FUN & EASY Male Fashion Illustration Sketches like Christopher Hart! [Perfect for Beginners]12/4/2022
Feel like adding some MALE fashion illustration sketches to your sketchbook? I hear ya! I LOVE drawing female faces & fashions. But every once in a while- I like to mix things up and draw a dude.
Today we're sketching an EASY fashion illustration figure in pencil, and coloring him in with alcohol markers. He's simple enough to do even if you've never tried fashion figure sketching before. Grab a pencil, some markers & come draw with me! 
If you're new to drawing and coloring with alcohol markers, or have a brand new set of markers, make sure you grab my FREE Swatch Sheet so you can swatch your markers out before we get to the coloring portion of today's project. Simply click on the button below, and I'll send it straight to your email!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
I can't wait to show you a flip through of the fashion sketching book that inspired today's video, Figure it Out! Simple Lessons, Quick Results by Christopher Hart. It's literally filled with lessons & drawing references that will keep you drawing for days.
A couple of weeks ago I did a female fashion sketch tutorial inspired by another one of Christopher Hart's books (I have ELEVEN of them because I LOVE him that much!). SO many people in my Facebook group were drawing along with me and I just loved it, so decided I had to do another one!
There are so many ways to draw the figure. I'm actually writing a new book right now about how to draw figures using my own Quadrant Method (check this video out if you want to see how the Quadrant Method works for figure drawing).
As I said in my previous Christopher Hart project video - I LOVE his instruction. It's clear, concise, and simple to follow.
I'm using a mechanical pencil to sketch today's male fashion figure. I love the Graphgear Set by Pentel that I'm using in the video because it's weighted and helps me feel like I've got better control. 
This particular drawing prompt from Christopher Hart shows the head tilted just a bit, as well as the shoulders. Since we're drawing a guy- the shoulders are fairly squared off and angular.
Our dude has a bit of a swagger in his step, which makes his torso curve. We're also drawing one leg "shorter" than the other to indicate he's in motion, mid-step. 
You'll notice the joints in fashion illustration are initially sketched in as balls or circles. These guidelines will get erased when the drawing is finished, leaving a gentle curve behind.
Fun fact about fashion figure sketching - the elbows of your figure should always end up at the waist of your model, so keep that guideline in mind as you're drawing. I love that this illustration has the guy's hands in his pockets! Makes things SO much easier - no fingers to worry about. If you are someone who wants to learn how to draw hands and fingers realistically, I've got a course over at Awesome Art School just for you, and a book of the same hand drawing projects on Amazon. 
Once you've got the arms of today's guy sketched in, and have a little detail added to the pants and shirt, it's time to get rid of some of your guidelines.
I'm using my favorite vanish eraser. It's super gentle on your paper and really lifts the graphite quickly. They sell these at Jerry's Artarama for $2! If you don't have a Jerry's near you, you can also pick them up on Amazon at that link above. 
Super important tip if you're planning on using alcohol markers (Copics, Ohuhus, sharpies, etc.) to color your dude in...
You'll want to outline first in a fineliner, then erase all remaining graphite because if you color OVER graphite with your alcohol markers, the underlying graphite will smear. It can also really wreck/stain your lighter marker shades like yellows, light skin tones or pastels. You also need to really make sure you pay close attention to what your fineliners are made of. Alcohol markers blend beautifully with other alcohol markers. But... if you outline in sharpies (this is ALSO an alcohol marker)- you're gonna get smearing or "bleeding" because the fineliner is gonna try to blend with the alcohol markers you're shading with. Do yourself a favor and use a fineliner that's a water based or pigment based. This will ensure NO blending takes place where you don't want it. I love this set by Molotow. It's a great value (11 fineliners in a variety of nib sizes for around $28). 
After your finelining is done, take another pass over the whole drawing with your eraser to make extra sure there is no remaining graphite.
You'll notice just before I grabbed my fineliner, I decided I wasn't as in love with the mohawk I'd drawn in for my dude's hair as I thought I would be. My How to Draw Fun Fab Fellas drawing book was on my art table, so I decided to flip through it for a little men's hairstyle inspiration.
This book was part of my original How to Draw Fun Fab Faces trilogy, and came about because I've got three sons. They used to joke about how I only drew girls, so this book was kinda for them (and anyone out there who loves drawing faces or wants to learn how to draw a male face).
For coloring with alcohol markers (or really any art supply), I recommend you use at least 2 shades of the same color so you can show a little dimension in your shading. It just makes your drawings look so much more sophisticated.
If you don't have two shades of a color available - just use the same color and add another layer to darken parts of your drawing and indicate shadows. That's what I'm doing today. If you've been following me for a while, you know I'm in LOVE with my copic markers! But they cost an arm and a leg to collect (trust me- I've been adding to my collection for YEARS!). Usually I tell my students to purchase a set of Ohuhu alcohol markers because they're much cheaper and still great quality. You can get this giant set of 120 shades for around $99. I know $99 for markers still sounds kinda high - but if you want to play with the rainbow and not sacrifice quality, this is your brand. 
They have an excellent skin tone set too! Just for comparison, this Ohuhu skin tone set comes with 24 markers and runs around $30 on Amazon. The copic marker skin tone set (while gorgeous & top of the line), only comes with 6 markers and costs around $45.
If you're new to working with alcohol markers, watch this video - it's everything you need to know to get started. You can totally mix and match your alcohol marker brands too. So if you feel like splurging on a smaller set of copics and grabbing the Ohuhu skin tone set - they work beautifully together. I work with both brands interchangeably all the time! Can you tell I've mixed brands below? 
