From the Other Journal: Mandalas

When I wrote that November was going to be a quieter, less busy month than October, I was wrong.  Very wrong.  November was much, much busier than October.

Back at the beginning of the month, when things weren't that busy yet, I began to draw these mandalas with my new Pitt Artist Pens, inspired by Tammy's lovely and intricate black and white mandalas over at Daisy Yellow, a great blog to check out if you are looking for inspiration.  She also manages to post daily, something that continues to amaze me.  These days, I'm lucky if I manage a post a week!

"The Hill."  Nov. 7, 2010.  Pitt Artist Pen (fine and super-fine) in Heinz Jordan Sketchbook.

 My first mandalas were a bit awkward and clumsy-looking, but they've improved since then, so much so that I was even more daring by adding a bit of colour to the second mandala shown here.  The first mandala (drawn while I was sitting at the top of a hill, hence the title) is probably my favourite of the two.  I love the curves and the combination of white space and areas of dense lines.

"Starry Night."  Nov. 9, 2010.  Pitt Artist Pen (fine and super fine) and Staedtler Triplus Fineliners in Heinz Jordan Sketchbook.

As the semester is drawing to a close, the things I need to do are gradually becoming less, and I have finally had time to begin working in my art journal again, so hopefully I'll be able to share some pages with you in the near future.  There are a few more reviews I want to write as well, and I'm also planning a "Top Ten of 2010" post for the end of the year.

Finally, I'd like to mention that I just received a email today telling me that A Penchant for Paper had been chosen as one of the top pen and pencil blogs of 2010.  I have no idea how the blogs were selected, but I feel very honoured to have my blog included with some of my favourites such as The Pen Addict and pencil talk.  And hey, if people are giving me an award, I'm not going to argue with it!