drawing – Page 4 – Ella's Place

Posted on September 27, 2016September 21, 2016 by ellajohnston12

How-to: Easy Glass Lanterns

Earlier this month I had great fun showing people how to use Posca pens to decorate glass lanterns the easy way at The Stitching, Sewing & Hobbycrafts show at EventCity in Manchester.
As you know I’ve been working with Posca pens all year, as I’ve done a lot of work with the company, but it’s always better when you can see what other people come with up when you show them how to use the pens.

I ran around five workshops in small groups of five or six everyday and it was such as pleasure to share some knowledge and see others’ creativity flourish.
I made the illustrated lanterns shown here in preparation for the show, to illustrate how you can use the pens to decorate onto glass, using the different sized nibs and various colours to create different illustrative effects.

The glass drawing preparation work I’d done was a great way of kick-starting new ideas from my workshop buddies who used the designs as a inspiration for their own work.

I did a combination of easy dots and strokes, simple girly designs and seasonal Christmas-themed, autumn and halloween illustrations.
I’d kept the shapes very simple and easy to copy and explored ways you can layer colour with the pen. And while some of my workshoppers stuck to simple dots and strokes or my easy shapes, others were more ambitious, creating stunning intricate designs of their own. It gave me a real buzz.
You can work directly onto these glasses with the pens. To seal in the design you simply bake the glass in the oven for 160-degrees (Gas mark 2 I think) for 45 mins so we’re using robust glass here. We used glasses from Ikea so that people could easily get more if they developed an addiction for easy glass painting.
I’m doing a mini-tour of with the company and will be doing my do with Posca and other Uni-ball pens at the following venues.

NEC, Birmingham: 3-6 November
ExCeL, London: 17-19 November

Join me if you can, if not just check out what you do with some pens and some glass.

Posted on September 20, 2016September 19, 2016 by ellajohnston12

Drawing of the week: Helenium

Inspired by last Friday’s Gardener’s World and indeed my own home-grown efforts this week’s drawing of the week is a helenium.

This simple watercolour and ink illustration is taken from some of the few remaining flowers of my garden. Heleniums do really well in our garden and stay so long, so I’m always snipping them and displaying them around the house to make them last longer. I wonder how long they will last.

Posted on September 19, 2016 by ellajohnston12

Monday moodboard: Autumn

Rich, warm and inspired by nature – this week’s moodboard is all autumn patterns and motifs.

I know we’re only in September but this change of season is very exciting for me. Autumn’s natural colour way is a source of inspiration in itself. Rich purples and reds, faded greens, soft creams and burnished bronzes make me feel warm as the colder weather creeps in. The motifs too – poppy heads, falling leaves and feathers, pine cones and woodland animals – are such rich pickings for illustrators and artists. I’ve blocked out a whole three days of drawing this week to dedicate myself to precisely these subjects… Watch this space!

Posted on September 16, 2016 by ellajohnston12 — 1 Comment

Drawing of the week: Feathers

I’m showing you something different for my drawing of the week – not a finished illustration but some ideas I’m playing with at the moment.

I’m in experimental mode this week, playing with different pens and drawing techniques. I often experiment with illustration but rarely share my playful doodles. However as I’m pushing out of my comfort zone I’m happy to show off my working process, and these feathers, with you.

The ‘playing process’ is so much fun. I get super absorbed with making marks and seeing how shapes and colours interact with each other. It’s a great way of thinking out patterns and new projects. I’m currently obsessed with feathers – they are a recurring theme for me and an effective way to free up my line and play with colour and shape.

Posted on September 6, 2016September 5, 2016 by ellajohnston12

Drawing of the week: Badger

This week I’ve drawn a badger.

I’ve been experimenting with woodland creature drawings with watercolour and ink over the past couple of months and I must admit I’ve had so much fun illustrating this charming animals.

Actually I’m quite drawn to my woodland folk so I’ve made some of the drawings into prints. My hare, badger and fox prints are now available on my Not On The High Street shop.

Posted on August 19, 2016August 18, 2016 by ellajohnston12

How to change a plain notebook into a personalised gift

Transform a plain notebook into a personalised gift with my easy how-to.
It’s more Posca pen stuff from me this week as I warm up for some workshops I’m doing for the company in September. I really want to get the workshops right. As you know I like to make personalised gifts and I currently know three people are doing some quite daunting things… Gearing to go back to work after maternity leave, going back to college (scary) and embarking on an exciting new creative project, I thought a personalised notebook would make a great little gift for these three special individuals. This is a really simple illustration project but makes for a very effective and professional looking present. All I did was take a three-pack of Moleskine mini cahiers, got out some sumptuously coloured Poscas and went for it.
You can see how I created the laurel leaf motif by watching a tutorial I did for Posca pens earlier this year.

