Week thirty-four

How do you relax?

Real talk: I’ve been working at a break-neck pace since last March, especially the last several months. I get so passionate about making things to help others (and to fulfill my tremendous need to be productive) that I leave no time for other essential things like taking care of myself. Creating is fun and invigorating and, for me especially, important to my emotional and mental well-being, but it’s not everything. Lately, my anxiety has been at an all-time high, and I go through frequent bouts of severe depression. I’m either exhausted or restless, and it’s impossible to quiet my mind at night to get some rest. My mind seems to think I can avoid all these negative feelings if I just-keep-working, but I think you already know that never actually helps. On top of that, it’s been difficult to express everything that I’m going through — the stress, the guilt, and self-doubt — which feels very isolating. Or I fear that if I do, I’m not the upbeat, motivational, bright, colorful personality that I want to be. SIGH.

Well, in an effort to relive some of the stress and pressure to be making new things constantly, this month, I pulled MAE prompts and writing from my archives. This week, I was going to send you something I wrote two years ago that started out, “How do you relax?”

When I wrote it then, the emphasis was on the word ‘you’: “How do YOU relax?”

I reread it today, and it sounds more like “How do you RELAAAAX?” As if it’s some impossible objective. But my goodness, do I need to relax. (P.S If you want to read the original writing, go here. It feels like I could have written it today.)

Anyway … Hi. I’m a real human here, with real human feelings and struggles. I remind myself how healing it is to share these feelings, and I strongly desire to hold space for struggling people like me. I am aware of how healing it is to express these feelings, and how it helps us feel connected to one another. So if you, too, are in a season of life much like the one I’m going through, please know that you are not alone.

And if you have a few words of encouragement to send my way, it would mean the world to me. Thank you for being a member of this amazing art-making community.

August's Theme:

HOME

Week 34: Living Room

This week we’re moving from the kitchen to the living room. You can draw beautiful living room objects from photo references, imagination, or…look to your own home as you draw this week’s prompts! Think about the space in which you live and draw your surroundings, your life. It’s always good to get personal with your art, I can guarantee that those pieces will be the ones most meaningful to you months and years from now.

 

I drew the scene above based on my living room over 4 years ago! It’s still up there with my favorite pieces I’ve drawn. It’s not exactly the same as my living room, but when I look at each bit of it, I can picture their real-life counterparts in my home at the time. The ballon picture on the wall is inspired by one of my maternity photos, and the Frenchman picture is based on a photo of my son as a baby, dressed in a beret and mustache!

 

The Prompts

Week 34 | august 16-22

living room

Mon: couch
Tue: television
Wed: bookshelf
Thu: lamp
Fri: fireplace
Sat: coffee table
Sun: armchair

This piece was drawn using brushes from my Awesome Alchohol Markers brush set for Procreate.

You can access each week’s prompts, with links to reference photos, at makingarteveryday.com

This Week's Tutorial

Want to try out some new art mediums and styles in Procreate? It’s time to beef up your brush library!

Now through August 22, get 25% OFF all brush sets and bundles

Head over to the shop to check out my latest artsy offerings, including the new Scratch Art Sgraffito brush set or my recently overhauled and updated Pencil Box and Awesome Alcohol Markers!

 

sale ends August 22, 2021

 

Tutorial Title w/ link

Tutorial description.

This Month's Progress Tracker

You can always download the current month’s Progress Tracker at bardotbrush.com/progress

(its a .Procreate file, so you can keep track of your progress right in Procreate!)

You’ll find instructions about how to use the Tracker at the link above. I even made you a star stamp brush for you to use! It’s my Procreate version of a gold star sticker.

Share and Connect with other MAE Artists

We’ve got a Facebook group just for participants of Making Art Everyday and all things Bardot Brush! Come join our group of supportive artists of all skill levels, share your work, ask questions, and be a part of the community!

Making Art Everyday is brought to you by me, Lisa Bardot!

I’m the owner of Bardot Brush, one of the leading brush makers for Procreate. If you’d like to support me, please check out my premium brush sets that inspire creativity at bardotbrush.com.