For funsies, I am doing some doodling during the month of November, following Doodle-A-Day prompts created by @ellolovey (You can follow too!) For the first day, my LEAVES sketch turned into kind of a scrapbook journal moment. Before drawing, Pazer & I decided to play a random game of Farkle, so I kept score in my sketchbook. I really have a hard time letting go & loosening up when I draw or paint, so I tried to push myself by using different mediums & extra bits of things I found in my crafty stash. (Even so, I know I could’ve gone much farther than I did.) I added a tiny painting of a leaf that I discovered in my pencil bag. Pazely painted it 7 years ago when we were in one of our toe painting seasons. Remember my #mastoepiece creations? 😂 I need to bring that back. It’s a great exercise for me, in letting go of perfection. (What is a Mastoepiece? I hold a paintbrush with my toes while painting. When the piece is dry I ink it by hand.) This sketch features my newest plant, which is actually a spider plant called Mandarin Orange. It looks nothing like a typical spider plant—& it has such lovely orange stems!! I got it from Amelia of @allaboutplantspnw 🥰❤️🪴 Day 1 includes washi tape, stickers, watercolor, ink, acrylic paint, & colored pencil. #doodleaday #doodleadaynov #whimsylovemakes #drawing #watercolorandink #leavessketch #mandarinorangespiderplant #plantlover #plants #sketchbook
Awwwww! 😍 . @onelifehenderson challenged families to a “Mas-Toe-Piece” contest during #OLKidsOnline on Sunday. Here is Briar’s artwork! . Can you guess what it is??? 😉 . #StanleyFamAdventures #BriarFamAdventures #ArtfulCreativity #OLKids #love #family #painting #MasToePiece
#mastoepiece Day 31 of #doodleadayaug is “mushroom”. One of my favorite outings with Pazely is when we went on a mushroom photo hunt in the fall in a park in Alaska a couple years ago. I think it’s one of her favorite times with me too. ❤️🍄 This sketch is from a photo I snapped on that particular day. I love that it makes me feel like autumn, with all those crunchy leaves & warm colors. 🍁 • • I am so thankful that this monthly drawing challenge is complete. I’m only 6 days late. Though I am a slow-poke, I am determined. I had so much fun letting go & loosening up in my drawing practices—which was the whole point of painting with my toes. That, & stepping away from needing perfection. I always find it fun to look back at my paintings & find my favorites—& even acknowledge the ones I struggled with. What’s really cool is when the ones you struggled with become your favorites. (That would be the keychain in the “adventure” prompt. 😊 Funny thing is, it’s also the messiest of all the paintings. But I love it.) Things I learned: •I still wrestle with finding my personal artistic style, & loving it. I am learning that the more I draw & paint, the more I will discover what that is. •I have found it very refreshing this last year+ to create for myself. To not make or draw or knit or write for profit. But just for me. •I still enjoy drawing organic shapes: nature, flowers, etc. •I still dislike straight lines. 😜 •Animals are my least favorite to draw, but it makes me want to practice that subject matter more. My cats will be my muse. •It still amazes me that some of the drawings I HATE are some of the drawings that are the favorites of others. 🤷🏼♀️ •I am guilty of comparison & wanted to give up many times in this challenge when I looked at other artist’s work. •I love creating & making. And though I don’t necessarily have time to DRAW everyday, I need to find at least several minutes to do SOMETHING creative every day. #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #mushroom #fungi #fall #autumn
#mastoepiece Day 30 of #doodleadayaug is “fountain”. I flashed back to the old-school fountains I remember drinking from in school—which are very much in existence today. All I know is they are so disgusting—you will never again find my lips near one. Ew. I mean, despite all the germs & diseases that cover these fountains, it’s a miracle many of us are still alive today. I suppose drinking from these could be considered a childhood rite of passage. 😂 In my opinion these fountains should be outlawed. 😜 #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #fountain *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.*
#mastoepiece Day 29 of #doodleadayaug is “crown”. I used to make floral crowns from clovers. I never learned the braid or twist technique. I’d slice part of the stem with my fingernail & slide a clover through, repeating until the end, where I’d tie it in a knot. One of the most fun things as a mommy is teaching your kids how to make these. #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #clovercrown #clover #crown *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.*
#mastoepiece Day 28 of #doodleadayaug is “slow”. Speaking of slow, I’m finally catching up in this challenge. 😜 Story of my life when it comes to doing these drawing prompts. I don’t know how people do this EVERY day. 🤷🏼♀️ (Three more to go!) #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #snail #slow
#mastoepiece Day 27 of #doodleadayaug is “bag”. This is a sketch of a bag I’ve had for years, made from recycled plastic bottles. I use it a lot on long car trips to hold art supplies, snacks, & books. *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.* #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #bag #recycledbag
#mastoepiece Day 26 of #doodleadayaug is “panda”. Here’s a peek into my bathroom cabinet. I am a fan of Korean beauty products in fun packaging. This panda facial cream is just that. *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.* #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #panda #koreanbeautyproduct #kbeauty #bathroomcabinet