Didn't think so ;) Once you've finished coloring today's adorable fashion dude, don't forget to add some white highlights at the end. This is one of my absolute favorite parts of my projects, and really takes your art to the next level.
I had a white poster paint sharpie nearby, so I simply grabbed that to add my highlights in. You could also use a white posca pen here. They're interchangeable too, and both work really well on top of alcohol markers.
Make sure you stick with me until the end of today's video for a FULL flip through of Christopher Hart's book, Figure It Out! Simple Lessons, Quick Results. You're gonna love it! Thanks for hanging out with me today! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
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Don't ya just love a funky watercolor portrait with attitude?! Today I'm trying a new-to-me mixed media technique using FOUR simple supplies: Noodler's ink, watercolor and colored pencils with a layer of wax pastels on top!
If you've never tried Caran D'Ache Neocolor Is (basically wax crayons for artists), grab a set to create along with me, and I'll talk you through the project step by step. Or, sit back and relax as I create this "Hot Dog Style" project in my mixed media sketchbook in real time. 
I've been teaching my signature mixed media technique for layering, "The Hamburger System," for almost 2 years now, and it's been a game changer for SO many students!
Sometimes, mixed media beginners can feel a bit overwhelmed by all the new supplies. I recently created a condensed approach using just 4 supplies, called the "Hot Dog System." I also made a ginormous 32-page PDF (you're welcome!) to go with it, giving you examples of 4-art supply layer combos- HOT DOG STYLE- not just from me, but from TWENTY of my artsy friends to inspire you!
Click the button below to download this FREE 32-page stack of cheatsheets just filled with mixed media "Hot Dog System" inspiration!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
Today I'm doing a mixed media project in the style presented by my friend Tara, on page two of my hot dog packet. The four supplies she's using are watercolor and colored pencils, Noodler's Ink, and what is basically a fine art crayon, made by Caran D'Ache. I didn't even have those, so needed to take a quick field trip to my FAVORITE art supply store in town - Jerry's Artarama!
After a quick Jerry's stop, I gathered the rest of my supplies for today's project. Then I did a little Pinterest search through my face drawing references.
If you're new to my world, you may not know that I have a fascination with digital art. I use digital portraits and characters all the time as faces for drawing reference to inspire my own work. These images are perfect to guide you where you need to add shading, especially if you don't know how to shade faces yet. I also love to challenge myself to recreate digital faces using traditional materials. Take a look at this guy! 
I love his deep eyes and dramatic facial features. They're kinda magnificent - like they've been sculpted out of clay or something.
Since the purpose of today's project is to try a new combination of 4 art supplies, I'm not gonna bother with making my drawing perfect. I'm just blocking in what I see from my reference photo with my mechanical pencil . If you don't have one, these are my favorites! 
Since the watercolor is my base layer, I'm going to keep it fairly simple, so we can add depth later with our colored pencils and wax crayons.
A lot of my students ask me about my favorite paint brushes. Right now I'm seriously in love with the ones by artist, Polina Bright (shown above). They take a while to ship because they're from Australia, but they are SO worth it!
Polina made a coupon code JUST FOR MY FOLLOWERS, so you can save 10% off your order. Simply enter my name in all caps (KARENCAMPBELL) at checkout on her website. To see how her watercolor brushes compare to two of my other favorite brands, check out this video. As far as skin tone watercolor shades go, I tend to be kinda lazy about mixing colors to come up with my own color. I prefer to use shades someone else created, right outta the box or tube because it's faster! For a couple of years, the Complexion Watercolor Set by Prima has been my go to. It's got some beautiful light, medium and dark skin tones you can play with straight from the palette (or mix if that's fun for you). If you'd like to learn more about it,I did a video on this skin tone watercolor set not too long ago that will answer ALL your questions :) 
I don't often draw guys, but sometimes I just love to do something a little different. If you're interested in learning how to draw a male face for beginners, I published a book a couple of years ago called How to Draw Fun, Fab Fellas.
After I get the face shading done for today's dude, it's time to move on to his hair. Cobalt blue violet by Daniel Smith was calling my name. If you're new to watercolor, or thinking about starting a Daniel Smith watercolor collection, be sure to watch this video.
Typically I would shade the larger areas first, and finish off with colored pencil for detail because I tend to work biggest to smallest, but Tara has suggested doing the opposite, so I'm giving that a shot. Out come my prismacolors!
It cracks me up that he looks SO MAD. LOL!
Look at how the colored pencils are really bringing out the texture of my cold pressed watercolor paper. Beautiful! I love that effect. 
After the colored pencil layer, it was time for the Caran D'Ache Neocolor Ones to come out and play. These really felt like working with crayons from childhood, except that they're a high quality fine art product. I kinda loved them! The white was super opaque too, which really made me happy. I'd love to play with them on hot pressed paper too because I wonder how they would look over a smooth surface without texture.
Whenever I need a super bold, amazing background, I pull out my Noodler's fountain pen ink. It's seriously juicy and so vibrant. This color is called Bad Green Gator. I think it's a perfect backdrop for his crazy hair, don't you?
And as all my students know, the way that I love to finish, 99% of my projects is with my pentel pocket brush. It's perfect for outlining and detail work. It's also amazing for drawing eyelashes on my female mixed media portraits!
