Thinking about Colour Studies in a sketchbook, this one:

Brown paper sketchbook for colour studies - by iHanna

Two weeks ago on my art journal check in for week 4 here at the blog which means this week it is already week 6 of this year. I have been really creative taking photos and teaching my first class. And also playing a bit in the sketchbook that I created for the class. The spiral bound brown paper sketchbook.

Start page in the sketchbook

I’ve decided to call it Colour Studies; the sketchbook and the experiments going on it it. All inspired by Jane Davies and the way she named her drawings “colour studies”. My sketchbook has white drawing paper with deckled edges and bird end-papers that makes me happy.

Title page for the study book

I’ve always loved colours, and I am very inspired by colour. Since reading Julia Caprara’s book I’ve been more aware of my own use of colours, how I combine them and am drawn to them. I’ve also collected a lot of pink in my exploring pink sketchbook.

In this sketchbook, I’m exploring color even more. In Colour Studie #1 I used oil pastels, and smudged them together to create a blended effect.

Colour studie #1
Colour Studie #1: pink, orange and yellow; what a beautiful sunrisey combination!

colour experiment 1

I am experimenting with the material, this is oil pastel crayons. I haven’t used them in a long time, but I really like how they look when smudged together. I use my fingers to smear the crayon colour around on the paper, letting the colours mix.

Orange + yellow

Colour studie #2
Colour studie #2: green and yellow, with a lot of charcoal pencil too.

Darker and more mysterious. Like a forest at dawn, with the red sun shining through the leaf…

spiral bound sketchbook

I was thinking that this book would only bee oil pastel experiments, but after two pages I was eager once again for a collage… So a collaged page it was!

Colour studie #2

Though strips of coloured paper (magazine page, tissue paper, my painted papers + transparent washi tape) is like painting with colour too. I added a parrot owl too, just because he was on my desk and wanted to find a home. He is home now.


Parrot owl

What experiments have you been up to this week?