#mastoepiece Day 25 of #doodleadayaug is “basket”. I wasn’t ever really into baskets until I started getting into plants earlier this year. Yard sales & thrift stores are my favorite go-to spots for baskets. They definitely add warmth to a space. *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.* #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #nikssketches #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #basket #plants #houseplants
#mastoepiece Day 24 of #doodleadayaug is “adventure”. My almost-17-year-old finally got her driver’s permit. So driving this week with her has been an ADVENTURE. I sure wish her dad would take over this adventure. 😂😂😂 *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.* #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #adventure #keys #carkeys #firsttimedriver #keychain
#mastoepiece Day 23 of #doodleadayaug is “pencil”. As a kid I remember trying to sharpen my pencil & making it a challenge to get as long of a pencil shaving as I could. You know, because I wasn’t a nerd or anything. 🤓 ❤️ ✏️ *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.* #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #pencil #pencilshavingcontest #pencilshavings
#mastoepiece Day 22 of #doodleadayaug is “outfit”. Here is a dreamy fall outfit I’d love to own someday. I’m dying for a pair of overalls! And those fall colors get me every time. #swoon I can’t wait for the heat to subside. *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.* #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #outfit #fall #falloutfit #autumnwardrobe
#mastoepiece Day 21 of #doodleadayaug is “vegetables”. This picture was a sampling of some veggies I recently harvested from my parents’ garden. *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.* #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #vegetables
#mastoepiece Day 20 of #doodleadayaug is “dog”. One of my favorite doggies (besides a huggable St. Bernard or a loveable golden retriever or a sweet lab) is a Bassett Hound. *Painted with my toes, inked by my hand.* #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #bassetthound #dog
#mastoepiece Day 19 of #doodleadayaug is “backpack”. This is Pazely’s backpack. I LOVE it. We are big @vans fans in this family. The girls got their schedules at the high school today. Nervous butterflies are beginning to flutter for my sophomore & junior/college student. School starts in exactly one week! *Painted with my feet, inked by hand. (This one made me a little bit dizzy! 🥴) #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #vans #backpack #schoolsupplies #vansfam
#mastoepiece Day 18 of #doodleadayaug is “window”. The girls & I always thought it would be cool to have a house with a giant window seat, complete with cozy pillows, lots of space to spread out & lounge for reading or sketching or dreaming... *Painted with my feet, inked by hand. #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #window
#mastoepiece Day 17 of #doodleadayaug is “bee”. I spied this teeny tiny bee with some pollen on its legs in my parents’ garden. I was curious how it gets the pollen off its legs, so I did some research. Foraging bees collect pollen, bring it back to the hive & deposit it into a cell by wiping it off their bodies & back legs with some smaller back legs. Then, a worker bee packs the pollen in the cell with its head. Nature is so cool! *Painted with my feet, inked by hand. #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #bee #nature #flower
#mastoepiece Day 16 of #doodleadayaug is “lemon”. I did something a little different this time, where I inked the drawing first by hand (instead of pencil) & THEN painted it with my toes. I always feel like I have to have a guideline of either pencil or ink laid down first. Although, in the “cook” drawing prompt, the crockpot was painted with no guidelines. I liked the freedom in that, in the way it looked after it was all done. But why is it so scary for me to just let go like that ALL the time? Thus, this month’s experiment of toe painting to help me loosen up. I’ll get there. #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #draw #doodle #sketch #paint #watercolor #icedtea #lemon #nikssketches
#mastoepiece Day 15 of #doodleadayaug is “cookie”. (I’m all caught up now!) I needed inspiration for this one. 😉 So while I was at the grocery store this afternoon I got these candy cookies for the girls. So far I have resisted eating any. #draw #doodle #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #cookie #nikssketches
#mastoepiece (I wrote a caption for this but it disappeared!) Anyway, this is day 14 of #doodleadayaug & it’s my favorite so far: pots. This painting includes another thrifted item I purchased yesterday: the “Aloe-ha” terra-cotta pot. It’s amazing to me how these paintings transform once the ink is added. My girls literally laugh at the colorful blobs I toe paint. I don’t take offense. It IS silly. But then it’s fun to watch their mouths gape open as they ooh & aah at the “after”. 😊 #doodle #draw #paint #sketch #watercolor #nikssketches #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #houseplants #houseplantclub #houseplantcommunity #iloveplants #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantnewbie #plantmom #niksplantlife #niksplantpots #plantgang #indoorplants #plantaddict #houseplantsofinstagram #plantlady #plantlover #plantlife #indoorgarden #homedecor
#mastoepiece Day 13 of #doodleadayaug is “sleeping”, something my cats know very well. Here is Samson in his favorite right corner of the couch. I need to practice drawing my cats more. In general I don’t like drawing animals. I just need more practice in figuring out how I want to lay down the fur—trying different styles & mediums. I liked this picture better before the ink was added. Even the Micron 005 pen seemed too thick. #draw #sketch #doodle #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #nikssketches #sleeping #cat #samsonthepetcat #orangecat
