Techo (Planner) Vacation Drawings

My latest obsession is the 

Hobonichi Techo (planner) and

I've been trying to do a sketch 

per day. While on vacation, there

were a few more interesting

things to document than normal...

I think the entries are self-

explanatory. Please leave a comment

if you have questions...

Most drawings are done with a 

Sharpie pen or a Pigma 005 Micron pen.

Watercolor pencils and a water brush

added color, or highlighters. There 

is some regular ball-point pen too.

Can't resist adding some 

Washi tape...

Every year I pick up a few more shells,

at least to draw them. Does anyone

know what type of seed pod this is?

It was found washed up on the beach.

We were excited to get a glimpse

of dolphins. I think there were 3 or 4.

The drawing was sketched from a 

Google image, however! They were

too far out for me to see very well...

Recycling a coffee cup sketch,

so I can link up for T Tuesday

over at the Altered Book Lover Blog.

If you draw, sketch or paint in 

your planner, I would love to

hear about it! 

Star Wars Valentines

A hand drawn Valentine for my

6 year old granddaughter.  

Sketched in pencil first, then

Sharpie marker and watercolor.

I really liked the new heroes in this

film, and by the time the movie was over,

my granddaughter was

already planning to dress up as

Rey for Halloween!

My grandson says he likes the "bad guys"

better, so Kylo Ren is on the front of his

Valentine.  The inside message reads:

Ha Ha...resistance is futile!

They will probably never understand

 how much time and effort these took,

but that's ok. I enjoyed making them.

Linking up for T Tuesday...

hope you have a creative day!

Coffee and Tea

Most Tuesdays I try to join

Elizabeth's blog party for

T Tuesday, but I

don't promise that I will be

drinking tea. I am too fond of my

morning coffee!

 I often have herbal tea in the

afternoon. If I want to be able to

sleep that night, no coffee beyond

one cup! and no later than noon...

it's tea time the rest of the time.

Tea packaging makes a colorful

addition to collage, too.

From the date on this "fish collage",

I was apparently making art instead

of getting ready for holiday guests.

Ever get distracted when you're

supposed to be "putting things away?" 

... you are thinking, "well, I'll

just glue a few of these scraps down...

oh, just a bit of paint here; it needs 

some pen drawing here."  Before

you know it, it's an hour later.

I am easily distracted. My

husband knows this.

He just rolls his eyes at me.

Next week I will show the

Star Wars 'fan art' valentines that

I made for my grand kids...after 

they have received them, so stay tuned.

This is a scheduled post,

and I will be 

Linking up for T Tuesday... if 

I can figure out how to do it

with the technology available, 

since I am out of town.

I invite you to stop by Elizabeth's blog

for a nice cup of something warm...

Hobonichi Techo Painting

Unseasonably warm weather for Ohio

in February!  Sharpie pen and watercolor

pasted into my Hobonichi Techo on the left,

ball point pen and watercolor on the right.

Already I can tell that pasting things into

my Techo is going to make it grow

in thickness...maybe too much.

Love doing tiny collages, but don't

want this little journal to get too distorted.

Nice quote on the lower left page...

to paraphrase: "Don't wait for new ideas to 

appear from a nonexistent

 Muse. Don't overthink it, 

just make something with your hands."

~Ryoji Arai

Good advice.

Feels like Spring...but I'm pretty sure

it's just a cruel joke...

I'll take it for as long as it lasts!

A Few Hearts and Tea

Hobonichi Techo planner

with pen and watercolor ~

a few hearts to begin the

month of February. This little 

"Angel of the grapevine wings"

drawing is about 3 inches high...

The actual doll is one that I made

quite a few years ago.

Just a quick cup of tea to say

hello to my pals for T Tuesday.

Working on the pages of this

little planner is quite different

form working on large journal

pages...but both have their

advantages!  'Mixing it up'

in terms of what we do and

how we do it, is a good thing!

What are you mixing up today?

Hobonichi Techo Drawings

Lists, watercolor, highlighter, drawings, 

collage, and doodles. 

I love my Hobonichi Techo planner.

