creative jewish mom

A Peak In My Sketchbook: How To Draw Doodle Clouds

A sketchbook is a great place to explore all kinds of things, and when I came across some cloud doodles that I wanted to try out myself I realized that this drawing exercise would also help me with my paintings of clouds (which I need to get back to, sigh) which I'm still struggling with just a bit. Of course doodling clouds is so much easier than painting them, so give it a try and fill some pages with doodled or sketched clouds, just looking at them is relaxing! And if you don't have a sketchbook, go ahead and draw on a piece of paper, the main thing is to draw, got it? For a closer look and a brief explanation of these drawings, keep on reading my friends....

A Peek In My Sketchbook: Jungle Botanical Doodles

This summer is all about sketching and doodling and filling my sketchbook with all kinds of botanicals and lettering and florals, mostly done with a fine point black marker! I'll admit it has become my #1 creative activity at the moment, though I think it is great preparation for painting as when one draws something over and over, those shapes are in one's mind, meaning that painting something similar subject wise will hopefully be that much easier. And since I now know how to fix my sketchbook mistakes, I'm not afraid to draw simple doodles and sketches in pen, which has been so very liberating. I can't quite explain it, but there is something oh so satisfying and relaxing about filling page after page with little botanical sketches which all fit together some how! I drew this set of drawings while referring to a lovely book (I have the kindle version) called The Creature Garden: An Illustrator's Guide To Beautiful Beasts And Fictional Fauna, though it is not a drawing book rather a painting with gouche book. Okay, lets take a closer look!

A Peek In My Sketchbook: Adding Color With Colored Pencils

Yes, dear readers, the sketchbook adventures continue, and I have another tip to share with you when it comes to successful sketchbook entries. Okay, I didn't really mean that, because "succesful" isn't what the sketchbook journey is about, meaning it is not the end result that matters but how you got there! That said by someone who previously posted about how to fix you sketchbook mistakes, so I can't say I'm there 100% but working on it, day after day after day! Drawing beautiful simple botanicals and doodles and lettering, mostly black pen on white paper, is oh so satisfying, yet sometimes the results call for some color, so why not give good old fashioned colored pencils a try? For journals with thinner paper like mine, wherein markers leak through to the other side (yes, $5 Walmart journal) colored pencils can be a great option. I could only put my finger on a basic set of colors, but certainly there is a whole wide world of colored pencil colors and one can blend them, so enjoy and get sketching! I have actually completed the sketchbook I started on May 18th, well it was actually half a sketchbook, and am moving on to another much larger one, which is a great switch up! Turns out I have a lot of old sketchbooks that I bought once to keep track of my ideas, and most of them are empty, and calling out to be filled so stay tuned!

A Peek In My Sketchbook: Learning To Draw Simple Botanical Borders

It has now been more than a month since I started seriously filling up the pages in my sketchbook, and the process has been truly amazing. I have roughly another 29 pages yet to fill, so within a month or so I can buy a new sketchbook and start another journey, this time from scratch, (this sketchbook was half filled 20 plus years ago.....) can't wait! In the mean time I will continue sharing some of the things I've been up to, which I hope will encourage you to take even 15 minutes out of your busy day and spend it in your sketchbook. Yes, Yes, Yes, I highly encourage you to start a sketchbook practice of your own, and to go on an adventure that is both relaxing and helps with that need to create! I'll admit, most of my sketchbook exercises have been closer to doodling than actually drawing, but that is fine too, as simple doodled flowers and botanicals and just about anything are sweet and joyful and have an energy about them that serious exacting drawings don't. Not knocking intense drawing with shading and proportion, that has its place as well, but most folks will get more joy from producing something quickly, and the joy is the key! So having said that, I'm now sharing with you a bunch of botanical borders, that you can practice in your sketchbook and use to decorate so many things. Enjoy!

A Peek In My Sketchbook: Learning To Draw Simple Botanicals

I am happy to say that my sketchbook endeavors are consistent, and I am slowly but surely filling up a sketchbook that has been sitting half empty for 20 plus years! I started on May 18th and have now completed 46 pages, phew! Okay the pages aren't filled with brilliant art, but rather simple botanical sketches and lately some botanical doodles, but I'm really enjoying all the drawing. Because the sketchbook is not heavy paper and I don't want to end up gluing together pages, I am sticking to light weight pen drawings mostly, though I did recently do a drawing that I colored with a bit of gouche which worked fine as long as the paint was applied very lightly. I am sharing these pages with you to encourage your creative journey, which can be so many things! The main thing is to start and start again and keep on going down that winding road, as the joys of creating, even for just 15 or 20 minutes a day are life enhancing, truly! In the pages I'm sharing here you'll see a bunch of sweet botanicals that could be inspiration for so many things, so whip out your pen and give it a try as well!