I hope you enjoyed today's project and learned something new! Not familiar with my "Hamburger System"? It's a simple order of operations for collage, acrylic paint, mod podge and ALL my favorite mixed media art supplies. I'm sure you'll love it! Check out my Hamburger System playlist for FREE on YouTube to see the entire process step by step, in action. Here's the FREE cheatsheet to go along with it! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
Need some FUN fashion illustration sketches that are simple enough to do even if you've never done fashion figure sketching before? You're in the right place!
Today we're sketching an EASY fashion illustration figure in pencil, and coloring her in with alcohol markers. Grab a pencil, some markers & come draw with me! 
If you're new to drawing and coloring with alcohol markers, or have a brand new set of markers, make sure you grab my FREE Swatch Sheet so you can swatch your markers out before we get to the coloring portion of today's project. Simply click on the button below, and I'll send it straight to your email!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
I can't wait to show you a flip through of the drawing book that inspired today's video, The Beginner's Fashion Design Studio: Easy Templates for Drawing Fashion Favorites (Drawing with Christopher Hart). It's literally filled with lessons & drawing references that will keep you drawing for days.
I'm completely in love with the author's style (I've got ELEVEN of his books). His faces and figures have a very cartoon-y or semi-realistic drawing style like mine do. I think that is one of the things that attracted me to his work.
I am also very picky about art book instruction (as you may know if you've been following this series on YouTube).
As an art book author myself, I really try to make drawing instruction simple and step by step for my readers. When I find someone who does the same thing (like Christopher Hart!), I get super excited and can't wait to recommend the book to my students. Why don't we get started with today's fashion illustration figure? 
One of the first things I love to do when I'm just getting started with a drawing is to lay out parameters for myself. For example - take a look at the shot above. Her legs go on for miles, right?! To help me get the proportions right, I marked in a faint line where I want the ground to be, as well as where her waist is, so I know in general where I'm going.
All of the subtle angles and movements in the body are what makes the figure so hard to draw. However, if you've got someone like Christopher Hart holding your hand and showing you exactly what to do - I just let them lead the way. Trust me we're in great hands with this fun fashionista sketch!
Look at how sassy she is already!
Take note of how simple her hair is. Tons of my students tend to freak out about hair, but honestly it's so much easier than you think. I always break it down into simple shapes that I can fill in later with detail if I'm in the mood. If I'm not in the mood- I color the blocky hair shape in, and call it a day, because it's super cute and stylistic! 
If you're new to my world, my "kryptonite" is drawing small. LOL! So drawing these teeny tiny hands in feels so hard! Just do what you can and move on with your life. If drawing realistic hands sounds like fun to you, or a challenge you'd like to conquer, I've got both a drawing book and an online art class in my Fun Fab Drawing Club dedicated to "How to Draw AMAZING Hands," filled with 31 hand drawings you can do with me from scratch!
Wanna learn How to Draw Fashion Hands 10 Ways? This video is a bit older, but it's got easy ideas you might love incorporating into your own work.
Whenever I'm doing an alcohol marker project like today's, I love to start my coloring by outlining with a black fineliner. The reason I like to do fineliner and then color my drawings in, is because I want to erase all the graphite on my page. Graphite will smear with alcohol markers and make the nibs of your markers dirty. Erasing pencil lines before you start shading with alcohol markers works great and prevents that mess. If you're looking for an amazing eraser, this one if my fave.
Lately I've really been into using my black fineliners by Molotow. They're pigment based, and do not smear when I use them with alcohol markers.
Speaking of alcohol markers - I LOVE my copics, but they took forever to collect because they're so expensive. If you need to stick to a budget, try Ohuhus. They're awesome, and super affordable. I especially love the Ohuhu skin tone collection. (By the way - copics and ohuhus blend beautifully together, so don't be afraid to mix the brand shades in the same project!) 
See how simple the hair is on this girl? It's basic block shapes and I'm coloring it all one shade. I may just leave it like that because I'm in the mood for fast and easy!
How fun is this green in her sweater?! Love it!
I hope you have so much fun with today's fashion illustration project! And if you decide to get one of Christopher Hart's books - they're ALL fabulous. Take it from me... I've got ELEVEN!!
Need help learning how to color with alcohol markers? Check out this playlist! Thanks for hanging out with me today! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
You NEED this colorful cow painting in your life, and you're about to feel like a kid again because we're playing with ALL the colors of the rainbow today!
Whether you want an EASY project to spark JOY in your day, or have been searching for acrylic canvas painting ideas for beginners - this cow painting on canvas with a flower in her mouth was made for you! If you don't have a canvas - paint her in your art journal or on the back of a cereal box. 
If you feel comfortable with the easy acrylic painting tutorial in today's video, I'd LOVE to introduce you to the magical world of mixed media art!
I make cheatsheets for everything so you can have MORE FUN with your art! Click the button below to request the FREE cheatsheet for my signature mixed media layering process, the Hamburger System, and I'll email it right over. 
After you print your cheatsheet, here's my FREE Hamburger System Playlist on YouTube so you can see the process in action and create along with me.
If you've been following me on YouTube lately, you know I've been doing a series of projects inspired by the authors of my favorite art books. I've also been showing flip throughs of my favorite books because they are just filled with inspiration.
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
I can't say enough about the adorable book by Anna Bartlett that I'm featuring today. Seriously... her projects are the cutest, and her instructions are so simple to follow.
Anna goes out of her way to show you tons of photos and really keeps things simple so anyone can pick up her book and start painting with acrylics - from beginners to seasoned artists looking for easy acrylic painting ideas. 
