Jan 20, 2019

A New Series! Learning Through Inspiration

I've been pretty frustrated lately with my cardmaking. I've taken online, and in person classes, but something was still missing. So, in an effort to improve, I decided to try a different method.

I studied many cards made by one person to find the common elements that appealed to me. Instagram is an easy way to do this -- you can see many cards from one person very quickly. If you aren't on Instagram, you can also just look at a designer's blog. If the designer is on you tube, you can also go to his or her channel and watch several videos by the same person.

I learned a LOT by using this method and I'll share the first thing I learned today and then the rest as I share the cards I've made since I started doing this.

THE FIRST THING I LEARNED
(I already knew this, but needed a reminder.) 

Most of the time, the supplies -- stamps, inks, paper, etc. aren't the issue. If we don't know what we are doing, buying a different line of stamps or inks or the latest coloring medium is a waste of time and money. (Sometimes, it does make a difference -- having a good paper trimmer, sharp scissors, an ink pad that isn't dry, etc. matters). But, generally, buying new things isn't the answer.

Over the next few weeks (not every day), I'll share with you what else I learned. I'll post (with their permission) beautiful cards made by very talented crafters, explain why I think they work, and then the cards I made inspired by them. Some of the cards I made came out great and some not so much, so I'll also be sharing what went wrong and what went right. 

I'd love to have you join me and get your feedback. Maybe you'll learn something too, or can share your insights.

Here's a snippet of a card I made that I'll be posting soon.



Can you tell who inspired me?

MOOD WHEN DONE:  I'm never done learning......




18 comments:

Cat Craig said...

Looking forward to this series. The name that comes to mind is maybe Yana Smakula.

Chris Smith said...

Yes! Instagram is so inspiring. They could probably charge me to use it but don't tell them that...

Leslie Miller said...

No, I can't tell who inspired you, but I love the look of your snippet. I'll be looking forward to this, Joan, as I think it sounds like a good idea and maybe I'll learn something. I'll surely be inspired. Sometimes I wish I could settle on a style and work on making it better. Your series might be a big help.

Cacia said...

I love the concept of this series! I'll be eagerly following along.

As to who inspired you... I'd have to guess Yana Smakula? But only because of the pencils on colored cardstock, and a lot of designers have been using that method recently, so the guess is more of a gamble than it used to be. The sneak peek looks lovely, by the way.

Joan B said...

Correct!!!

Joan B said...

I think you have a style. I recognize your cards in my feed right away! Beautifully colored florals or other images surrounded by pattern paper and other details. they are gorgeous

Joan B said...

Correct! I noticed Yana started doing this some time ago and her work is so beautiful

Joan B said...

exactly!!

Jan said...

Joan, I am looking forward to hearing what you have learned. As for IG, I spend too much time on there and then feel overwhelmed with the new product that keeps coming out. And begin to doubt my creative abilities when I see all of the great cards that are created. Yet I know I am creative. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Joan B said...

Jan, getting overwhelmed by the crushing amount of new product every week is another issue. I may blog about that too! Would love to hear more of your thoughts

Jan said...

I'd appreciate you blogging about the ton of,products that are released. Don't know how some of the companies keep up the pace. I certainly don't expect it. And who can afford to purchase all those products? I feel like I need to take a break from following the companies for a while and darn well get down to making cards and scrapbooking without social media distraction.
Would love to hear your views on this subject.

Marcia Rollins said...

This is a "great idea, why didn't I think of it" approach! I will be following you,most certainly. I, too, enjoy and admire Yana's cards.
At present I tend to skip over any works done with Copic markers, or anything similar. When I get to where I want to invest in them i will go back to view older posts by different artists. I do okay with my Prisma pencils and will continue to use them.
Thank you for your idea and I will "see" you soon!

maria f. said...

Yana got me hooked on Polychromos on colored cardstock! Finally coming over here to enjoy your findings...

Susie said...

Jan, I call it "chasing product" and I hope that Joan will do a series on this. I also notice how close in design many of the illustrators for all the companies are to one another in style and substance. This is one of the reasons I like to use a number of different products on one card. I can create what's trending with what I already have - or close to it. Joan, please think about this as a new blog topic.

GeeCee said...

Thank you Joan for this post...you are inspiring. Thank you for this series. A reminder to always learn and relearn what you think you know, what you don't know, wish to know. A desire to know what we are ourselves.

Karen Dunbrook said...

Thanks Joan...this comes at such the perfect time. I am not liking anything I make these days, feeling uninspired and blah. Is it the weather, not enough sunshine, fresh air or am I just had it with this winter. I want to feel motivated and ready to create. I just sit there staring at my cs and not knowing what to do...ugh.
Will be watching, so happy to see you on PB.
xx Karen

Barbara said...

This is such an excellent concept and thank you for reminding us to use the inspiration that is available to us. I often go through those moments when nothing seems to work. Now when I look for inspiration, I'll be more analytical as you explained on the PB blog and I'm sure that will help. Thanks again and glad I found your blog!

Bobby said...

I saw your idea for this series on the Penny Black blog and am definitely intrigued. By now you probably have a number of these posts done and I will be looking for them. I think my style has changed drastically since I began card making but I'm rather happy with most of my creations. There are times though when I see designs that would let my style take that next step. I like what you had to say on the PB post about thinking you're a loser when comparing yourself to others and I know I'm not or ever will be what I call a "celebrity designer" but as long as people enjoy looking at and receiving my cards, what more can I ask for.