My husband bought it for me

for Christmas. He ordered it from

Japan.  I am still getting used to

 the smaller size,(4.1" x 5.8")

 but the paper is marvelous!

The thin pages resist pen bleed-through,

and are stitched to lie flat when open.

I admit it, I don't get a lot done

in a day...mostly puttering around.

But it's my life right now, and I'm

thankful for each day...

There is a very dedicated following

for this planner in Japan, and it

is becoming popular  world wide.

Once I drew on this Tomoe River paper,

 I understood why...

Ball point pen, my beloved Sharpie

pen, and highlighters do not bleed 

through the paper. The only pen I've

tried that bled through was a Precise

red pen, so I will save that for other

journals. 

Yes, we've been to see the new

Star Wars movie twice now...

I guess we qualify as science

fiction geeks.  Love the new 

heroine ~ Rey!  And I think a 

lot of little girls will adore her too.

My Hobonichi Techo planner is

shaping up to be more of an

illustrated diary...

and that pleases me. 

What have you been creating lately?

Calendar Obsessions

Here is the progress (above) on 

my January calendar that has

a bit of drawing each day...

and a weekly page on which I decided

to write a few quotes.

"I have decided that I no longer want to 

be an adult...if anyone needs me, I'll

be in my blanket fort, coloring."

There have been several days

of snow showers, but not a lot

of accumulation that lasted.

The wood pile, or rather logs

lined up on end, make an interesting

subject in the snow. When I got

the bluish watercolor shadows a 

bit too bright, I stippled some

gesso on with a nearly dry brush

to resemble snow.

Some Artist Trading Card-sized

pieces, that will go in pockets in

my ring-binder calendar. The

quotes came out of a women's

health magazine, and I combined

them with my own watercolor

designs.  Below shows the back.

We visited a pub-style restaurant

this week, known for its huge burgers.

I used images from their web site to

sketch a version of one of their hamburgers.

We had a good time with some

wonderful friends, and it was fun to

try a place we'd never been before.

Such large portions are not something

I agree with, and we did our best not to

overdo it!  The gyro I had was very

good.

In addition to my Art Journal Calendar,

(in a ring binder)

I also am using a Hobonichi Techo.

It is from Japan, with wonderful paper

in it, and I've been using it as an

"illustrated diary," although it can 

certainly be anything I choose to make

it. There is a whole page for each day,

and that gives me room for lots of

doodles! Above, some colorful

squiggles and circles, along with a 

sketch of the Rooibos Red Tea blossoms

drawn from my herbal tea packaging.

Also, I made Ginger Muffins after my

friend Elizabeth blogged about them!

Linking up with the T Tuesday blog hop,

and wishing you a creative week!

Peppermint Tea Collage

In winter,

I crave shades

of green...

and peppermint tea.

Looking out the window

at the snow falling...

and thinking that I am

not going anywhere today.

I will stay inside with my

coffee, tea, and a 

good book!

Linking up with T Tuesday

blog hop. Stop by for

a visit and a cup

of something 

warm!

♦  ◘  ♦

Possibilities

Collage: scrapbook paper, labels, vintage music library
index card

A new year brings a lot of

possibilities...

After the hustle and bustle of the

 holidays, when the house guests

 have gone home, and things get back

 to normal, (or what passes for normal at our

 house) there can be a bit of sadness. 

 Looking back at enjoyable moments 

from 2015, and the possibilities of 2016

 helps me keep a positive perspective.

There are new journals to be filled,

different techniques to be tried,

and new art to be made!

Some art friends talked me into

trying gelli plate printing.  The 

backgrounds did come out lovely!

 Not sure I will run out and buy one,

 but the gelli print made a colorful

 background for this tag.

I've had a lot of Peppermint herbal tea

this week, as I am nursing a cold.  But 

hopefully am on the mend.  I do enjoy

a hot beverage on a cold day! The cold

weather has finally arrived in Ohio - we

had an unseasonably warm December!

Linking up with the T Tuesday

gang over at the Altered Book Lover,

and planning on more peppermint tea...

just as soon as I finish my coffee!