Stay with me till the end of today's video so you can catch a glimpse of Anna's book. It's jam packed with even more EASY canvas painting ideas I just know you're gonna love!
What really inspired me to choose this particular project is the variation of it that Anna showed at the begining of her lesson (above). I fell in love with the bright colors and immediately knew this was the project I wanted to showcase from her book!
I'm using a ginormous canvas today, and don't even know what size this is! That's just my thing. I LOVE to work big. You choose what's right for you. And if you don't have a canvas at home - use whatever you do have! You could do this on a canvas board, in an art journal (as long as the paper is super sturdy!), in an altered book, or on the back of a cereal box (learn how to make your own cereal box journal here).
It doesn't matter WHERE you paint... just paint! 
Speaking of paint - the colors I'm working with today are one of my FAVORITE color palettes: Turquoise, Carmine and Yellow. It's delicious!
Anna suggests you do this project in a #12 flat paint brush. If you're not sure what this is, just choose a paint brush that has a squared off top to the bristles, like one of the two at the bottom of the above painting (why yes, I do happen to have a video about how to select the right brush).
Throughout her project instructions, Anna suggests we wash and dry our paint brushes with each layer of color we add. This is actually a really important step - especially the "dry your brush" part, because you can make mud really fast if you don't wash your brush between colors.
Plus, acrylics don't need water to work - they're awesomely formulated and ready to dive in with, straight outta the tube! 
How gorgeous is this turquoise?! It's SO happy!!
I'm even in the mood to jazz up my carmine by dding some flourescent pink for pure FUN, and because it lights my soul on fire! 
I'm using all Lukas Cryl acrylic paints because I've been using them forever. I discovered them when I moved to Raleigh in 2007 on my first trip to Jerry's Artarama. These acrylics are super affordable, and the quality is amazing. They're a step above student grade and a great value.
After I get all the initial colors added to the cow's face, the next step is to add in some white. Before we do this- we need to make sure ALL the other shades of paint are thoroughly dry. Dry layers are your "friend" with acrylics!
One of the things that immediately attracted me to Anna's book is the fact that she's an "outliner." Personally I LOVE outling and feel like it really ties a piece together. 
I used to fight my love of outlining but I decided it's something that makes me happy, so I embraced it! If you look closely at the pictures for Anna's project- she used an indigo to outline instead of black. I decided to add some black to the purple I used in the background for my outline color.
Just a quick reminder - if at any point you feel like you've made a giant mistake- remember this is acrylic paint, you can just paint right over it with another layer, and problem solved!
I love that Anna calls the nostrils on this adorable cow, "apostrophes!" Itsn't that the cutest?! After all the outlines are added, it's time for highlights in white AND red! I know... red highlights?!
At first I doubted myself on doing the red highlights too, but decided to follow the directions exactly instead. Letting someone else gently guide you through a project is a GREAT way to get out of creative block. It helps you to not overthink your decisions so you can just enjoy the creative process. 
Thanks for hanging out with me today! Make sure you stick with me till the end of the video so you can see a page by page flip through of Anna's book. You're gonna love it!!
Need an EASY pencil shading drawing tutorial that's simple enough to do even if you've never tried shading a drawing before? You're in the right place!
Today we're creating 3 line drawings & taking them to the next level by adding a simple shadow with one of the easiest pencil shading techniques I've learned to date.
If you feel comfortable with the line drawings and shading practice in today's video, I'd LOVE to teach you how easy it is to draw a simple FACE in pencil.
I make cheatsheets and videos for EVERYTHING - especially when it comes to drawing faces! Click the button below to request my FREE whimsical face drawing guidelines, and I'll email them right over.
After you print your guidelines cheatsheet, here's a playlist of FREE face drawing videos from my YouTube drawing channel so we can practice drawing and shading simple faces together, step by step.
Let's get back to today's lesson!
If you've been following either of my YouTube channels lately, you know I've been introducing you to some of my favorite art books - showing a flip through, and then trying an entire project or demo-ing a technique from the book. The book I'm featuring this week on my drawing channel is actually more of a mixed media book, but there is a BRILLIANT pencil shading technique for beginners in it that I just had to share with you. 
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links but by law there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support.
Danielle Donaldson's Creative Girl: Mixed Media Techniques for an Artful Life is simply gorgeous (if the book isn't available on Amazon, you can also find it here).
I actually love this book so much that I featured it last week while doing the watercolor trees for beginners project on my mixed media channel. Today, I'm sharing Danielle's super simple analogy of adding shading to a drawing at "5 o'clock." 
On page 54 of her book, Danielle says "Shadows are the thickest at 5 o'clock." I decided to try this shading technique out on three simple line drawings.
First, I drew the water bowl sitting on my art table with a paint brush inside. Then I picked up a blending stump (remember - the dirtier, the better when it comes to blending stumps), and thickened the shadow at an imaginary 5 o'clock position of my water bowl. 
Here's another shot showing you what I'm imagining in my head...
Right where the imaginary hour hand of the clock is pointing to 5 is where I'm thickening the shadow with my blending stump. 
Below is another example of this easy shading technique for beginners on a line drawing of a flower vase.
Isn't that the easiest concept to imagine so you know exactly where to add shadows to your drawing?! I think it's brilliant.
My final doodle example for today, below, is of a cat - inspired by my art studio "terror," Tippie (she's just recently claimed my art table as her own)! When I look at all three drawings together, I immediately notice how all the shading looks consistent, showing shadows off to the lower right. This is a really important concept to think about for beginner artists. 