Summer Camp Crafts: A Graffiti Logo Sweatshirt With Splashes Of Color

I am so grateful that my teen daughter loves crafting, as with no school for months now due to Covid-19, she has had lots of time to delve into creative activities that she loves, the latest being grafitti sweatshirts! Her friends are begging her to make some for them, and while I was just thinking she could do a class, maybe just buying an airbrush and semi-mass producing them would be a better idea? Just to be clear, my daughter isn't wearing this sweatshirt out and about, but she certainly has fun wearing it as pajamas! The graffit sweatshirt idea all started with a Purim costume which led to a black and white graffiti sweatshirt, which then led to this colorful creation, all done by aforementioned teen daughter on the floor of her tiny Israeli sized bedroom......of course the bedroom is a cute as can be, complete with tiny lights and dreamy decor, so it is actually a nice sanctuary for creativity. This project is perfect for summer as a whole family or group of kids could make them together and even make each shirt or sweatshirt together to reflect the group as a whole, which could be a really great memento of time spent creating together. The instructions for this project are quite loose, so you'll really have to rev up the creative gears, but if you start with a word or a logo in the middle and then go from there, you really can't go wrong. And if you do, just pour some paint over the areas that weren't so successful and keep on going! Okay, lets take a look at the supplies we used for this graffiti sweatshirt......

Summer Camp Crafts: A Simple Graffiti Sweatshirt In Black And White

Summer is here, and yet this summer is not like other summers, sigh. Here at CJM central we seem be in the middle of eternal vacation, well sort of, with the future of schooling this year very uncertain. Rather than dwell on that, and whether some of my kids will actually get "summer vacation" when and if school starts, lets get busy making summer camp crafts, as there is something about messy or process oriented or outdoor type crafts that just makes many of us happy, not to mention busy and creative! Speaking of busy, this graffiti sweatshirt project could keep someone busy for hours and hours, and when my daughter disappeared into her room for long periods it dawned on me that she must be working on a graffiti sweatshirt! This graffiti sweatshirt idea was born when my teen daughter wrote all over one of her brother's old white shirts as  Purim costume (keep on reading for photo) and realized that she'd like to create a sweatshirt in the same style to wear as pajamas......and voila, a graffiti sweatshirt was born. And then another for a friend, and then another, but with color added! So, if you love to doodle, and love lettering, and/or drawing little items, this is the project for you, or your kids, so get a cheap sweatshirt, some permanent and/or fabric markers and enjoy. If some areas don't turn out wonderfully, just get some dark fabric paint and pour splatters over the areas you'd like to cover, ah yes, this is where the outdoor crafting part comes into the picture! Enjoy this one, and actually if you want to keep yourself and/or the family really busy, you could do a comforter cover, or a set of sheets using this graffiti sweatshirt as inspiration...........

Doodle Bees For Rosh HaShana!

Rosh HaShana is just around the corner, so in a pinch I realized that my folk art doodle bees didn't need to become a wall hanging but rather would look great just taped on the wall. Yes, of course the parthership of my doodle bees and this Swedish apple poster by fine little day are what make the simplicity of taping the bees to the wall successful, then again, I think they'd look great as is as well. So dear readers, do spend the time to create some fun decorations for Rosh HaShana, but don't get too stressed out about how to display them, simply tape them on the wall, with masking tape of course. If you have an empty frame you could fill a frame with them too, which could be simple and great looking, the main thing is, again, just display the results of your efforts for all to enjoy, even if it is on the fridge, I do that too!

Wishing everyone joyful preparations for Rosh HaShana during this last week of the year! Keep on reading for a few more photos......

Folk Art Doodle Bee Napkin Ring And Placecard

Bees are a fun theme for so many occasions, like birthdays, baby showers, you name it, and of course for Rosh HaShana as a reference to the honey that plays an important part on our holiday table! So add a little joy to your table with some sweet folk art doodle bee napkin rings and tiny placecards, and you will set the tone for a buzzing occasion. Plus, if you are the hostess with the mostess, or host with the most, then you owe yourself a bit of creative time, right? And whipping up some of these folk art doodle bees is just the thing. You may end up inviting even more guests in order to use up all those bees you've created, or better yet, hang them mobile style over the table or use them as gift tags or cards. Or put a few in a frame and gift it as art for a baby's room, so cute! Okay, time is precious, with Rosh HaShana coming in just over a week, so lets get crafting!

Folk Art Doodle Bee Gift Cards Or Tags

After drawing a whole barrel of folk art doodle apples last week, I just had to give the same technique a try with some bees, and I'm happy as can bee with the results! Okay, truthfully it did take me a whole sheet of bees to get it right, (and I almost gave up, yikes!) as I just couldn't find the right combination of florals and stripes, but in the end, I found a formula that works, and am so happy that I stuck with the idea in my head! And in any case, stripes and florals always go together, so why not with some fun folk art bee cards or gift tags?

With the Jewish New Year, Rosh HaShana, coming up a week from Sunday, now would be the time to get crafting......cards, decorations, something special for the table, a surprise for the kids in your life, a fun little something for a friend or neighbor? These doodle bees can be used for so many of the items I've listed, and are truly a relaxing craft to dive into, so go for it! Keep on reading to see some other versions, and then decide for yourself if you prefer black and white or black and white and festive color!