Free Art Books!

So, though I've had a Kindle forever, I just learned about Kindle Unlimited, and I'm hooked! I've basically promised my husband anything to keep this monthly service, as you can "check out" 10 free books at a time from the Kindle Unlimited library. The first 30 days are free (then $9.99/mo after).

In doing so, you have access to MANY great, free books! But, my favorites are, of course, the doodle and drawing ones! I then can reference them on my PC Kindle program, my real Kindle, or the Kindle app on my phone! I can carry them with me anywhere! Some of these books were on my Christmas wishlist, and they're great for reference! I think I'll keep the Whimsical Lettering book forever! So much inspiration in that book!

If you're NOT into signing up for Kindle Unlimited, most of these books will be an inexpensive addition to your digital library anyway!

Art Journaling
The Art of Whimsical Lettering
Art Journal Freedom
No Excuses Art Journaling
Raw Art Journaling
Inner Hero Creative Art Journal
Artist's Journal Workshop
Journal Spilling
The Journal Junkies Workshop
Art Journal Prompts & Points to Ponder
Journal Bliss: Creative Prompts
Dreaming from the Journal Page 

Doodling
Doodles of Life
Doodles Unleashed
Doodling in French
Doodleology
Draw What We Love 

Drawing
Drawing for the Absolute Beginner
Drawing Nature for the Absolute Beginner
Drawing Portraits for the Absolute Beginner
Drawing for Beginners
Making Faces
Secrets to Drawing Realistic Faces
How to Draw Cool Stuff
Sketchbook Confidential
Creative Thursday: Everyday Inspiration 

Zentangle
Zen Doodle: Tons of Tangles
Zentangle Art for Beginners
How to Draw Zendoodle Art
The Zentangle Untangled Workbook
Zentangle for Beginners: Ultimate Guide
Learn Zentangle FAST
Zentangle Basics
Zentangle for Beginners: Relaxing with Zentangle 

Mixed Media
Artist Trading Card Workshop
The Mixed Media Artist: Tips, Tricks
Mixed Media Self Portraits
Mixed Media Revolution
Acrylic Techniques in Mixed Media
Creating Art at the Speed of Life: 30 Days of Exploration
Art at the Speed of Life: Motivation and Inspiration 

Other searches to try:
acrylics, collage, stamping, design, creative, crafts, paper crafts, painting, kids art, journaling, etc.!

Craft a Doodle

I'm really in love with this Craft a Doodle book by Jenny Doh. It has doodle exercises from some of my favorite artists in it, including Carla Sonheim! You can find it in most bookstores and on Amazon, of course (here)! To be honest, I went out in search of another creative illustration book and stumbled upon this one. And I love this one more!

The doodle prompts are fun, and I'm reminded that everyone is talented enough to do these doodles, including me! It just takes time and practice!

Though my day wasn't super exciting, I had fun trying out the Visual Diary prompt, at left, on Sunday!

Hidden Poems

I bought a few old books at the bookstore to do this with (and dollar store books!), but I haven't picked them up lately.

Now I'm feeling inspired by these Hidden Poems by artist Miriam Paternoster. She has a video tutorial on YouTube (here). Christmas-time project!

My Top 10 Art Journaling Instagram Accounts

Here are some of my favorite accounts to follow on Instagram that post art journal pages!

Follow them!!

Specifically, this account (@artjournals) features other great art journal artists!

It's included in my Top 10!

1. ArtJournals
2. KCDoodleArt
3. CourtneyWhite
4. Teoleto
5. Dana84c
6. ImFeelingCraftyToday
7. JaxScraps
8. Ebleaman
9. AnneLaureJacquArt
10. TerriKahrs

 

Chandler O'Leary

So, I wanted to do one of my typical "hey, check out this artist" posts, but the more I look through her site, Instagram feed, and blog, I realize that there are so many things I love about this artist. This post deserves more than just a little blurb!

The site is: ChandlerOLeary.com

And make sure you check out her About page, the Blog (and that Thanksgiving table!), posts about Lettering and Letterpress stuff (happy sigh)! She did a Daily Sketchbook in 2011 that would make for a great exercise in journaling!

My favorite is the Drawn the Road Again blog, where Chandler posts different illustrated scenes from her travels. I just love the colors. Every piece reminds me of vintage, hand-painted post card scenes.

Don't forget to swing by The Shop, too!

Hand-Lettered Christmas Cards

Oh my goodness... if these hand-lettered Christmas cards from this FlickR feed don't inspire me to make my own cards this year... nothing will. These are so fun, and I'd love to incorporate some toddler art into mine!
 

Zentangle Letter E

I had fun tangling this letter E last night! I've been grabbing some of our old messy paper to play with!

I love this pattern and use it SO much. Here's a link to a variation of it.

If you're really enjoying our letter series and looking for other lettering ideas, check out our Lettering Board on Pinterest, and share your work with us via #kasvtgallery on Instagram! Your images will appear in Our Gallery.

As December approaches, E and are going to be going to our Winter Holiday Board for ideas about projects to try. We'll share our Pinterest successes and failures with you! Come on, winter! I'm really looking forward to trying this one from Debbie's Resource Cupboard!

Lettering and Journaling

This blog post by Kristal Norton shows so many different applications for lettering in journaling, and I love that the letters aren't always super-polished, that some some are pasted in from found text.

These types of pages can so easily be created with your child, too! Let your toddler paint or cut pictures out of magazines to paste into a collage. Doodle/Tangle around their artwork, and add your own quotes!

Notice how, in the last photo, this artist has folded the paper around the outside of the pages -- so pretty on the outside of the journal! Time to dig out an old Moleskine!

My favorite pages from Kristal's blog post are by an artist named Jenn Olson (her site here):

 

Oh So Beautiful Paper

Remember when I said we'd be celebrating lettering this month...? Um, THIS SITE! *swoon*

Oh So Beautiful Paper. I'm going to go get lost in that site now. TTYL.

This lettering tutorial lives on the site, here, and I'll keep a reference link on our web resources page!

Lettering

**Kids Art Source is On Vacation Until Nov. 18th!**

I'm excited to spend November focusing on Lettering! We're going to be practicing copying various fonts and letter styles. Check out our Lettering board on Pinterest (here).

While we're on vacation... 

• Don't forget to check out the One Arts Toddler Time Classes starting this week!
• Share your artwork with us in Our Gallery via Instagram using #kasvtgallery.
• Want to follow our travel journal, E's first plane ride, and our visits to Disney World and Universal Studios? Follow our adventure on Instagram.

The Letter E

Here is another fun zentangle lettering exercise! You can check out the tutorial on my mommy blog, here!

Art Journal Idea - Letter Art

Ingrid Padilla Art

Here's some more art journal inspiration from Ingrid Padilla Art!

I love how simple doodles and adding a touch of watercolor can really create a beautiful piece of artwork! This would be great for a kiddo's art journal page or cover! For toddlers, you could draw the letter, then have them paint it!

I like to sneak little Es into all of my artwork as a little "hello" to my daughter, but I may just have to make one huge E like this for her!