Your work will look more sophisticated if you your shadows are all drawn in the same direction, like they're all being hit by the same light source. It makes more sense visually, and can make even simple whimsical, or semi-realistic drawings like these, look more advanced.
Make sure you watch today's video to see these simple shading techniques in action. And grab a pencil and piece of paper before you press play so we can do this together!
Stay with me till the end for a quick flip through of Danielle's adorable book. Thanks for hanging out with me today!! When you watch the video, you'll hear me mention my Retro Redezvous Art Party. While the live portions of the Retro Party have passed, the lessons are still available at Awesome Art School, here. If you are a member of an Awesome Art School club (The Fun Fab Drawing Club, Mixed Media Society, or Celtic Collective), you've been given access to these lessons for free as a membership perk. Enjoy!! Happy drawing! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
We're painting whimsical watercolor trees in today's mixed media tutorial! If you've never played with watercolor before, the loose watercolor painting technique featured in today's project, is perfect for beginners!
If you're new to watercolor, or have a new palette to swatch, make sure you grab my FREE Swatch Sheet so you can swatch your watercolors out before we get to the painting portion of today's project. Simply click on the button below, and I'll send it straight to your email!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links, but by law, there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
Today's mixed media art book review is of Danielle Donaldson's Creative Girl: Mixed Media Techniques for an Artful Life. (If the book isn't available on Amazon, you can also find it here). I actually love this book so much I'm doing a painting project from it for my mixed media YouTube channel, and a drawing project for my drawing channel next week!!
I think seasoned artists will also love today's watercolor painting, especially if they're in the mood for a relaxing project that isn't gonna take all day!
Let's get started with the flip-through of Danielle's book... 
What I love about Danielle Donaldson's watercolor art, is her light and airy touch. It's SO whimsical. She has a very dinstinct way of leaving white space throughout her paintings and illustrations, that I just love! You'll really begin to recognize that if you start to look for it.
In this book, she opens with an overview on supplies, an adorable little project called "Stash Stations," and 3-4 pages of art challenges that you can use to break through creative block with a friend! Personally, I think these are just genius!
Danielle fills her book with so many unique ideas to get your creativity rolling - from saving cutouts of words from books (so they're always ready to be turned into art journal quotes!), to cute new ways to illustrate watercolor girls with tutus and so much more.
Throughout this book, Danielle also builds on projects from earlier chapters as the book progresses. I love how she helps us continue thinking about a project after we think it's "done," and turns it into a layer for a completely new project. 
Today I thought I'd try to do one of Danielle's projects from this book, in her style - allowing white of the paper to peak through my watercoloring!
For me- this is WAY harder than it looks! LOL! 
I'm using hot pressed paper becuase it's nice and smooth for drawing.
To get us started, I'm taping my watercolor paper down to a clipboard, which is actually something Danielle taught me in one of her workshops! Stick with me to the end of the video to see how beautiful the straight edged border looks around my painting after the blue tape is peeled away. 
For the background, I'm trying to really do some loose watercolor painting in a "Danielle style" - keeping the shades I've selected very pastel.
The colors I'm using are by Daniel Smith and in a cute little travel watercolor palette I made from scratch! If you want to learn how to make one too - check out that fun tutorial.
I hit the background for today's whimsical watercolor trees with my hair dryer to make sure it's fully dry, so I can starting drawing on top. I thought it might be fun to use my non-dominant hand (left!) to draw some cute little trees with wobbly lines.
Next, I did a light wash of loose watercolor for each tree, and tried to leave those little white specks of the paper showing through, but it's hard! My instinct is to cover them up!
After the trees are painted and dry, I used my white sharpie paint pens to add outlines in a variety of thicknesses. I'm struggling to find one that works well or isn't dried out, so I decided to pull out this really cool gift my husband got me for Christmas from Copic. It's an opaque white and like a nail polish applicator. It does the trick perfectly and looks adorable.
I totally felt the urge to do some pencil squiggles on top for a little more interest, followed by a few splatters of watercolor on top for a fun, artsy effect. Whenever you've got the urge to try something - you've gotta go with it!
Make sure you WATCH today's video to see everything in action. I hope you learn something and have SO much FUN trying this at home! If you'd like to learn a little more about drawing, I've got the PERFECT event coming up and would LOVE for you to attend! SIGN UP FOR MY ART RETRO RENDEZVOUS with this special link for just $15. Beginners welcome (even if you've NEVER drawn a thing before). It's 5 days, filled with 10 beginner drawing lessons for you to enjoy! Here's a sneak preview of the projects... 
I hope to see you there!! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
Need a FUN handmade bookmark design that's step by step and EASY enough to do even if you've never tried drawing before? You're in the right place!
In today's drawing video, you'll get a sneak peek at one of my favorite drawing books filled with inspiring dangle art drawings (similar to zentangling, but even easier). I'll show ya what inspired this bookmark tutorial, then go grab some markers & draw along with me as I guide you through this CUTE handmade bookmark design idea - perfect for artists of ALL levels to enjoy!
If you're new to drawing and coloring with markers, make sure you grab my FREE Swatch Sheet so you can swatch your markers out before we get to the coloring portion of today's project. Simply click on the button below, and I'll send it straight to your email!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links, but by law, there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
Today I'm reviewing a drawing book filled with fun dangle art called The Art of Dangles by Olivia A. Kneibler.
What's a dangle? They're basically what they sound like - a line with decorative embellishments, tiny shapes, or charms hanging from them. They're adorable hanging from letters, and you can create super FUN projects out of them, like today's bookmark!
