Welcome to the Fernheart blog!

Hello and welcome!

This is the first of what I hope to be many blog posts about my creative journey.

First, a little introduction.

1. I did not see myself as an artist until recently. – Admittedly, until the last couple years, I would have been the kind of person who said “I can’t draw”. There were a lot of stick figures and a lot of abandoned sketchbooks. I tend not to work quickly, or rather I don’t like to share things typically until I am 100% happy with them. Learning to let go of that habit.
2. Art is not my current job. – I do not create my art full time. It is my way of relaxing after work or on the weekends. Occasionally one of my artworks find their way into my job though.
3. I started getting more comfortable with digital art after learning about sketchnoting. – Ok, slight tangent here, but if you have ever loved to doodle in the margins of pages while listening to information, I highly recommend looking into sketchnoting. Using icons to represent ideas not only helps build connections, but I think it makes the information much easier to remember and is more fun than other note-taking strategies. Also practicing drawing icons or different shapes is what started helping me become more comfortable with art.
4. I currently draw my art on Procreate using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. – Of things for myself that I have spent money on (besides travel), this has been my favorite. I take it EVERYWHERE I can – to the coffee shop, on trips, or just sitting on the couch or at my desk. I like the control that the Apple pencil gives me when creating details, along with the ability to try things in layers. This was a game changer for my confidence in art. If I don’t like it, I can delete it. And honestly, I’m much more confident drawing using traditional pen and paper now too. I’ve had a couple of sketch journals on trips over the past few years.
5. I love learning new things. – This might be one of the big reasons that I like drawing. It challenges me to see the world in new ways and to think about how to best capture it. There are so many perspectives of the same location that can create a completely different design.
6. I love to be outdoors. – SHOCKING, I know. But it is true. I am at my happiest when I have had a chance to go and walk in the woods. I love seeing all of the different shades of green, watching the sunlight play across the ground, hearing the bird song… I’ve even learned to love the rain. Plus petrichor is one of my favorite words.

That is all for today.