As you can see the drawing techniques are really easy and the pens are very nice to use. The initial on the books are quite ornate compared to the formal lettering illustrated on the wooden coasters. Depending on how confident you are, you can decided which style to go for.
Because the pens produce a paint-like effect even light colours can look clear and vivid on the book’s brown craft card covers. Just by using simple illustration techniques you can create an ornate, sophisticated looking gift, personalised for a special person.

Posted on August 18, 2016 by ellajohnston12

Drawing of the week: A FOX!

I promised you a fox for drawing of the week last time so a drawing of a fox you shall have.

I drew this guy while at my parents-in-law’s place in Cumbria so I think he’s got a bit of a country air about him. My fox in this illustration is full and luscious of fur and features and his coat is remarkably vivid and splendid (I went a bit crazy on the watercolour). He is quite unlike the real skinny, scratty city foxes we used to see when coming home from a night out in London. I think this one dines off farmyard chickens and wild rabbit where as our ones would forage in dustbins and market places looking for scraps.

Posted on August 12, 2016 by ellajohnston12

Drawing of the week: Fox Terrier

My drawing of the week is of a dog – a lovely fox terrier.

I drew this by accident. I was actually going to draw a fox (and I will next week) but I came across this breed of dog while image researching and remembered how much I like them. So I thought I may as well draw this little fella.

A little bit about a fox terrier…
Wire fox terriers (as seen here in my watercolour and ink illustration) are known for their energy and intelligence. They have a low boredom threshold (like me and Dr B) and require stimulation, exercise (I should do more of that) and attention (we all need that). They are bred to be independent thinkers (I really like that).

Now, all that remains is for me to try and persuade Dr B that we need one as a pet in our lives.

Posted on July 26, 2016July 25, 2016 by ellajohnston12

Drawing of the week: A rainbow unicorn!

I know. Me? A rainbow unicorn? Drawing of the week? Yes, yes and yes.

The unicorn is a very special drawing for me as it meant doing something out of my comfort zone and taking a bold step.

Last month I visited the Not On The High Street partner day – it’s a great event for all the sellers on the site to come together learn from each other while also getting insights and advice from the NOTHS team. One of the services they offered was a clinic looking at my shop and evaluating all my products. To be honest this was a big deal for me – after creating the illustration, designing the products, shooting them, writing the products and marketing them, sometimes criticism, however useful, constructive and helpful, can be hard to take. But I have resolved this year to take the advice, learn from any criticism and act on it and most of all not to take things personally. So I made use of this years clinic for my shop.

Actually I received very little criticism. I was on trend, my products and photography were really good and I got the word ‘beautiful’ a lot (always good). I just needed to work on my SEO and put some of my products into a more lifestyle setting. After all that stealing myself it was one of the most positive experiences I’ve ever had.

God, this is getting to be a long story, sorry.

Anyway I asked the women running the clinic if there was anything I could do to improve my offering, anything my style could be suited too, anything new I could try. “A unicorn” they said, “Create a range with a unicorn.”

Okay.

But I don’t do girly stuff. I don’t do fanciful stuff.

Why don’t I?

Why don’t I try something I’ve not explored before?

So I set about answering this brief. I wanted to do it with enthusiasm, integrity, honesty and love, like I do with all of my illustrations. After lots of visual research, I got really excited about this new challenge and set myself seven days to create the illo then get it onto a print and get it into the shop.

I picked up my watercolour paints and fine nib black pens and went to work. Dr B was quite surprised, he envisaged a mythical, goth type creation instead he got a handsome steed with a rainbow mane – a girly unicorn!

Unicorn Print Ella Johnston. Available on Not On The High Street. So here is the unicorn print. I’m immensely proud of it as it represents more than a drawing but is a symbol of my journey as an illustrator and as a person, leaping into the unknown and trying something new. I’m hanging this bad boy in my office now to show me why it’s so important to keep striving. You can buy my print on Not On The High Street.

Posted on July 18, 2016July 11, 2016 by ellajohnston12

Monday Moodboard: Vintage illustrations

I’ve spent the past seven days hard at it drawing and my go-to source of inspiration is vintage botanical and nature illustrations.

I’m drawn to the detail in each drawing, the application of colour and the simple, clear composition. I believe these illustrations allow the viewer to really see what’s being depicted without distracting backgrounds or off-putting extraneous elements. I think that’s why they’re classics.