I had the opportunity on Wednesday night to speak at a live show hosted by my friend, Kinyo. My family and I drove to San Antonio for me to be part of the panel of guests.
I also got to share a bit of my story of how my art has evolved from doodles to something that matters to other people. It was a great night and a great opportunity to meet some new people.
Several people spoke with me afterwards to say that they were inspired by what I shared about my art journey, so I wanted to share some of the resources that have helped bring me to this point.
That night, I talked about the basic drawing books by Ed Emberley. Emberley’s “Make a World” was given to my son when he was younger, and I learned a lot about drawing from that one.
Later, by chance, I happened upon a copy of Stefanie Corfee’s “Creative Doodling & Beyond.” That book really opened my eyes to ways that my drawings and doodles could be meaningful gifts and keepsakes.
Then I found Joanne Sharpe’s book, “The Art of Whimsical Lettering” which helped me see my own handwriting as worth cultivating for use in my art. Before that, I kept thinking I had to learn some fancy calligraphy or complicated fonts, but Joanne Sharpe helped me see my own handwriting as uniquely my expression and an art form all its own.
Somewhere along the way, I also discovered a website called Daisy Yellow Art by Tammy Garcia (http://daisyyellowart.com). This site is a treasure trove of inspiration and instructions for art and art journaling. The emphasis at Daisy Yellow Art is on the doing–the process rather than on the results. I would say that this mentality has been key in helping me with my relentlessness in doing art on a regular basis.
If the idea of expressing yourself artistically appeals to you, maybe some of these resources could be helpful to you. But most of all, please know that there isn’t some secret formula to personal expression. There aren’t hard and fast rules that dictate how you should express yourself. Just begin. Just make your mark.
Jennifer Clark Tinker 
Posted by Graytones on August 20, 2016 at 10:44 pm
Thanks for the resources, Jen.I never considered that I could make a mark in art. i’ll give it a try. I wonder if any of the guest from the show will try and share?