#flittermouseart

I dread the day someone discovers my stash of alphabet notebooks. I’m totally aware that having stacks of spiral notebooks filled with alphabets makes me look like the dad from The Shining — but I promise my crazy alphabet notebooks have a purpose!!!

Athletes need to warm up their muscles and train their bodies how to move before they participate in their chosen sports. Making artwork is no different! Your hand is made up of muscles and tendons that need to be exercised and “taught” how to move. By taking the time to work repetitive drawing exercises into your schedule, you’re building muscle-memory into your hand the same way a basketball player would teach themselves to dribble a ball while sprinting across the court.

 A lot of art instructors will encourage students to draw circles and spirals to train their hand in consistency, but I always found those exercises mind-numbingly boring. I couldn’t force myself to focus on drawing the same circle twelve times, but I could do page after page of letters … so I train my hand with letters!

Learning to “draw” my letters taught my hand how to shape consistent lines. Training myself to have a steady inking hand has been a huge help while working on my graphic novels, and working with the alphabet instead of abstract shapes had the added bonus of helping me develop a unique handwriting style.

People love to ask artists about the source of their inspiration. The answer varies from artist to artist. For me, inspiration comes in bite-sized pieces from all sorts of places!

One of my favourite places to find a creative spark is out in the forest. I’m not really a hiker so much as a “wanderer” — there are so many interesting nooks and crannies in the woods! I could spend all afternoon poking around the same spot. A neat bug with bright colours might become a tiny faery painting. Some exposed roots knotted together in an interesting way might be the starting point for a lacey pattern on a medieval gown. Sometimes just a particularly shiny rock will inspire a new colour palette!

I truly believe that artwork is fuel for the soul -- I love hearing that something I made brightened someone else's day, and it makes me so happy when I hear that my work has inspired others to create their own art. I love hearing that one of my doodles helped someone add a little bit of joy into their surroundings!

Part of the reason I started making snack-sized artwork is that I’ve never had access to a personal gallery wall. My available display space might been limited, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring! A tiny canvas is the perfect size for my work desk. I use stickers and button magnets to brighten up otherwise boring, blank surfaces. One of my favourite things to do is tuck a tiny painting like this one into a little-used corner, just so I can “discover” it again later.

When it comes to inking, it's no secret that I like to add a little too much detail — fancy embroidered patterns on the hem of a shirt, intricate accessories, and textured materials (like feathers and lace) are my jam!

The itty-bitty details take a lot of time. I can (and often do) spend 20+ hours on a single drawing, but to me, it's worth every second. There's something super satisfying about watching a piece come alive with every tiny pen stroke.

Did you know my studio mascot and I run the local ATC (artist trading card) Club? We're a bunch of artsy folks who love to make, swap, and share our tiny artwork. I absolutely adore the club Swap Book, where we display all the cards that were swapped or donated to the club. Every piece is so unique, and the pages are always changing every time people in the community come to swap -- you never know whose art you'll find!

Do you make ATCs? Our club stars would LOVE to swap with you! Here's the info on our ATC Abroad program: (you can find it online, too, at http://flittermouse.ca/atc-club)

Wanna share your art, but not into snail mail? No problem! We've got a quiet, friendly discord server where we post weekly inspiration prompts, share our favourite art, and give out artsy info. Stop by and say "hi" to the gang!

Comfort Characters

If you stick around Sketchbook Saturdays long enough, you’ll start to recognize this character. He was one of my very first OCs (original characters), and he likes to wander onto my practice pages. I’ve drawn him so often that he’s fallen into the category of “comfort character.” 

I strongly believe in practicing my drawing skills every single day … but sometimes I want to create without the pressure of being creative, y’know?

Comfort characters are my go-to when I’m not feeling particularly artsy. They’re the characters that I’ve sketched over and over and over. Some of them, like this one, I’ve drawn so much that I only need one active braincell on duty in order to whip out a decent drawing. He seems to jump out of my pencil and onto the page, which is great for days when I’m not up for an artsy challenge.