Well I managed to take some photos this week and am happy to be able to share some of them here. I am really loving all of the rainbow colors that are popping up all over the desert landscape. It has definitely been inspiring my fountain pen sketches. It has been so hot and sunny here, which has been so lovely after our long, cold, snowy winter in Canada. We took the kids for some sight seeing yesterday, and while it was absolutely roasting hot for us, we were able to do a bit of hiking and it was totally worth it. The kids couldn’t get over how beautiful the landscape is here, and we have been so happy to share it with them. I find it interesting that there is so much red earth here, as it reminds me a lot of where my mom grew up in Prince Edward Island.

I must say, there is endless inspiration here. The textures and colors are truly amazing. And I think in all the seasons there will be different textures to appreciate and capture. I am so thankful for the beauty of God’s creation all around us.

My plan for this trip was to pack super minimal art supplies because we drove to Texas in a minivan with 7 people and I wasn’t sure how much room we would have. My husband ended up buying a roof rack last minute, and although facing a lot of elements, we were able to store all of our luggage on top of the van, and so in hindsight I really could have packed along a whole lot more art supplies. On the trip I decided to splurge and bought myself these Kingart markers which you can see on the swatch card, and have been using them to color in some desert plants that I have been sketching with my fountain pen. I’m hoping to fill up many pages while I’m here. I brought along a few tubes of watercolor, and though they are not the best quality, they do the job. I’m making one sketchbook with watercolor florals, and another one I started yesterday doing patterns with markers when I need something a bit more brainless.

I have so many of these art journal spreads to share (I spent many an early morning working on these this winter), and so I thought I better keep including them in my posts. I enjoy the contrast in these pages and the strong black and white elements. And of course rainbows and rainbow color schemes are my thing. I can’t remember where I got the doily patterned paper, I think I got a book of doily images at the thrift store. As a Dutch girl, doilies are always a must. Whenever you get items passed down from your elderly relatives, you know you are getting at least a handful of intricate doilies.

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks for stopping by!