Sybil's 2010 Advent Calendar and Christmas Drawing

My friend Sybil has posted her Christmas drawing and also her finished 2010 Advent calendar on her blog, Praying in Color. Her 2010 calendar was a freeform Jesse tree, stained glass window shape.

Click here to see her 2009 Advent calendar with a circular sticker as her drawing space for each day. And click here for her 2008 freeform calendar.

Sybil makes drawing a part of her prayer life. She calls it "Praying in Color." To see more of her prayer drawings, browse through her current blog, as well as her previous (2009) blog. For some of her other drawings, posted on my blog with her permission, click on the "Sybil's drawings" label below, or in the label list on the right.

Advent Calendar 2010

My Advent calendar drawing for 2010. Each day's space is small, 1-3/8 x 1-5/8", so you may want to click on the drawing for a clearer view.

• Click here for a listing of words, sources of words, and Copic colors (or other materials) used.
• Click here for my template - to print or save my blank 2010 Advent calendar template for your own use (PDF or Word format).
• Added November 26, 2011: Click here for my 2011 Advent calendar drawing, or here for 2009 and here for 2008.
  
• For all related posts, click on my Advent-Christmas label, below or in the label list to the right.

Work in progress note: This post was dated December 25 to keep it at the top of my blog through Christmas Day. From November 28 through December 24, as I completed my daily drawings, I replaced the image here with the new version, and also updated my separate listing (see link above) with the words, sources of words, and Copic marker colors used for each day.

Doodle in Green and Brown

This fall, I've been making cards, as posted on my other blog "Mostly Markers - Cards," and today I mailed out a box of 120 for Operation Write Home. Then I had the urge to doodle. Just something to get my arm moving. Colors I haven't used lately. No intended audience.

Unlike some of my other drawings, it would not look good on a greeting card. I'm not sure what it is. Maybe vegetation. Seed pods and seeds sprouting. Or maybe not.

• Copic marker colors used: Custom color YG6000, YG05,21,23,95, Y28
  
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 5x7"

2010 Advent Calendar Template

Added November 20, 2011: Looking for my current template? For 2011, click here.
I'm continuing to make greeting cards which I post on my other blog, Mostly Markers - Cards. (Click on the link in my blog header, just below the green leaves.) As a result, I'm not posting as often on this blog. But today, I'm looking ahead to drawing daily during Advent, which in the church year is the 4-week season of hope and longing that leads up to Christmas.

For the past two Advent seasons, I made a small drawing each day in a calendar format. Both years, I found it to be very meaningful, and I'm looking forward to it again this year. Beginning in late November or early December, I plan to post my calendar drawings as I go along.

• Added November 27, 2010: Click here to see my 2010 Advent calendar drawings.
• Click here to see my 2009 Advent calendar drawings.
  
• Click here to see my 2008 Advent calendar drawings.
  

The blank grid at the top of this post is my 2010 template. If you think you might enjoy this activity, please feel free to use my template for your own daily drawings.... colorful tree ornaments, decorated words, geometric shapes, or whatever inspires you. I've saved it on-line at Google Docs, where you are very welcome to print or download it.

• Click here for the PDF template on Google Docs, if you'd like to use it as is. Note, for the PDF document, you do not need to have the font (Lucida Calligraphy) on your computer.
  
• Click here for the Word template on Google Docs, if you'd like to be able to edit it. Note, for the Word document, the font may look different on the Google Docs site, but (if you have the Lucida Calligraphy font on your computer) it will be OK when you download it. If you don't have that font on your computer, I think it will use a default font when you open it. Of course, then you can change it to another font.
  

Overall page size is 8-1/2 x 11". Each day's drawing space is 1-3/8 x 1-5/8". The image size (including the "Advent 2010" heading) is 7-1/4 x 9-3/4".

Acrobat Doodle

Acrobats spiraling through the air. A happy doodle, inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "acrobat."

• Copic marker colors used: Ground and spirals B32, G12, V12; Acrobats YR07, B14, G14, V04
  

Blog Update

It might look like I've disappeared, but no, I've been making cards. See my other blog, Mostly Markers - Cards, for recent postings. The link is just below the green leaves (basil actually) in my blog heading.

Pot with Artificial Ivy

This brightly painted ceramic pot, about 3 inches tall, was a gift from a friend thirty years ago. It is filled with (not very convincing) artificial ivy.

Inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "artificial."

