Simple Animals

A while back, I picked up the book Craft-A-Doodle, edited by Jenny Doh.  It's a compilation of about a zillion different artists, all giving examples of their own work, along with techniques to try.

In it, Carla Sonheim¹ showed her technique for using Sharpie markers on cardboard.  It seems pretty straightforward, right up until she uses a white oil pastel to scribble over big black areas...and they turn blue right in front of your eyes.  It's like magic, folks.  Seriously.

See?  Magic.

Last night, this was both a fun exercise for me, and a reminder of my Stuff Manifesto.  With just three things -- a sharpie, a pastel, and some cardboard -- you can make really nifty stuff.  You don't need to drop a load of money to practice, and even in practice, you can make good stuff.

(Granted, then I dropped a wad of cash at Blick because of a sale on markers and canvases, but those were wants, not needs.)  :)

Make what you can, with what you have.  Make all the things.  Practice and play.

That's really what it's all about.

1)  by the way, if you ever have a chance to take a class with Carla, do it.  Everything I've ever taken by her has been amazing, accessible, and has never failed to teach me a whole slew of new things.  She's amazing.