Susan tries to make art

At the end of 2016 I’ve read ‘Big Magic’ by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s an overall very inspiring book, but there was one quote that struck me the most. “I don’t yet know exactly what I am, but I’m curious enough to go find out.” I’ve always loved to be creative but I was never sure if I could pursue a career in a creative field or what field that might be. So this is my way of figuring it all out. I’m looking forward to seeing me art skills grow ever so slightly with every work that I post.

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A massive congratulations to @kaseythegolden for reaching 100.000 subscribers on youtube. This drawing is part of her giveaway contest. I had so much fun trying to draw her iconic ants!

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Someone asked me to design two birthday card thingies. So this is what happened…

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Some cute tropical themed doodles I had laying arount made to look like stickers

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First time using the Illustrator curving pen tool! Usually I use the brush tool. I have to say, it turned out better than I expected

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Recently I’ve read ‘One Little Spark! Mickey’s Ten Commandments and The Road to Imagineering’ by the Disney Legend Marty Sklar. At the end of the book Sklar left the reader a challenge. A blank page for the reader to fill out. I immediately got excited. This is what I came up with!

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There is a movement going on in museums all across the world to get people to draw again. As someone passionate about drawing and a student of museum exhibitions, I sincerely support this. So when I came across an exhibition especially made to be drawn, I had to join in! These sketches are nowhere near perfect. As you can see they aren’t even finished. But that doesn’t matter. The point is to sit down, look at the artwork and draw. Even if you think you can’t draw, just try it!

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I love the style of Urban Sketchers, so I went along and practised drawing a few beautiful places I visited

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As the stress chicken that I am, I tend to worry a lot. This quote from ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ stuck with me. Being a ravenclaw I can’t find any flaw in the sheer logic of the quote. But worring on the other hand doesn’t seem to make any sense. So why do it?

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When I started this blog I designed a whole branding thing around the flower named ‘Brown Eyed Susan’. As Susan (or Suzanne) is my name and I also happen to have brown eyes. I’ve always loved the Dutch version of the flower with translated name of ‘Suzanne with the beautiful eyes’. I’m planning on changing the icon and headers. But I still like these to be part of this blog.

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'Stresskip', a Dutch saying meaning a person who becomes stressed very easily (aka me). Stay tuned for more adventures of the stress chicken, overthinking and worrying about almost every aspect of their life.

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I saw this ‘Meet the artist challenge’ thing going around which looked really cool. So I thought I’d join in. The setting is supposed to be a museum. I think it’s a pretty good representation of who I am

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I got inspired by vector mobile app games like Tiny Thief. So I figured I could try and make a vector background like you see in those games.

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I make a lot of sketches on random papers, so they end up all scattered around the place. Just like this blog, I wanted my sketches on paper to be a little more organised. So I bought a new Moleskine blank notebook to start a sketchbook / art journal thingy. I’m planning on doing simple sketches in here just for practise or for planning out bigger projects and mixing it with more artsy stuff. These are the first few pages I did.

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I really like dreaming up interiors in my head. Most of the time they stay there, or I make quick sketches. But then I saw this vector animation of a cat running around in different rooms. That got me inspired to turn a few of my sketches into vector illustrations. First up: a rustic kitchen.

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Weeping Willows are by far my favorite trees, something about them always seems so magical to me. I've always loved its Dutch name "Treurwilg", meaning "Mourning Willow. Also its shapes make it interesting to draw, so I gave it a shot!

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The extended version of the quote in my description. "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert is one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. I surely did not agree with everything she wrote, but maybe that's half of the reason why I got so inspired. A big thank you to @carriehopefletcher for recommending it in one of her videos!

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This is the first drawing I’ve ever made using Adobe Illustrator! Inspired by the adorable bowtruckle called Pickett from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.