• Copic marker colors used: C1,3,5, R08, E25,41,43, Y38, G12,17,40, YG03,63,95
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 5x7"

Gilt-Edged Notebook

Once again, Illustration Friday prompted me to draw something I never would have thought to draw otherwise.

This week's word "diary" started me thinking about my mom and how she encouraged my creativity ... drawing, painting, collage, writing, singing, sewing, knitting, embroidery, and more. Especially all the journals, paper, and art supplies that she gave me over the years. This gilt-edged notebook, my current diary, is just one example.

I really enjoyed drawing it and thinking of her. Thanks, Mom. And thanks, I.F. See below for a scan of the actual diary.

• Copic marker colors used: W1,3, YR00,07,15,20, Y19,26, G17,21,24,28, YG97, E43,44, V000,12, BV04, RV13,91
• Background: Copic airbrushed with B45 marker, dotted with B41, 45
  
• Copic multiliner colors used: Pink, purple, sky blue, orange
• Gold Uni-ball gel pen
  
• Paper: Neenah
  

Blog News 12 - Greeting Cards, New Blog, and Sources

My blog "Mostly Markers" is one year old this month, and I've really enjoyed doing it. A big thank you to all my viewers and especially everyone who's left a comment or question for me.

My biggest news is that, while this is still my primary blog, I've just begun a new "companion blog" called Mostly Markers - Cards. All of my posts labeled as "cards (greeting cards)" have moved over there. I placed links on the headers of both blogs, so it will be easy to go back and forth.

Why a new blog? Lots of reasons. I think it will simplify my blogging. Some of my labels for drawings don't make sense for cards, and vice versa. Cards have their own aesthetic and charm, and I think it's interesting to keep them together. Etc.

I've really enjoyed creating cards again. As I wrote in the header for my new blog, they are small collages - mailable art. Along with the lines, shapes, and colors that I love about drawings, cards also feature textures and dimension, not to mention layout and construction challenges. They are just plain fun to do. So while I'm adding more drawings to this blog, I'll be adding more cards to the new blog. I still plan to keep my "reference posts" here, such as "try this" and "about my tools and materials." They have been linked to this blog from the new blog"s menu bar (below the header).

Finally, I added a new post to "about my tools and materials." It's about my sources, titled "Where I Buy My Tools and Materials." Hope it will be helpful to others.

Orange Card with Beads

Updated July 9, 2010: This post has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Two Cards with Large Punched Dots

Updated July 9, 2010: This post has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Sun and Flowers Card - Punched Dots

Updated July 9, 2010: This post has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Sunshine Card - Embroidery Floss

Updated July 9, 2010: This post has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Bright Dots and Wavy Lines 3 - Cards

Updated July 9, 2010: This post has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Paisley Leaf Doodle

A leafy branch. My doodle was inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "paisley."

• Copic marker colors used: G24, YG03,05,21,23,63
  
• Paper: Neenah
  

Twelve Cards for Operation Write Home

Updated July 9, 2010: This post (including the rest of this group of cards) has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Bright Flowers with Orange and Purple

After my orange and purple watercolor background (shown below) was dry, I added the line drawing of flowers and leaves, and colored them with my markers. I like the bright background combined with flowers that are even brighter.

• Copic marker colors used: G21, YG63, RV06, V04, YR09
• Watercolor background: Dr. Ph. Martin's radiant concentrated watercolors - orange 2A, cherry red 6A, and violet 10A. One or two drops of liquid watercolor in 1/4 teaspoon of water. For more information about the watercolors, including my color chart, see this post.
• Paper: Canson Montval watercolor block, 140 lb. cold press, 4x6"

Snail Trail

Garden snails. So cute. Except when they eat the flowers.

My doodle was inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "trail."

• Copic marker colors used: R08,59, G14,17, B05, BG49
• Paper: Neenah
  

Sybil's Rosette and Ribbon Drawings

Below are four recent marker drawings from my friend Sybil (used with her permission.)

• Her ribbon drawing (first drawing below) is actually two drawings, done several weeks apart, which are connected by the gray ribbon across the middle.
  
• The next three drawings are her free-form interpretations of my "how to draw a rosette" post.
  

For more of Sybil's drawings posted in my blog, click on the label, below or in the label list to the right.

Slithering Snake

A snake slithering through the grass. Drawn with olive and sepia Copic multiliners.
Inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "slither."

Click here (or scroll down) for last week's drawing "early," done too late to submit.

