Created using Caran d'Ache colored pencils in my Sakura sketchbook.

I'm getting involved with Coloricombo by the artist Esté MacLeod. I've done these challenges in the past, however with our recent move I've had to put art on the back burner. Cheers to restarting old habits in the new year!

I have been wanting to use a cozy homestead as the focus of an illustration for a long time. The palette in this week's challenge seemed to suit the mood of a cozy, indoors moment. I sometimes wonder if I should begin illustrating more often as I find so much joy in creating worlds rather than mimicking what I see on a landscape. What you see is somewhat of a dream home for me: kitty cat by the wood burner, comfy chair and clothes, warm cuppa, Georgian window, a sweater waiting to be knit, stacks of books to be read, and socks warming naturally. Hope you feel cozy and at home when you look through.

I sketched in the darkest color on the palette so I would have the definition at the end (see picture one). Then working in thirds I applied the three additional colors. What I mean by "working in thirds" is I added three locations for each color to make the piece feel balanced. Then I could add dabs here and there to create more depth (see pictures two and three). Once the initial watercolor was painted I then went in with watercolor pencil to add details to items like the flower pot, curtains, and yarn.

Experimenting with acrylic and line art. Lines fascinate me and always have. They create texture, depth, definition, mood with one organic stroke of my hand, one meditation of my brain saying, "A line here. A line here. A line here." I'm excited to explore this.