I actually enjoy drawing dangles more than I like zentangling because they're SO simple! Zentangling is super fun, but can get a little fussy for me. If you'd like to try a simple zentangle art project with me - be sure to check out this video and art book review from last week. That project and today's are excellent beginner drawing lessons.
The only criticism I have of today's book is that everything in it has been drawn digitally. I love drawing by hand and teaching beginner drawing lessons, so that's my only tiny complaint.
One of the reasons I really love drawing by hand and appreciate hand drawn art is because of the imperfections that come out of them. You don't see those in digital art. Everything is much more "perfect." Don't get me wrong- I have a serious appreciation for digital drawings too - I just prefer things to be hand drawn. 
Regardless of my preference, I think the author does a fantastic job of providing inspirational drawing ideas to try. She shows how-to's for the entire alphabet in her book, and includes dangles from each letter in upper and lower case. There isn't a ton of step by step direction- but it's totally enough to get you going, whether you want to create along with her in black and white, or in color.
If you have anything coming up that you need a personalized gift for, and want to create something for someone with their name on it - this book would be an excellent asset to help you get started with some amazing ideas.
There are also some fun examples of words showing you how to put creative letters together, and where to add some cute zentangle patterns and dangles.
The book closes with tons of adorable dangle projects you can create from roses, trees and snowflakes to random shapes and mandalas, followed by an index of charms and geometric dangles you can use as thought starters to get your own creativity going.
I felt inspired to combine two of my favorite dangle art projects from this book into one, and decided to do a handmade bookmark design.
To create my project- I'm just using a sheet of hammermill cardstock (it's equivalent to Bristol- just WAY cheaper). I also used a WATER BASED black fineliner to outline my drawing before coloring with my copics.
HOT TIP: If you use a water based fineliner prior to coloring with alcohol markers, the black marker won't bleed (don't use sharpies for this because they are alcohol based). If you're new to my world - I've been collecting my copic markers for years (because they cost an arm and a leg!). I LOVE using my copics, but I highly recommend using what you can afford and/or have on hand. Ohuhus are an excellent copic marker alternative and cost much less per marker if you'd like to start a cheaper alcohol marker collection. 
I finished my coloring off by adding in my signature white highlights using my white sharpie paint pen (a white posca paint pen works just as beautifully here- the sharpie is just what I had on the table at the time of filming).
Thanks for hanging out with me today! If you'd like to learn a little more about drawing, I've got the PERFECT event coming up and would LOVE for you to attend! SIGN UP FOR MY ART RETRO RENDEZVOUS with this special link for just $15. Beginners welcome (even if you've NEVER drawn a thing before). It's 5 days, filled with 10 beginner drawing lessons for you to enjoy! Here's a sneak preview of the projects...
I hope to see you there!! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
I've NEVER created a mixed media portrait by doing alcohol painting on yupo paper... until today!
In fact, everything about today's mixed media tutorial was kind of a science experiment- from trying this crazy alcohol ink paper to my trial and error mixed media painting techniques and my NEW 2 camera setup.
Love the eyelashes on this girlie? Me too! Lots of my students have shared that drawing eyelashes is hard for them, so if you're feeling the same, you're NOT alone. I created a FREE, super simple eyelashes cheatsheet for you with THREE things to remember each time you're drawing eyeashes.
Simply click the button below and I'll send it straight to your inbox!
Real quick, before we continue- All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links, but by law, there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
Today's mixed media art book review is of Mixed Media Portraits with Pam Carriker. If you've been following me for a while, you know I'm OBSESSED with creating mixed media portraits.
Flipping through mixed media art book like Pam's gets me thinking outside of my own style, and can totally inspire me to try something new, outside my comfort zone... like alcohol ink painting! If you get this book too, today's project in Pam's book is called "Yippie for Yupo." Stay with me till the end of this video for a sneak peek at Pam's entire book! 
I don't know about you, but I've worked with yupo paper exactly ONCE before today's video. LOL! So I really have no idea what to expect, which is actually kinda FUN, right?! I get emails every day asking me how to do various techniques or if I've ever tried a particular combo of art supplies.
I almost always answer with the same response! I've learned SO much just from experimenting and trying new things. You never know how something will work until you try it. So my advice is ALWAYS live and learn. You might discover something amazing and fall in love with it! Some of the supplies needed for this project were totally new to me like these random sticks called Fantastix (below). 
It didn't take me long to get what these little guys do. They feel a bit like styrofoam, and immediately soak up whatever you dip them into, just like a sponge. It was a little like I'd made my own alcohol marker here, but using it on paper felt similar to watercoloring.
The first part of this project started with laying down the mid tones of the face shading (above). In the book, Pam suggests using a light table, but I was able to see just fine without, so just used my yupo paper like tracing paper on top of a recent graphite drawing I'd done.
If you like the look of this female face drawing in the video and want to learn how to draw her with me, I've got an online art class coming up called Art Retro Rendezvous. It starts on Valentine's Day (2022), and only costs $15 (only through this special link) if you sign up to party with me before that day. There will be 10 drawing lessons spread out over 5 days! 
Back to today's project!
When I first started shading this face with the fantastix stick (I *think* that's what I should call it?!), I was almost wishing for the control of my copic markers, but I tried to let it go, and embrace this new way of creating. It's definitely a bit more abstract than I'm used to. When it was time to blend out the mid tones to create some lighter areas on the face, I dipped a fresh fantastix stick into alcohol blending solution and pulled some of the color from the left edge of the face over to the cheeks. This was a really neat experiment - again using art supplies that are totally new to me. 