• Copic marker colors used: First I colored the snake with W3+E00 (two colors on top of each other). When it was dry, I dabbed it with colorless blender (0) on a piece of terry cloth, to make the mottled effect. Then I colored the grass with streaks of YG21,23,63,91, G40, and BG93.
• Paper: Neenah

Teapot with Cup - and Sybil's Teapot

An early morning pot of tea is my favorite way to start the day. For this simple drawing (above), I used a heavy line - 0.8 Copic multiliner, instead of my usual 0.2 or 0.3. Inspired by last week's Illustration Friday word, "early." I drew it from life, but I changed the teapot color and added the green cloth.

• Copic marker colors used: Table E43,44; Background airbrush E43; Cloth G21 with BG93 lines and dots, shaded with airbrush BG96; Cloth edge G24,28; Cup, spoon, and tea C0,3, E00,33, B26, BG93, G24,28, Y15, R24; Teapot base color Custom color B2000, dotted with R02, E11,43, BG32,72,93, B21,45, shaded with airbrush C3
  
• Paper: Neenah
  

Added May 31,2010: See below (posted with her permission) for my friend Sybil's teapot drawing, which she e-mailed to me after she saw my drawing. She drew it a few years ago "in response to a wonderful exhibit at an art museum ... all kinds of artsy teapots." Wonderful patterns, colors, and shapes. For more of her drawings and a link to her blog, click on "Sybil's drawings" below or in the label list to the right.

Patches with Black Dots

This started out as a drawing on a watercolor wash background. I couldn't seem to make it work. But such lovely colors! So I cut it up into strips, rearranged it, taped it together, cut it into strips crosswise, rearranged and taped it again. Then I added black lines between the patches, and some black dots for accent. It works better now.

• Copic marker colors used: A few touches of orange and rose, but I didn't write down what they were. The black lines are Copic multiliner BS (brush small). The black dots are Copic marker black 100.
  
• Background: Dr. Ph. Martin's radiant concentrated watercolors - lemon yellow, true blue, persimmon. 1 - 2 drops of liquid watercolor in 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of water. For more information about the watercolors, including my color chart, see this post.
• Paper: Canson Montval watercolor block, 140 lb. cold press, 4x6"

Red and Blue Swirls

A pencil doodle from my small sketchbook. Lines inked with red and blue pen. Colored (including the page edges) with red and blue markers.

• Pens: Cobalt Copic multiliner 0.3; red Uni-ball gel impact pen 1.0 (does not smear or bleed with Copic markers)
  
• Copic marker colors used: B21,26, R24,29
  
• Paper: Strathmore medium drawing paper, natural white, 4x6"
  

Turquoise Stripes - Drawing and Card

Straight lines, wavy lines, and long streaks of color.

Updated July 9, 2010: See below for the greeting card that I made from this drawing. Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards," my new "companion blog," for the card-related information (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Mother and Child

I was wondering what to draw for "fearless," this week's Illustration Friday word. Then the church service this morning reminded me of this Bible verse, one of my favorites. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." Today is Mother's Day, so the words connected for me with the thought of a mother's love.

My drawing is very simple, a few curved lines on tan card stock, with a little color. I used a heart shape, cut from scrap paper, to guide the flow of the written words and to mask the shape for the airbrushed color (Copic airbrushing with my marker.)

• Copic marker color used: E4
• Paper: tan Crane's card approx. 4x6"
• Words: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18)
  

Twisty Lines and Dots - Colors

Twisty lines with dots of color. A playful doodle. Click here for my earlier version in black and white.

• Copic marker colors used: Y38, YG63, BG49, YR14, RV17
  
• Paper: Neenah
  

Sketch of Statice Flowers in a Clear Vase

Warming up on scrap drawing paper, I did this sketch of purple statice flowers in a clear glass vase. I decided to finish it by adding some sketchy colors.

Because it was scrap paper, there were some stray marks and dots, so I added more. I let the marker drop, fine tip down, from a few inches above the paper, to make dots and marks in random sizes and shapes.

Then I ran a marker along the edges for a small, irregular border. A light wash of watercolor completed it for the table top and shadow.

To see my earlier, less sketchy drawing of statice, click here.

• Copic marker colors used: YG63,91, BG10, V04,09,12, BV04,08
• Paper: Strathmore drawing paper, cut down to 4x6"
  

Twisty Lines and Dots - Black and White

Black and white doodle, twisty lines (Copic Multiliner) with dots (marker).
Added May 4, 2010: Click here for a similar drawing, with colored dots, that I made two weeks later.

