished almost half of the colouring pages! There are tons of (adult) colouring books available at the moment, so what makes my book special? Well, first of all, it is carefully designed by me and 100% hand-drawn. No digital line work- I am sketching every single page in pencil and re-drawing the outlines in black pen once I am happy with the design. Every picture is then scanned and checked for unwelcome specks and smudges. It is also a happy collection of different animal portraits, which will look so great in colour! You can probably tell that I'll be ordering myself a copy ;) The overall difficulty level will be suitable for both kids of school age and young-at-heart adults. Basically, if you love cute animals (like me) this is for you! The book will be available on Amazon in a few months - there it can be purchased either as a hard-copy and shipped internationally, or as an E-book to print pages as you need them. I will keep posting updates on the project both here and on my Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/nadinbirke) and who knows? There may even be a little sneak peak for you... Nadin This month has marked a milestone in my journey as an artist. Now - for the first time in my life - I have a dedicated 'studio' with a door.
I would not have minded a quiet cabin in the woods (with heating) next to a meadow and a waterfall either. But due to reality and budget constraints that did not work out. To keep my 'night job' integrated into the rest of my life, or physically separate it as much as possible? I was curious to try the second after I have had to make due with the first for years. In the university dormitories I lived in, conditions had been so cramped that the study desk had to double as a studio (and often dinner table...). In our previous apartment we had so little space that I did not even have a desk. I made my desk/ studio space by inserting a plank at the right height in the wardrobe, with a fold-able bar chair. Yep... Ever since we moved into our new house, negotiations have been going on regarding me claiming a corner in the garage (dark, cold, drafty and with the occasional critters), or the guest room (cold) when not in use. The guestroom has won, which I now share with a collection of Lego people. But so far they have been good and quiet company. I find there are clear advantages to both solutions. When having my 'night job' integrated into my life, and my desk double as my studio, I was able to quickly switch between working on the budget, doing some sketching on the side and cooking dinner at the same time. I had everything in one place - now I need to pop into the studio to sharpen my desk-pencils, or walk to the desk when I need tape (of course I could buy another sharpener or another roll of tape, but see the paragraph regarding budget constraints above). I was also close to the rest of my life - close to the living room, the kitchen, the front door. I could answer the doorbell, draw while something was cooking, talk while working. Now that I have doors between me and the living spaces, those distractions are pretty much eliminated. Speaking of distractions. I get caught so easily watching Youtube videos or reading the Facebook news feed when I am supposed to be working. That changes now as well. The studio space has a separate laptop (an old one) on which I have disabled the most distracting apps and websites. I feel both blessed and punished. It is wonderful to sit down and focus on the drawing without all those loose papers and tasks scattered around. It is nice having space to leave tools and projects laying around until the next day. But now drawing involves the conscious decision to go to the studio. It also means I need to have a chunk of time ahead of me - no point in starting up the laptop when I have to be elsewhere in 10 minutes. This means that overall I sit down less often - but when I do I stay seated for longer. In the debate of 'separated' vs. 'integrated', I find that 'separated' makes me more productive, calm and concentrated. Have you tried one of the two, or both? Let me know your thoughts! Nadin |
