All posts filed under: Arts and Crafts

Abstract collage of circles in various shades of blue. A thin strip of cream paper runs through it on the side

Unleash Your Creativity: A Beginner’s Guide to Making Collages

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Collages are such an interesting form of art. It’s the bringing together seemingly unrelated, independent items and blending them in artistic harmony. Collages can be simple with just three or four elements or more complex, with elements often clashing with each other to convey a message.
Collages are a fun and versatile art form that allow you to combine various elements such as photographs, illustrations, and found objects to create a unique and visually striking composition. Whether you are a beginner or have experience with other art forms, making collages is a great way to unleash your creativity and explore new techniques.
There are several ways to make a collage, depending on the materials you are using and the desired outcome, but you can follow these steps if you are new to the art form.

Doodles in black ink on white paper with a blank space in the center with the words Inktober 2022

Challenge your Creativity: My Inktober 2022 Challenge

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Who doesn’t love a good challenge?
2022 was my second year of completing the Inktober Art Challenge, and I’ve managed to surprise myself with my persistence. I don’t always get the time or space to delve into my creative process because everyday life takes priority. However, once in a while, especially when everyone’s either asleep or away, I put on my Audiobook and go into my own creative world.
For me, Inktober 2022 started with a new dedicated sketchbook from Kaagazi and the official Inktober 2022 prompt list.

Brightly coloured mirror work art called Lippan Art is a traditional folk art from India. this decorative piece in primary colours and geometric pattern is surrounded by house plants

Indian Traditional Art Forms—Lippan Art for Beginners

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Indian folk art has so many treasures to offer. Art is one of the things that unites the country.
One such form of traditional Indian art is Lippan art. Lippan art comes from the deserts of Kutch in Gujarat. They can be as colourful or subtle as you want them to be, embellished with tiny mirrors that sparkle and twinkle in the sun or moonlight.
Learn how to make this mirror work art or Lippan art at home. Lippan art for beginners doesn’t need a lot of expertise or expensive materials. It’s a fun way to spend an afternoon indoors doing DIY projects with kids.

box full of colouring pens and markers

Art Supplies I Love

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I love collecting stationery and art supplies. I also love trying out new art styles and DIYs, so there’s not a single medium I prefer over others. That means I use most of the stuff I buy, eventually.

I would break down my art supply closet into four parts
Paper for art
Colouring medium
Essential art Utility supply
Art supplies Storage solutions
There are still many artists who turn out extraordinary work with just basic art materials. Don’t let art intimidate you. Just start somewhere and see where it takes you!

pen and ink drawing of a raven done for inktober 2021 prompt

The Inktober 2021 Challenge: Completed

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If you spend any time on social media, you’re probably bombarded with hundreds of different challenges, big and small. It seems everyone is hopping onto the challenge bandwagon. Whether it was the ice bucket challenge a few years ago, a fitness challenge, or a TikTok dance challenge, someone is challenging you to do something whatever your area of interest.  If you’re an artist, you might have heard of the Inktober challenge. It is one of the more popular art challenges and has participants worldwide. This challenge takes place in October every year (virtually, of course). A list of one-word prompts is released, one prompt for each day of the month, and artists have to draw how they interpret that word. There’s no particular style you need to stick to—heck, you don’t even need to stick to the official list—just make your own list for the month. Inktober Art Challenge According to his website, Jake Parker created Inktober in 2009 as a challenge to improve his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits. It has since …

