No. 19: A Mellow August

Winding down after a month of travel, subscriber meet-ups, and some unshared sketchbook pages.

July was a month of travel—to Paris, Bruges, Amsterdam, Lake Tahoe and San Francisco—and I am so happy to be enjoying a mellow August. I love exploring and never want our vacations to end, but right now I am really appreciating home: all four of us nestled in our small apartment, knowing that these days of togetherness are winding down, as soon our older one will be living in his own place. I am savoring the fullness and chaos of four adults in a 1,250-square-foot unit—all of the packing and unpacking of bags, the piles of laundry, the fleeting moments when we are all there together before one of the boys runs out to meet a friend. The kind of chaos that is a ball of stress and love all rolled together. That said, we are lucky to have a place to get away to on the weekends, to spread our wings in the open air, around nature—a summer house owned by my husband’s parents in The Springs, on the South Fork of Long Island; we stay in a small guesthouse in the back. This past weekend we were out there, and I went on one of my favorite runs to the beach. There are a few spots along the road where I always stop for a moment to look at the view. I made two paintings using a few photos as reference, and then I took the paintings back to the two locations to take some more photographs.

Various stages of my process: At left is a quick pencil sketch, center shows the first layers of paint, and on the right is the beach scene that I sketched with a light layer of paint and no pencil at all.

I used a fountain pen with carbon ink, my Derwent Inktense paints, and some new Case for Making watercolors that I purchased last week in San Francisco, where I went for a girls weekend and for a few work meetings.  I have always loved CFM’s neon colors (if you look back at the first image in this post, you will see some neon green in the trees), so I refreshed my collection of those and also added a handful of new hues. It is so hard to resist buying more. My new favorites are Cypress, Denim Blue, and Smoke. Runners up are Egg Yolk and Onyx.

My new Case for Making paints. Look how the Onyx Black sparkles!

It took a while to get into the mindset to paint again, after a few weeks off. Once I returned from Paris and finished my travel sketchbook, I took a short break. Painting the two serene landscapes in The Springs with some beautiful new paints was just what I needed to dive back in.

How is your creativity flowing this summer? I have heard from a bunch of new subscribers and some of my loyal followers that my Skillshare classes and my books have been a great source of inspiration. Many people are coming back to them for the second or third time. Nothing makes me happier (whether you use my books and classes or not), so please continue to share what you are working on with me. If you need some inspiration, I am up to my tenth drawing prompt for paid subscribers. Once you upgrade, the prompts will always be there for you to reference when you need a little push.

---

An Impromptu Subscriber Meetup at SFMOMA

A few days before I arrived in San Francisco, I reached out via the subscriber chat here on Substack to see if any of my paid subscribers lived or worked in the San Francisco area and were up for a meetup at SFMOMA. I was so happy that a handful of people wrote back and were able to meet me. We had such a nice time together, talking about art and life while walking through the current Frank Bowling exhibition. I was not familiar with Bowling’s work, so we had a lot to discuss about his use of color and composition. We all loved it.

I plan to connect with my inner circle more this way. Real-life meetups are always so rewarding for all of us. However, most of my paid subscribers are spread out all over the place, so I will continue our virtual drawing and social sessions via Zoom starting in early September. Stay tuned for information on the next one. As always, if the timing isn’t convenient for you, I send the recording to everyone who registers.

An intimate meet-up at the SFMoMA with local paid subscribers. Clockwise from top left: Looking at a Frank Bowling painting; one subscriber brings her all-filled up Draw Your Day Sketchbook; we share our sketchbooks - mine is at the bottom; a group photo outside of the museum.

---

Once again I have teamed up with Merritt Bookstore, in Millbrook, New York, to create a few new illustrations. Kira and I met years back when our older kids were small and they attended the same preschool. When she took over the bookstore in Millbrook, she asked me to help with the new logo and all of the shop illustrations. This time worked together on a new tote bag featuring the words, “26 letters, infinite stories.”  You can purchase one here.

---

Two tiny postage-sized paintings I made with Arches paper scraps.

---

My New Skillshare Class

Drawing Every Day: Motivational Sketchbook Practices for Creative Fulfillment now has over 1,300 students. The reviews have been wonderful to read, and I am thrilled with the projects that have been shared. It is really satisfying to know that the class works and that students are enjoying the process of creating their drawing exercises and sketchbook spreads. Check out the class here.

---

Ambassador and Affiliate Codes

If you’ve been following my work for a while, you know I am a loyal fan of Blackwing pencils. I have one or two (or even three) in my bag at all times. I am really honored that they have just added me as an official ambassador for the brand. If you’d like to try out the pencils for yourself, and also help support my work, please shop using my unique link, blackwing602.com/sdionbaker. When you purchase using my link, there’s no additional cost to you and I earn a small commission. I appreciate your support!

All Canvas lights and accessories are 10% off with my discount code: SDB10. I love my desk light so much for filming and photographing my work and my process. They have introduced a mini light, and new products are launching, so be sure to check out their website!

---

Thank you for reading. Writing these posts and creating content for paid subscribers has become part of my job these days. While most of what I share is free for everyone, I would love for you to be part of the smaller Draw Your World community. We have a lot of fun.