At last!

Sometimes I drive myself crazy trying to find myself.  Ever do that?  I've been creating for as long as I can remember.  I started out in clay...actually, I started out by making wreaths and decorating glass balls for Christmas.  But, as an "artist", I began in clay.  Way back in 2004 I started by making mushrooms.  I still make them, although not as often.  That is another blog all together.  I then bridged off into jewelry design, which I still do.  It is a good bread and butter item for me at shows.  After that I experimented with watercolor paints, but will admit that I lacked the drive to perfect what I was doing.  I delved into digital art, which I love, and still use.  However, my true love has always been drawing.  I love to draw, and always have.  So, a few years back I bought myself a nice set of Derwent pencils.  Loved it!  But, I stopped there.  If I wanted color, I painted digitally.  I know some people think digital painting is not "real painting".  I'm not here to argue anyone's beliefs.  All I have to say is, don't judge a book by the cover.  It is hard, HARD!  Anyway, I will get into debates about this at another time.  Actually, the purpose of this blog is to say, at last!  I think I may have found an art form that really speaks to me and gives me the best of both worlds (drawing & color).  I bought myself a nice set of fountain pens and a set of Windsor & Newton Inks to go with a set of Derwent watercolor pencils my parents gave me for Christmas.  The other day I sat down and began to use the inks and pencils.  Let me tell you.  I have never been so motivated!  I felt myself immerse into an orgasm of creativity.  Yes, I am using the big O here-LOL!  Fellow artists will know exactly what I am talking about when that happens.  It is an extraordinary feeling.  An AH HA moment.  First, I have always loved the idea of using inks.  It just screams of another time to me.  I have a beautiful old ink well I purchased years ago, and always imagined who might have used it...the letters that may have come out of it, or perhaps the drawings ;).  I've only begun the journey into inks, and watercolor pencils, but I feel it is a relationship that will last a life time.  Below are two images.  Both are available in my etsy store.  The first is called, Where balloons go.  I imagine there are children up in heaven just waiting to catch all those lost balloons.  The second image is from a series of holiday illustrations I just finished up.  Originally, I scanned the original drawing and painted them digitally.  This is the pencil original redone in ink and watercolor.