Daily Drawing August Success! :D

 Well hello again! :D 

Despite it being a good bit since my last post, I am finally back on her to say....I did it! :D For every day of August, I did not let myself sleep until my pen or pencil hit the page and I at least sketched! I am so glad to have committed myself to my daily drawing goal, and even though I chose not to post the drawings, I can honestly say it was a success!

Through this challenge I learned what I suspected; that a large barrier to getting back into my artwork was the self-imposed pressure to complete something post-worthy here. That pressure lead to some anxious feelings and the thought that if I felt like all I was capable of doing was "bad" art, that there was no point. But I know that's the furthest from the truth! So, I made the decision to let go of that expectation of myself, and wow, it made all the difference. It still strikes me how enormous of a weight that took off my shoulders. Even though I'd love to include 30 stunning pieces with this post, I believe I have made my peace with the fact that to get to that point, right now, I need to let off some steam to be able to be myself again.

Since the end of August, I allowed life to take priority again, but I am so glad to say the daily drawing has made its way back into my mind. Even after a long day, I have felt inspired to sit and create before winding down for bed. With a cup of tea and more positivity and less pressure to post, I have found myself excited for this quiet creative time :) I can't express how dearly I love having that feeling again!

All this said, I do intend to get back to sharing my artwork, as I am ready and happy to do so! :D

Movies on Disc (Days#3,4)

 It has been an odd couple of days. They have reminded me (against my will) how much I rely on the internet these days. With a storm coming and connection very, very spotty, I ended up digging out a movie on disc *whoa!* to have some background noise as I work. I found an unexpected amount of comfort in a familiar movie’s menu loop :) 

 

Nice to see you again Qui-Gon!*

It was so nice to enjoy the movie without sputtering or ad breaks. I forgot the peace that comes with the intentionality of having to put a disc in a player. No auto-play, no jumping instantly to something else at random like you can with streaming services now.

After sketching in my book with good-old pencil, I had the urge to bring out my old drawing tablet! It has been so long since I sat with it. I took what I'd started in my real sketchbook yesterday, redrew a lot of it, and added a dash of digital color for fun ;)

Still just a rough drawing, but hey, it's getting late again! I hope you had a great weekend! Good night all!

*As always, fan art is for fun, and I make no claim to their characters/property. 

Sketchbook Day#2: Too Tight!

Whew! I feel like I need to shake it out! 

I know starting a new challenge for myself always gives me nerves, but geesh. I started sketching tonight and I felt all the tension trying to think of and draw something “good enough” for this blog/challenge. My sketching started off super stiff and soulless; too tight!

Though I’m not satisfied with the results today, I know it’s the habit of drawing and the journey that I should focus on right now! Little victories, right? So, here is a super rough sketch from tonight’s pages as I sketch through this funk!

My Way Back (Day#1)

One goal of my return to blogging is to be unashamedly myself and honest. I don't want to deny my struggles; and I hope someone can feel a little less alone in their struggles by reading about mine. I didn't expect my first day back to drawing to be quite so heavy, but here we are *chuckles*. Which brings me to today...

I stayed up too late to “just doodle” and found a flood of emotions waiting to engulf me. I’ve missed it so much, I’ve missed the art community I used to be part of. I’ve let my skills get rusty, pens dry up, pencils break. 

Part of me feels like I’m nuts to put myself through this when I could be asleep….and the rest of me knows I crave creating so much. It is the part of “me” I have been missing! In some ways it’s not about choice; I am not “completely myself” when I am not creating! 

So I push through with good music and doodle this. Here’s to day #1 of getting back to “me”.

In the end I am glad for the wave of feelings. It means this endeavor is worth it :)

Happy March Pup

Happy Sunday!

Every day is a good day to appreciate doggos :) Don't you agree? Especially those with big goofy smiles!? So, today I sketched this handsome fella, a sweet german shepherd!

A good start for what I hope to be a very productive work-week. Hope you have a good one too! See you again soon :)

Heart Leaves

As the flowers are starting to bloom in the park behind our neighborhood, I took special care to appreciate them as I walked by. One took my special attention....one with heart-shaped leaves and a happy yellow flower! I couldn't help but paint a study, and it became my favorite drawing of this past week :)

New Year & "New" Me

I really enjoy learning about different cultures' customs, so this past Saturday I found myself reading more about the Chinese New Year. Specifically, I got to learn about this being the beginning of a "gold rat" year :) (If you want to read an interesting article that I did, you can find it here). In honor of the new year, and my love for pet rats, I just had to stay up late to draw these little cuties:

Another challenge came my way during this last week, and that was the "toon me" hashtag I saw many a fellow artist having fun with on Instagram. So, I decided I'd join in! Here's my cartoon-self, and I'd recommend hopping over and seeing other artist's self-portraits!

Well, that's all I've got today! Thanks for visiting, and see you again in February!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!! I hope you all get to enjoy this time with your friends and loved ones! I got to celebrate with my husband and our American friend here in France this year! We had such a nice time and a yummy spread; the illustration below shows just a handful of our creations. I was so excited to make my very first pie & vegan gravy, and both were a hit! 

Brush Rabbit!

This little bunny completes my Oregon Wildlife trio! This is a Brush Rabbit, a species that I would commonly see at home in Oregon. Drawing him truly has satisfied a bit of my longing for the west-coast, for now!

This drawing was created in Photoshop on my Cintiq, mimicking pencil. Additionally, if you would like a print for yourself or a friend, you can pick him up on my online shop! 