To put my own spin on the project, I decided to try using my pentel pocket brush to add some details on the face, since the rest of the project instruction appeared to be all about how to paint hair using alcohol inks. I didn't have the heart to leave my girl's face totally abstract, so I did a bit of doodling before moving on.
If you're not familiar with the pentel pocket brush, it's one of my favorite products to use for drawing eyelashes onto my drawings and mixed media portraits. If you'd like to learn more about it or how to draw eyelashes - I did a video about it on my mixed media channel, and another on my drawing channel. 
As soon as I started adding droplets of alcohol ink onto my paper, the project took an entirely FUN turn that I wasn't expecting. How gorgeous is that blooming purple ink for hair?!
I LOVE learning new mixed media techniques and this one is really turning out cool! The rest of the project is really all about experimenting with the inks - adding new drops of color, removing some color with the alcohol blending solution, and tipping my yupo paper around to see what effects I could get from letting the alcohol ink drip and run across the page.
I kinda loved it! Although if I'm honest- it did bug me when the blooms of ink started to infringe a bit too much into the face.
Make sure you click over to the video to see how this works in acton. Plus if you hang out with me for a few more minutes after the art project- I'm doing a quick flip through of Pam's book to show you even MORE fun mixed media ideas you can try at home!
Don't forget to SIGN UP FOR MY ART RETRO RENDEZVOUS with this special link for just $15. Beginners welcome (even if you've NEVER drawn a thing before!)
Thanks for hanging out with me today! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP
Need a FUN zentangle art project that's step by step and EASY enough to do even if you've never tried drawing before, or are just learning how to draw? You're in the right place!
In today's drawing video, you'll get a sneak peek at one of my favorite drawing books. It's jam packed with zentangle art ideas for beginners! You'll learn a little about my creative process (I LOVE flipping through art books for inspiration!), and why I'm drawn to certain zentangle art patterns over others.
Then you need to grab your favorite markers and fineliners so you can draw along with me in this CUTE and relaxing zentangle art tutorial- perfect for artists of all levels! 
If you're new to drawing and coloring with markers, make sure you grab my FREE Swatch Sheet so you can swatch your markers out before we get to the coloring portion of today's project. Simply click on the button below, and I'll send it straight to your email!
Whenever I get a new art supply with multiple colors - whether that's a new set of markers, watercolors, etc. - I ALWAYS swatch them out. That's because I learned the hard way that the color on the cap, tube or bottle often doesn't really look like what ends up on your paper. TRUST ME. Now my rule of thumb is to ALWAYS swatch. Here are a couple of the fun faces on my Swatch Sheet!
Before we continue, super quick announcement: All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links, but by law, there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support!
Today I'm reviewing a drawing book about zentangling from my personal art book collection called Tangled Up by Penny Raile. This Walter Foster Studio book is a great example of inspiration, paired with practical how-to instruction.
If you're new to zentangle art, zentangling is basically a form of line art that plays with repeating patterns and line weights (how thick or thin a line is). It's a super chill and mindless activity to do if you're feeling stressed, need an escape, or want to get creative but not spend forever working on a project.
Zentangling is also EXCELLENT for people interested in learning how to draw. In fact, it's one of the first lessons I teach to beginners in my Fun Fab Drawing Club because it's a simple way to warm you up for learning line variation (how thick or thin a line is), which segues beautifully into learning how to shade. 
If you know me, and my work - I can be impatient and don't love spending a ton of time on details. ? That's the only part of zentangling that can feel a little annoying to me (teeny, intricate patterns)!
As soon as you open Tangled Up, you'll see LARGER zentangle pattern ideas, plus a lot of really simple patterns to try, which I totally appreciate! 
The first zentangle drawing project in chapter one ONLY uses a pattern of straight lines (above). I love that! Not complicated, not too fussy- it's perfect for beginners just learning how to draw (even kids), or anyone looking for a fun warmup drawing excercise!
The idea below is another great one to try with kids- simply use a cookie cutter as the project's stencil. 
Tangled Up features some adorable zentangle pattern ideas throughout that would make fun borders around a drawing (below). There are also lots of examples with multi-line weights (line variation - showing lines in a variety of thicknesses. This is a really important introductory skill for drawing beginners.
This book also shows you step by step how to draw fun shapes from arrows to ribbons, that you can fill with zentangles! I love this- nothing is rushed here in the instruction. It's all very simple to follow, so if you're a beginner, you're in great hands.
Today, I was totally inspired by the adorable little fish above! I decided it would be fun to put him center stage inside a fish bowl with some plants or coral.
Zentangling is an amazing activity to do when you're sad, stressed, or need some kind of escape and don't want to fuss with a complicated project. It can take your mind off of whatever is bothering you, and you can choose to make the project last for a short or long time based on your mood.
Get intricate with your patterns if you want the project to last longer, or keep your zentangle patterns large and simple to finish quicker (like me!). 
When you're ready to color your drawing, make sure you swatch your markers off to the side and label each shade before you dive into coloring so you don't get any surprises.
If you didn't do it already, download my FREE Swatch Sheet of faces and print as many copies as you need. 
I used copic markers for my coloring today because I love them, and that's what I had on hand. Use whatever you've got on hand.
