Bilja's Art Journal

Illustration Friday - Germs

2009-10-02T12:12:00.005-04:00

Germs. Pen on paper with a digital finishing touch.

The germ in the middle with a grin is the husband. The one the bottom left corner is the angry wife. Bottom right is a curious bystander. You figure out the rest.

Disco Doodle

2009-09-29T12:43:00.002-04:00

Exhausted

2009-09-27T19:37:00.004-04:00

I played around with a pencil. Added a few finishing lines with a pen. It's my first drawing in a while, so I thought it deserved a little bit of space here.

Illustration Friday - Pattern

2009-09-25T10:01:00.005-04:00

Multiverse, acrylics on canvas.

Lately, I've been fascinated by physics and spending most of my free time reading and learning about it. The painting above is just an illustration of my current thoughts and my way of processing and making sense of incredible but very abstract concepts.

Papier Mache

2009-07-19T18:16:00.003-04:00

Going back to my old hobby of making papier mache items I recently made this pitcher. I started with a small balloon and added layer after layer of paper strips until I ended up with what you see above. The red and golden finish shows the lack of artistic creativity that is all too familiar to me these days. The pitcher now sits on a shelf in my new art studio next to a lovely painting by my beautiful friend Jamie:

Lost

2009-06-05T09:36:00.002-04:00

The young girl that was an inspiration for this drawing lost something this week. My idea was to make her look nostalgic, but if she doesn't that's OK, I like this portrait anyway.

Sketchbook, pen.

Illustration Friday - Cracked

2009-05-22T13:03:00.004-04:00

My heart is cracked, but my soul is intact.

The latest portrait from my little sketchbook.

Pen on paper.

Illustration Friday - Contagious

2009-05-16T07:01:00.003-04:00

I don't know about you, but I find people's smiles most contagious.

Ohhh, I can't believe this!

2009-05-08T12:43:00.003-04:00

I was so happy that Illustration Friday had a topic that inspired me to make an entry. I took out my watercolor pencils and started working using my old favorite watercolor pencil drawing/painting technique. I finished and was all so happy I'd be participating once again only to find out that what I saw on the site this morning was in fact last week's topic and was changed to a new one. Disappointing, but it's all my fault, I know. Serves me right for not paying attention to the date and not visiting the site more often. Anyway, I had a great time making this dog painting. It's always fun to make paintings of cute dogs.

Watercolor pencil on paper, 9"x12"

Waiting For A Sunny Day

2009-05-07T16:22:00.003-04:00

When you can't get yourself to sit down and draw anything else - take a pen and doodle. That's what I keep telling myself and today was one of those rare days when I actually listened.

As Long As You Are Still Smiling

2009-02-24T02:22:00.002-05:00

Early morning sketch.

Scruffy

2009-02-17T18:00:00.002-05:00

Another sketch. Not much, not particularly good, but in my book it's still better than a blank page.

My Life

2009-02-12T18:27:00.003-05:00

I did this doodle / sketch today. It's a good illustration of my life at the moment. Happy, cheerful, grounded and quite busy.

Don't Get Old Without Me

2009-02-11T19:20:00.001-05:00

Sketching at 1am.

Almost There

2009-01-17T13:31:00.001-05:00

Half Way There

2009-01-13T18:28:00.001-05:00

Contemplating

2008-09-15T08:53:00.003-04:00

I've been contemplating doing something different and perhaps learning how the shadows work instead of just planting them wherever I please.

Illustration Friday - Island

2008-09-14T13:38:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time in a conversation with a (then good now ex) friend I said "I love to travel" to which she quickly replied "You always say that, but how would you know ? You never go anywhere!"

My first instinct was to come here and write that I love islands, but I know better these days. It's been ages since I've been on an island, so how would I know?

I do love Google Earth, though. No doubts about that. I particularly love to explore small remote islands, zoom in and search for houses, roads and boats. It makes me feel like a kid looking for a hidden treasure. Hopefully, one day I'll find my way to some of those beautiful places.

Gossip

2008-09-12T07:26:00.004-04:00

Another non-art pen doodle from my sketchbook. I had no plans or intentions before I started, just started putting lines together and kept on waiting to see what will come out of it. At this point I am not attempting to make art. I am letting myself be creative and relieving some stress while I am at it.

Illustration Friday - Clutter

2008-09-05T17:13:00.003-04:00

Cluttered creations help declutter the mind. That's how it works for me these days. There were times, though, when all the dots and dashes would have annoyed me to bits.

Pixie

2008-09-04T11:15:00.003-04:00

I am taking Dr. Cindy's advice and putting aside some creative time, even if it's just a few minutes like today.

This is a quick watercolor done on sketch paper. Inspired by Alex. Lots of dots in his one, too. My recent fascination by spots of all sizes and colors is so far unexplained.

The scan is a bit blurry, but I am too lazy to make another one.

Attention

2008-09-03T10:21:00.002-04:00

It's time for me to start paying attention to the finer things in life again. Being creative, for example.

For a start, a new sketch for my little sketchbook.

Everyone who sent me encouraging messages in recent weeks, thanks! That means so much, it helped me get through the rough days. You are precious.

Twice

2008-08-08T13:59:00.003-04:00

I cried twice today. I feel very emotionally empty after all the tears, but I felt I should draw something. The sketch on the left is the result. It's messy. I don't like it, but that might be because the image reminds me of myself too much.

Celestial

2008-07-12T15:54:00.003-04:00

Sun, Moon, the stars, some trees... A simple lazy weekend doodle.

Self Explanatory Sketch

2008-06-29T18:35:00.002-04:00