My Favorite Childhood Mermaid

In honor of #Mermay & my favorite mermaid of my childhood, here's my own little mermaid! This painting-doodle is inspired by the "Under the Sea" musical scene in Disney's "The Little Mermaid" (which I was addicted to as a kid!). Created in Photoshop.*

*This is fan-art! As such, I do not lay claim to "The Little Mermaid" as depicted in Disney's film. :)

Thanks as always for stopping by! See you again soon!

Beauty & Beastly Mer-Mays

These #MerMay sketches were done in pen & marker in my tiny travel sketchbook. I created these ladies a day apart; I like how they contrast with each other. (...and they're such great fun to draw; look for more mermaid for MerMay soon!)

It's Mer-May!

It’s Mer-May!!! 🐚 Kicking off the month with a little clownfish mermaid :) If you haven't heard of Mermay before, it's a fun art-challenge to create mermaids all of May! Let's see how many I can contribute this year!

Stormy day on the Cape

On a very grey day, sitting on the rocks of Cap de Nice watching the stormy weather & waves roll by....

I managed to fight the wind and do this small sketch of one section of the coastline...

Sketchbook, ink & Copic Markers for color: 

 

Along a Footpath in Falicon

While exploring Falicon, France, I found that this little entrance was one of my favorite scenes. The community behind this archway was equally as charming, with its winding paths, unique buildings jutting against their neighbors, and small squares filled with a multitude of potted plants :) I definitely want to go back for another visit & hike!

Below:  Small, ink & marker sketch on paper. Footpath & archway in Falicon.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwCkOPmheXA/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

^Above:  Original ink thumbnail in sketchbook.

Learning on the Tram

Kiddos on the tram have been unknowingly helping me learn French, and to train my ears for correct pronunciation :) Yesterday a little one, staring out the window repeated “monsieur, madame, monsieur, madame....” until his mom told him to shhh! 😌

This is the first time in a good while that I have just let myself doodle with ink....oh how I didn't realize how much I've missed the feeling! We hope to be settled into our new home soon so I can really turn my focus back to my personal work (& this blog!)  :)   Take care & see you back here again soon!

Oregon Wildlife & Holiday Bazaar

This past weekend I shared my artwork at NACC's 4th Annual Christmas Bazaar! I have been so excited to embark on my Oregon Wildlife Artwork Series, and was excited to bring the first few pieces to this event!


A great horned owl and black-tailed deer are the first two creatures in my series!


They're digital sketches, but I have treated them as if it were paper & pencil. These prints (pictured left) are 5 x 7", and have the option of coming framed.


I am looking forward to drawing more of my favorite Oregon creatures! Next up, the brush rabbit!


I want to give a big "thank you!" to everyone who came to our booth! I cannot describe how thankful I am to have such support from great friends, family, and art-lovers!

This spring, I enjoyed seeing the Western Tiger Swallowtail around my studio and along nearby walking paths!

After taking photos and identifying the species, I created a small bunch of butterflies in ink & alcohol-based marker on velum.

These sketches inspired the creation of 3D cards (see left), with delicate wings and thread for antennae. I love how a little breeze flutters their wings!

I am also happy to include them as a part of my Oregon Wildlife Series!

I will be at the Town & Country Christmas Bazaar Nov. 30, Dec. 1 & 2....but that's a story for later! :) If you like, you can follow Brianna Leahy Art on Facebook for more upcoming event info :)


The artwork gifts you see on this post (and more!) will be available at my T&CCB booth!

Thank you again for reading!
-Brianna of Brianna Leahy Art & my booth buddy, Deborah of ChickadeeAndPeeps!

Digital Doodle: A Mr. Bear

This grizzly guy is a study disguised as a fun digital doodle! I wanted to brush up on my animal anatomy, and this guy turned out to be my favorite of countless sketches, referencing various nature photography online.

A Grizzly Guy Doodle 🐻 #briannaleahyart #art #artist #artwork #bear #ursa #bruin #grizzly #grizzlybear #bear #teddybear #creature #animal #green #gold #wildlife #draw #drawing #digitalart #paint #painting #quickdraw #doodle #sketch #guy #fuzzy #cuddly #hairybear #wildlife

A post shared by Brianna Elizabeth Leahy (@briannaleahyart) on Aug 2, 2017 at 8:57pm PDT

Rainy Day Doodle

Another rainy day in Oregon, and I am getting back into the swing of blogging! I have been very fortunate to be so busy with commission work, but I have missed this! :)

So here is a new rainy day doodle. Inspired by Oregon's humor, teasing us with a sunny day before making us pick up our rain coats again the following morning!

Back to jackets & rain! Oregon just wont let us have more than one sunny day yet... Day 68 of #365art #briannaleahyart #art #artist #artwork #sketch #sketchbook #ink #doodle #pen #marker #copicmarkers #draw #drawing #illustration #people #girl #woman #red #redjacket #rainyday #design #dailyart #artofinstagram #cartoon #oregon #spring #youngwoman #fashion #pnw

A post shared by Brianna Elizabeth Leahy (@briannaleahyart) on Mar 18, 2017 at 12:35am PDT

Silly Animals in Ink: Art-Friday

Inktober fun! I had a great time getting back to my ink, marker & paper! The following sketches were started in pencil, followed in my brush pen, and then with Copic markers for color. I hope you enjoy these playful doodles.

Good-Old Pencil: Art-Monday

Greetings! What a rainy morning....and a perfect one to catch up on blogging! I will be releasing three art posts this week. I have been working really hard on paying commissions this month, so my personal work has been pushed to the wayside a bit. But no more!

Here are a couple pages from my sketchbook, drawn in good-old graphite. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow for more art!