The art supplies don't matter, what matters is that you just draw... and have FUN while you're doing it. I hope you enjoy today's zentangle art project and completely LOVE Tangled Up if you decide to get it. Oh, and just a word of warning... zentangling is a little addictive. Once you start, it's kinda hard to stop! Thanks for hanging out with me today! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP 8 CHEAP & EASY Mixed Media Art Ideas I Haven't Tried Yet! [Stenciling & Stamping Techniques]11/1/2022
Need NEW mixed media art ideas? Whether you're a mixed media beginner, or a seasoned mixed media artist like me, flipping through a gorgeous art book is one of THE BEST THINGS you can do for creative inspiration.
In today's art video you'll get a sneak peek at one of my favorite mixed media art books, followed by a demo of the 8 CHEAP & EASY stamping & stenciling techniques this book inspired me to try for the first time in my own mixed media sketchbook!
If you're new to the world of mixed media art, and not sure how to layer your supplies for success - you're in the right place! Beginners are my specialty.
Make sure you download my FREE cheatsheet outlining my signature mixed media layering process calledThe Hamburger System. It tells you exactly HOW to layer your mixed media art supplies so you can make a masterpiece, instead of a hot mess! Simply click the button below and I'll send it straight to your inbox!
When you're done with today's video, I've got an awesome YouTube series to go with this cheatsheet, so look for that link at the bottom :)
Real quick, before we continue- All product links are Affiliate. I may earn a small commission if you choose to order through these links, but by law, there is never any additional cost to the consumer for doing so. I thank you for your support! 
Today's mixed media art book review is of 101 Mixed Media Techniques, by Walter Foster.
This book is jam packed with 128 pages of mixed media art techniques. It's an excellent addition to any art book collection and will definitely get your creative juices flowing.
What I really love in this book are the "Artist Tip" boxes that you'll find scattered throughout. I actually think these little pointers are better than most of the book content!
Each chapter of 101 Mixed Media Techniques is written by a different artist so you can really get some unique perspectives. The tip below came from a section in the book about stenciling and stamping techniques. It got me thinking out of the box, motivated me to take a little field trip around my house looking for new mixed media ideas to try, and inspired today's entire video!
I easily found eight random objects lying around my house just waiting for me to experiment with in my mixed media sketchbook.
The first item I decided to test out is actually the inside squeaker of a dog toy that was headed for the trash! How funny is that?!
Check out the whimsical polka dots I created when I ran this ball through some acrylic paint and upcycled it into a stamp! 
The next item I decided to try as a stamp was a shot glass!
Lots of mixed media artists have done videos using empty toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls to stamp circles onto their canvases or art journal pages. What I don't love about these empty rolls is they can bend, and don't make perfect cirlces. I decided to try stamping circles onto my art journal page with a shot glass. Look how great that turned out!! 
Simply grab a glass from your kitchen that you don't care about, or pick one up at a thrift shop, and turn it into a mixed media stamp for yourself!
Ages ago, I bought a spongey toilet scrubber from the dollar store and set it aside to try as a paintbrush or stamp. Today was the perfect day to bust it out! 
I dabbed the scrubber into 2 colors of acrylic paint and stamped it as hair around an old face doodle in my art journal. Look at how amazing THIS looks!! Total win!!
This next object I decided to try was a slotted spoon. I tested out a couple of ways to turn this into an upcycled mixed media stencil, and love the effect I got when swiping over the negative space with a sponge covered in acrylic paint. 
As I mentioned, I LOVE creating the look of polka dots and circles. I have a zillion of these utencil holders from Ikea (below), and the bottom of each just happens to have the perfect pattern to try as a stencil.
I like how that worked, but still might love bubble wrap even more! I'll show you that technique at the end of this demo.
While I was in my kitchen, I noticed my napkin holder could be a two for one win as a stencil, with the unique patterns on the bottom and the sides!
Check out how amazing this looks (bottom right corner) when I added two colors of acrylic paint to a sponge, and swiped that sponge through the side of my napkin holder! 
Another object I tried using was a fragment of the pouch my clementines came in. I tried it this material as both a stamp and stencil, and found I really loved the subtle effect it created as a stamp the most.
HOT TIP: Whatever you do - do it everywhere so it looks intentional.
My last stamping technique wasn't necessarily inspired from today's video because I've been doing it for years, but in case you haven't tried this before - you've GOT to save the next sheet of bubble wrap that comes through your door!
You can get the most gorgeous pattern from applying acrylic paint to the corner of some bubble wrap, and turning it into a mixed media stamp. Click over to the video to see my favorite places to stamp with bubble wrap! Thanks for hanging out with me today! Don't forget to grab my FREE HAMBURGER SYSTEM CHEATSHEET. Once you print it out, join me on YouTube for my Hamburger System Series, and I'll explain everything you need to know about mixed media art supplies, and my simple mixed media layering process! ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL MY ONLINE ART CLASSES & Art Clubs ❤️ CHECK OUT ALL my art books ❤️ MY FAVORITE ART SUPPLIES on AMAZON ❤️ MY BELOVED FACEBOOK GROUP |
Karen CampbellFounder of Awesome Art School. Mixed Media Artist. Author of 18 Instructional Art Books!    
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"Karen is flipping hilarious and she's very real...I like the way she teaches in a way that really gives you confidence, whether you're a beginner or advanced there's always something new to learn!"
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What Fans Are SayingKaren, you are absolutely fabulous! You make me feel like I can draw anything. I have recently retired and finally have the time to do some of the art that I have loved since I was in school. I am really at the beginning of my art journey and I hope to learn as much as I can. Thank you for all you do. |
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