• Copic marker colors used: Black 100 for the dots
• Paper: Neenah 8.5 x 11"

Birthday Card with Yellow and Violet Flowers

Updated July 9, 2010: This post has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Blog News 11

Updates to Mostly Markers, other than new drawings posted, since the last Blog News:

• Added a label for cards (greeting cards) on several posts, including today's birthday card post (above).
  

Reminder - my blog includes over a dozen easy-to-draw "try this" posts. Not drawing lessons, but drawing activities based on my drawings. Simple directions with lots of encouragement, because I strongly believe that Anybody Can Draw. To see what I mean, I invite you to click here, or click on "try this" in the menu bar in my blog header, or in the labels list on the right.

For more Blog News posts, click on the label (below, or in the label list on the right, or in the menu bar on my blog header.)

Sloping Lines in Green, Blue, and Purple

Layers of lines and colors. A feeling of gentle motion.

Inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "dip." Of all its different meanings, I thought of lines sloping down and curving into each other.

• Copic marker colors used: B21,24,26,41,45, G12,14,17,21,24, V000,04,12,15, C3
• Background was done with the Copic airbrush: marker colors B24, G14, V15.
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 4x6"

Orange Pattern Card - Rescued

I made the patterned paper with two hand-cut rubber stamps (a circle and a square) and three colors of liquid watercolor. I wanted to rescue it from my scrap pile, and so today I used it for a birthday card. Posted for Illustration Friday's word for the week, "rescue."
Updated July 9, 2010: The detailed card information for this post has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Bright Dots and Wavy Lines 2

I started with wavy lines and circles, using my plastic circles template to get "perfect" circles. Drawn with 0.5 Copic Multiliner - a thicker line than I normally use. Next I colored the circles with five colors of Copic marker, leaving some of the inner circles blank. To complete my drawing, I added a watercolor wash with three colors of Lyra Aquacolor crayon, picking up the colors directly from the crayons with a wet brush.

Bright and cheerful. I'm happy with it. For an earlier, simpler version, click here.

• Copic marker colors used: B24, R24, V04, Y19, G14
• Watercolor wash background: Lyra Aquacolor crayon numbers 5610008, 34, 51
• Paper: Canson Montval watercolor block, 140 lb. cold press, 4x6"

Geranium Birthday Card

I made this card for a friend's birthday. At her request, I colored my May 2009 geranium drawing for her, using soft colors. Click here for the geraniums with their original coloring.

Updated July 9, 2010: The detailed card information for this post has been moved to my new "companion blog." Please click here for "Mostly Markers - Cards" to see it (dated the same as this original post.) For the future, I'll post all of my new greeting cards in Mostly Markers - Cards. This blog, Mostly Markers, will also still be active with all of my non-card drawings and reference posts.

Lenten Prayer Calendar (2010) and Perspective

Tiny daily prayer drawings, each a little less than 1" wide. To put things into perspective for me.
It's my picture of Illustration Friday's word for the week, "perspective."

• If you'd like to do something like this, click here for a PDF calendar template to print or download with daily blank drawing spaces for Lent 2010 (February 17 - April 3). It prints on 8.5 x 11" paper, and then can be enlarged on a copy machine to 11 x 17" if you want more room to draw. (Created by my friend Sybil, and used with her permission.)
• Click here for Sybil's "Praying in Color" blog to see her prayer drawings.
• Click here for my 2009 Advent Calendar. Larger and more complex drawings than the ones in my Lenten calendar.
  

Garden Weeds

Weeds propagating in the garden. Dandelion with its many seeds, grass with its ground-level runners, and a plant that I know as "witch-weed," perhaps in the morning-glory family. Witch-weed propagates by a white underground rhizome that sends up threadlike roots and elongated heart-shaped leaves. It's difficult to remove, because the rhizomes are brittle, and just a small fragment left in the ground will grow another plant. Today's drawing was inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "propagate."

Below is my 1981 pencil sketch of a small witch-weed plant that I found growing in my garden. After I drew the weed, I'm sure I thoroughly destroyed it.

• Copic marker colors used: Rocks W3, BV23; Soil E43+E21 (colored on top of each other), dotted with E33,71 applied with W0 brush tip, all blended with W1 and 0; Leaves and stems G07,40, YG05,21,23,63; Dandelion roots E41; Rhizome Copic opaque white; Sky airbrushed with B01, then mottled with Copic Opaque White applied on a wet brush.
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 5x7"

Blog News 10

Updates to Mostly Markers, other than new drawings posted, since the last Blog News:

• Updated my post "about Sybil and her drawings" to include my friend Sybil's new blog location.
• Added a post on my watercolors, with color charts for my Dr. Ph. Martin's Radiant Concentrated Watercolors and my Lyra Aquacolor crayon watercolors, and my notes on the two different products.
  
