Tag: drawing

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How Inspired Joy Started

 

 

 

I am Emily, usually known as Em, and I'm the artist behind InspiredJoy.  I live with husband Tim, who does something computery for his job, and our cat, Petey, whose hobbies include sitting on the paper that I'm trying to draw on and chasing the top of the paintbrush that I'm using!  As for Tim and I, we love to play our collection of musical instruments, play board games and spend time with our friends.

 

I've been drawing for years, but more and more frequently in the last couple of years.  In 2019 I decided to do something with my art and Inspired Joy began.   I puzzled over the name for my artwork for quite some time, with no success.  Once I stopped trying myself, and God gave me the name, ‘Inspired Joy’ one day.  I knew straight away that this was it, the name to put on all my artwork.

 

I looked at the dictionary definition for ‘inspired’ and it means

'of extraordinary quality, as if arising from some external impulse'

… and that’s where the designs come from… they are Inspired by God.

 

My pictures come from all sorts of places.  Sometimes I see a picture when I read the bible, sometimes it’s when I listen to songs, sometimes my notes from listening to a sermon are in the form of a picture or sometimes I have a particular verse that I would like to study.

 

When I get a picture, I try to scribble it down straight away so that I don’t forget it. Then begins the process of drawing, painting or writing it.  I try to seek God on every aspect of the piece of art work, such as whether it’s a painting or written piece and which materials and colours to use.

I don’t always get it quite right, but this is the start of my new journey!

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Designing My 2022 Calendar

I start thinking about my calendar in early summer, usually with the intention of having it all finished by September (to give me a month to print and promote).  This never happens!  This year, in the spring, I kept feeling like there was going to be a theme to the calendar this time, but wasn't sure what it was or what any of the verses were going be.  I like to prayerfully consider my verses and then illustrate rather than draw and find verses to match.

 

One day, not even thinking about the calendar, I decided to collate all the random verses that I'd been scribbling down or highlighting over the last few months.  I often make a note of verses that might be used for artwork one day.  Suddenly I was looking at a page of verses, most of which were all about the same thing - Praising God for his wonderful earth!  There it was - my theme and verses!

 

Once all 12 verses were confirmed, I began to outline the illustrations to go with each one.  I try to seek God on the order for the verses and what the images should be.  Last year a few people got in touch to say how much a particular verse had helped them in the month they needed to see it.  God is the only one who knows our needs and this makes it so important to let Him guide every step.

 

The next thing to do is to produce the illustrations for each page and the front cover.  For me there always seems to be at least one page where I don't know what the image will be till the last minute, which is a bit scary sometimes but is a good test for me to trust God and not go off ahead with my own ideas.

 

Sometimes I create each page in sections as I am able to use Photoshop to put them together.  For example, for my sunflower page, I painted the sky and grass as one piece, and the sunflowers were on a separate sheet.  This helps if I make a mistake, but mainly enables me to alter the layout for each calendar size.  Once all images are painted, they get scanned in and assembled together on each page.  This year I have an A3 family planner, an A4 calendar and a slimline version.  All the grids are created and added in to each page too.  I usually prepare the grids very early on in the year, so they're ready for when I need them.

This time, rather than handwriting each verse, I created a font which was able to install on the computer.  This was a huge time saver this year so something I'll be exploring more next year.  The font is of my hand writing, which I prefer to a standard typed font.  I quite like it being a little bit quirky and not too perfect!

 

So that's the process I go through to create the design.  It's quite a big project to take on each year, but I love the process.  I enjoy the journey of finding out the verses and seeing it all come together.  I also enjoy seeing the development in my art work compared to the previous calendar.  For me there is more to it than simply creating a product to sell.  It's the journey and learning that is just as important to me too.

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‘Rooted’

This new art print is originally from my Envelopes of Joy project, so some of you may have seen it before, even though it is brand new to the shop.  You can read more about Envelopes of Joy here.

 

The Design Process

I've had the idea of a flower as an illustration to go with this verse for a long time, but every time I tried to paint it, it was never quite right.  So I put the idea to one side for a while.  Fast forward over a year, and it was time to begin getting ready for the next Envelope of Joy design.  Each month I spend time praying about what the verse should be and I really felt it was to be Colossians 2 v 7 with some red tulips.  This design has actually ended up incredibly similar to the original paintings I tried, but this worked first time.  Just shows that in God's timing, things work better!

 

To me, the splatters of red coming from the tulip show the 'overflowing' and the stem needs to be strong just like we need to be strengthened.  (We'll ignore that fact that tulips are well known for becoming droopy quite quickly - then again, look what happens when they aren't connected to the roots!)

How It's Made

I usually create each print in parts - mainly because if I make a mistake with one thing, I don't have to start again!  Sometimes the original piece is all one together, but if I'm making it as a product, I do it in sections to enable better editing digitally.  I begin with the painting which is usually done with watercolours.  I then draw out the text separately, although for this particular print it is more written than fancy writing.   I do this separately to enable me to play about with layout and text size without damaging the painting with endless rubbing out.  The next stage is to scan everything in and put it all together (I use photoshop).  Here I can play about with the layout again and ensure that everything is neat and tidy.  Finally, it's ready to print  and send to it's new home.

 

 

This design is now available to purchase in various sizes in the shop.

 

 

 

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Mary and Martha

 

This latest piece of artwork is based on something I’ve been pondering on this week.  As everybody finds, sometimes life gets so crammed with things and we find ourselves being busy all day every day.  I was reminded of Mary and Martha  in the bible and felt challenged about whether I’m being a Martha or a Mary?  Am I being so busy with the things that I think need to be done or am taking the time to focus on Jesus first?   Sometimes I find the ‘to-do’ list gets so long that it begins to control my day and the deadlines that I feel are there dictate what becomes a priority – just like Martha.  Really I should be like Mary, putting all those things on the to-do list aside to seek Jesus first.  I’m definitely not managing to achieve this all the time, but having this picture in my mind or up on the wall is another prompt to help me along in the right way.

 

 

 

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‘The Oak Tree’

This print is based on a verse that remember learning in Sunday School as a child. It also reminds me of a song we used to sing too and I can’t help but sing the verse now when I read it!

 

I painted an oak tree for the illustration on this print, because oak trees remind me of great strength. I’m sure we could argue that all trees are strong (once fully grown or established) but to me, an oak tree can withstand far more storms and is maybe the strongest and most resilient.  When we are following God’s plan and seeking his will in everything we do and face, no matter what storms come our way, if we keep fixed on Him we will find the strength we need in Him.

 

You can now find the print to buy here.

 

 

 

‘The Oak Tree’ print was originally painted for my Envelopes of Joy project.  Here you can sign up to receive a small A6 size print in the post every month.  There are various length bundles available, with a brand new print each month.

Click here for more information on Envelopes of Joy.

 

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Colouring Sheets

Here's something new for Inspired Joy - colouring sheets! I had the idea of colouring sheets squirreled away for another time, but maybe this is a better time! Maybe one day they'll make it into an actually colouring book, but for now they are available to download completely free whilst we're unable to get out. Feel free to send some photos of your completed sheets. I've made a start one one!