I’ve been working my way back to starting a big project. I’ve not done a hands-on big project in a while and that means getting back into the swing of things again has been a slow process.  To help me not stay stuck I started with a small custom stationery project. And slowly, I’ve worked my way back to a bigger project. This project is still not as big as my usual size (it’ll probably end up being a 24″ square). But I find that starting small is a sure way to get back to big.  So I’m not trying to rush it. In fact, I’m allowing myself to play a lot with this piece (you’ll soon see what I mean a little later). I’m doing this because I believe playfulness helps you get creative.

So let’s see what I’ve started work on. Not much so far, but still some progress. I changed things up a little this time.  Usually, I start with a sketch in my sketchbook and then later project an enlarged image of the drawing on fabric.  But this time I decided to draw directly onto fabric.  This was challenging because the fabric slips a lot when you’re drawing on it. To help minimize that, I tapped my fabric to a board to make it steady.

When  I see this drawing it makes me really happy.   Because a few years ago, my process used to involve tracing photos.  I didn’t dare draw myself.  I’ll be honest with you, I’m still learning to draw.  I haven’t arrived yet. Sometimes, I get so frustrated with myself and question why I don’t make it easy on myself and just go ahead and trace.  But the prospect of the joy, I’ll get if I can successfully draw my subject keeps me trying harder. Below, you’ll see how I struggled with getting the jaw and ear just the way I wanted them to be.

Next, I decided on my color scheme. I usually have a dominant color, primary (accent) color and some neutrals. Here’s what I decided to use.

 

 

Here you can see the proportions in which I intend to use my colors.

So, what’s the next step for me?  Where do I plan to take this sketch?  I’m playing a lot as you can see. One of my plans is to use the circles as a feature in the background of my sketch.

Then I’ll draw the sketch with my sewing machine using thread. That’s all I know for now.  I’ll figure out the rest as I go. As a creative, it’s important to have your own creative process so you can get up and running as fast as you can with things that are familiar/predictable to you.  Yet your process should be flexible enough to allow for serendipity, getting off-track, trying new things and making some happy accidents. In short, make room for creativity. Question: Do you have a process for creating your projects?  How do you get started? Share your thoughts below. Warmest Regards,