• Not an update ... but while I'm discussing my blog features: In my blog, I've included more than a dozen easy-to-draw "try this" posts. Not drawing lessons, but drawing activities based on my drawings. Simple directions, sprinkled with encouragement ... because I strongly believe that Anybody Can Draw. To see what I mean, I invite you to click here, or click on "try this" in the menu bar in my blog header, or in the labels list on the right.
  

For more Blog News posts, click on the label (below, or in the label list on the right, or in the menu bar on my blog header.)

Blue Landscape and Lyra Aquacolor Crayons

Yesterday instead of my favorite liquid watercolors (Dr. Ph. Martin's radiant concentrated watercolors), I pulled out my barely touched box of 24 Lyra Aquacolor crayons. I used them to paint the background first, and when it was dry, I added the black lines with Copic multiliner and did some shading with my Copic markers. But then my black lines looked too dark, as did the sky area. So with a tiny brush, I applied streaks and dots of Copic Opaque White, smudging and feathering the white with a small wet brush.

I like the finished drawing. The Lyra Aquacolors were easy to work with. I used a wet (but not dripping) brush to pick up the color directly from the crayons and apply it to my wet watercolor paper. The colors are more opaque than my Dr. Ph. Martin's colors, which look very transparent. Both are beautiful in different ways.

Updated February 16, 2010: Click here for my color chart and more information on both types of watercolors.

• Copic marker colors used: B63, W5, BV23.
• Watercolor wash background: Lyra Aquacolor crayon numbers 5610034, 37, 47, 51, 83, 87
• Paper: Canson Montval watercolor block, 140 lb. cold press, 4x6"

Brown Squares with White Dots

Most of the time, I draw first, then color. But for this drawing, I started with my markers. Working on top of my light box, with a half-inch grid placed under my drawing paper, I colored many squarish shapes. The grid helped me to keep them lined up.

Then I removed the drawing from the light box. I outlined my shapes with black Copic multiliner in several widths. Last, for contrast, I added white dots with a white Sakura gel pen (Gelly Roll.)

• Copic marker colors used: E04,15, YR14,15,24
• Paper: tan Crane's card approx. 4x6"

Yellow Butterfly with Blue and Green

A yellow butterfly drifts in a space of blue and green.

Inspired by Illustration Friday's word for the week, "adrift."

Starting with a watercolored base, I decided to experiment with a cutout butterfly. I drew a butterfly shape on a scrap of bristol board (just a bit lighter weight than my watercolor paper) and cut it out with sharp craft scissors. I used my Copic markers to airbrush the wings, add the spots, outline the wings, and color the body. I will try using cutouts again sometime.

• Copic marker colors used: Y15,38, YR14,21,24
• Watercolor wash background: Dr. Ph. Martin's radiant concentrated watercolors - grass green, ultra blue - 1 drop of liquid watercolor in 2 drops of water, brushed on wet paper. For more info about these watercolors, including my color chart, see this post.
• Paper: Base: Canson Montval watercolor block, 140 lb. cold press, 4x6"
• Paper: Butterfly: Strathmore Bristol Board, vellum finish (a lightly textured surface - not "vellum paper")

Basket with Apples and Pears

Bright colors for a winter's day. It is drawn from life, except the basket was a metal pan, and the napkin was beige.

Technique - added February 8, 2010: To create the textures in the napkin, the tabletop, and the wall, first I colored with a light color, a bit unevenly. After my first color was dry, I used another light color on top of it, also coloring a bit unevenly. See color list below for details.

• Copic marker colors used: Custom color B2000, BV20, C1, Y000,11,19, YR20, G14,21,40, YG21,63, R00,32, RV11,14,17,29, E09,11,37,41,43,44,49,53, dots of sepia multiliner.
• Color details: Napkin: Y11 on top of G40. Tabletop: Custom color B2000 on top of BV20. Wall: C1 on top of Custom color B2000.
• Paper: Neenah, 8.5x11"

Scribbly Gray Lines with Bright Dots

Just a doodle with scribbly ink lines wandering across the paper. I traced over the lines with gray, and then, where the lines looped, I added 2-tone dots of bright color.

• Copic marker colors used: C3,5, B01,26, R08,32, G14, YG03
• Paper: Neenah, cut down to 4.25 x 5.5"