3 colourful journals with markers and pens on a table

Art Journal Review: Paperclip

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Paperclip notebooks were one of the first notebooks I bought when I started art journaling. (Art Journal Ideas for Beginners) They’re sturdy, cheap, and look great – a perfect combination of things to help you get started on your art journey. The papers are thin for dry media, ranging from 60 to 100 gsm. They’re perfect for line sketches and for planning your final pieces. I’ve used these as practice journals to get into the habit of creating something every day without feeling the pressure to make it into something perfect. I’ve used one of the journals to collect reference drawings and elements for inspiration in all my artwork.  I’ve used the colourful Play Series to practice lettering and formatting.  These notebooks are also great for their original purpose – taking notes. My husband uses it for his office notes, and my son uses it for his class assignments. The colourful covers not only look pretty but can help you identify the notebook you’re looking for easily. Do you have recommendations for good journals? Let …

collage of hand painted cotton bags and a child using them

DIY Hand-painted Cotton Bags

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Have you gotten used to carrying your own bags for shopping? Be it groceries or clothes, most cashiers will check with you if you’re carrying your own bag. It’s a refreshing change from just handing you a plastic bag. Even paper bags need resources to make and a whole pile of unused ones generate a lot of waste. I have various cloth bags distributed all over the place – a few in my car, a foldable one in my purse, a few next to my main door, and a few ‘fancy totes’ to be used for the upscale flea markets. I had a few plain cotton cloth bags lying around and thought about giving them a makeover. I had never painted on fabric before and was sceptical if they’d last. After having used and washed them over the past year, I was pleasantly surprised. I even tried embellishing some of them with beads and parts of junk jewellery that weren’t getting used, and I was thrilled with the results. All you need are some fabric …

A blue theme mandala on a sketchbook with sharpie markers

Easy Mandala Tutorials

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If you do a hashtag search for mandalas on Instagram, you’ll be overwhelmed with the results. In the millions of posts, you’ll see a variety of mandalas, from a beginner to an experienced artist and also some phenomenal work. Looking at some of them, you might feel intimidated. I know I was. I took it one step at a time and started with some basics. With some practice, I got a little better. I still have a long way to go before I come close to some of the work and artists I admire. But, the key is to practice regularly. For me, drawing a mandala helps me focus away from daily realities and routines. I find it very calming. The repetitive patterns soothe my mind. I had done a post on mandalas previously where I explained in brief what its significance was.  Let’s now learn how to make your own mandala First, we start with the basic grid. All you need is a basic geometry set with a compass, pencil, protractor, and ruler. Find …

diy bookbinding sketchbook with house plants and fine liner pens

Easy DIY Bookbinding at Home Tutorial

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I have scrolled through hours of arts and crafts tutorials over the last year and have been tempted to try each one of them. Some seemed easy enough; others were a distant dream.  Bookbinding was one such tutorial. The videos look so beautiful—the old-world charm of making something with your hands how people did it hundreds of years ago. I always felt you’d need special tools and skills even to try a basic version.  There are many different book binding types. Some of them need special book binding materials that you wouldn’t necessarily want to invest in. Thankfully, I came across some tutorials that a beginner like me could try with stuff you’d generally have at home. I had a bunch of loose papers from a tear-away sketchpad that was just getting tossed around in my drawer. It was the perfect time to make use of them and try bookbinding at home. Book binding supplies Loose sheets double the size of the book you want. We’ll be folding these sheets in half Sharp pin or …

Art journals from Menorah Stationery displayed with cover and inside pages with paintings

Art Journal Review: Menorah

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I’ve been journaling for about two years now and am loving the experience. It inspires me to create everyday, even if it is a small doodle. On days I am unable to, I can feel the restlessness in my fingers. In the past, I’ve loved the control dry mediums gave me. Colour pencils and markers have been my go to materials for drawing and colouring. But, inspired by my sister’s watercolour journey, I was tempted to try out some wet mediums as well. Watercolours turned out to be too free-flowing for a control-freak like me. Then I tried gouache and I was in love instantly.  Not all art journals can hold the weight of the water-based paint so it took a bit of trial and error to find some good ones. I’ve written about the Kaagazi journals earlier. Today, I talk about another home-grown favourite – Menorah. I’ve used two of their journals and a bookmark pad. Let’s review. Menorah 180gsm 15cmx15cm This was my first journal from them, and I loved it instantly. I wanted …