#mastoepiece Day 12 of #doodleadayaug is “drink”. Well, I chose tea, of course! ☕️ Oh man, this drawing was a total mess up. But I’m gonna just leave it here & move on to the next one. 😑 It’s not even the parts I paint with my toes that annoy me. It’s the stuff I’m doing by hand! Haha! #draw #sketch #doodle #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #nikssketches #tea #drink
#mastoepiece Day 11 of #doodleadayaug is “caterpillar”. This one made me sweaty. Painting all those little lines with my big shaky toes? 😂 #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #caterpillar #nature
#mastoepiece Day 10 of #doodleadayaug is “nighttime”. My youngest & I had some stovetop s’mores a few evenings ago. She & I are night owl buddies, sometimes involved in creativeness or shenanigans in the late hours. #doodle #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #marshmallows #smores #stovetopsmores #nikssketches
#mastoepiece Day 9 of #doodleadayaug is “automobile”. I referred to a photo I took of an old truck in a random field—a common sight when we lived in Nebraska. This drawing prompt was a hard one. Sketching vehicles is not my favorite. In fact, I avoid this subject at all costs. 🤪 #draw #sketch #paint #doodle #watercolor #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #nikssketches #automobile #truck #chevrolet #nebraska
#mastoepiece Day 8 of #doodleadayaug is “lettering”. Though I would LOVE to be awesome at hand-lettering, I am not. So for this prompt I chose this scene in my kitchen. I’ve had these wooden EAT letters forever. When we move (which is a lot) I always hang them right away for some instant happy. #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #draw #doodle #sketch #paint #watercolor #eat #lettering #kitchenscene #stilllife #nikssketches #draw
#mastoepiece Day 7 of #doodleadayaug is “fire”. Those classic flaming onion towers at hibachi restaurants are always a fun use of fire. 🔥 And just to recap, I’m painting with my toes during this challenge. Holding a paintbrush with my feet, but inking by hand. It’s a weird little (fun) exercise for myself,—to loosen up, to let go, to steer away from trying to get everything perfect. #paintwithyourtoes #paintwithyourfeet #draw #sketch #doodle #paint #watercolor #hibachi #flamingonion #fire #fujiyama #restaurant #nikssketches
#mastoepiece Day 6 of #doodleadayaug is “accessory”. Several years ago I wrote a short story about adoption in my own personal journal. It has a children’s story vibe. The gist of the story is this: a baby hedgehog is adopted by a mommy & daddy bunny. For Mother’s Day a few years ago I gave my mom & I matching necklaces. Both ball-chain necklaces have 3 charms on them: We each have our own initials, we each have each other’s birth stone, & I have a hedgehog, while she has a bunny. Clothing, accessories, makeup, hair—I am clueless when it comes to all that. Even though I don’t wear a lot of jewelry, I DO wear this necklace more than any of my other accessories. #draw #doodle #sketch #watercolor #mastoepiece #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #jewelry #necklace #accessory #nikssketches
#mastoepiece Day 5 of #doodleadayaug: cooking. I painted a pic of my crockpot, which has to be my favorite item in the kitchen. Although I don’t use it as much as I would like to, I’m loving using it in the summer when it’s too hot to turn on the oven. 🥵 This painting had me all kinds of frustrated. I had a pen problem. I was left with thick pen tips because my smaller ones are just about dried up from use. Not only did I paint this using my toes, but it looks like I inked it with my feet also. 😂 I need new pens. I’m honestly not a fan of the prismacolor pens. Need to get back to my microns! Which means a trip to the craft store. #draw #paint #watercolor #sketch #toepainting #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #mastoepiece #crockpot #cooking #nikssketches
#mastoepiece Today’s prompt of “friendship” on day 4 of #doodleadayaug comes on National Friendship Day. I thought of my mom for this one. She’s my best friend, really. We both love yard sales, Indian food, & plants. We love visiting & laughing over cups of tea (me) & coffee (her). And our birthdays are 2 weeks apart. #friendship #draw #sketch #doodle #watercolor #toepainting #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #mastoepiece #nikssketches
#mastoepiece Day 3 of the #doodleadayaug was “routine”. Something that’s been a big part of my routine in the last year is ironing. The Mr. has a “uniform” of sorts (khaki pants + a collared button-up white shirt) for his job—& I’m the one that makes the clothes all pressed & presentable every day. I would say I have a love/hate thing with the iron. I really don’t love ironing. But I love that, at least for this season in my life, I get to stay home & take care of my family, my cats, my plants, & my house. 😂 Zoey joined me for my toe painting session yesterday. I love that my girls have just accepted how weird their mom is. 😂🦶🖌🎨 Also, this drawing challenge is giving me life. Check out the rest of the drawing prompts for this month. Join in! It’s so fun to see what everyone creates. ❤️ #draw #sketch #doodle #watercolor #toepainting #paintwithyourfeet #paintwithyourtoes #mastoepiece #iron #routine #paint #nikssketches
#mastoepiece Day 2 of #doodleadayaug: “Geometric” Painting with your feet/toes is not easy! My feet get so wiggly—I was worried about the geometric drawing prompt with the addition of my jittery limbs. But, surprisingly, I think this crystal cluster turned out ok! I am already LOVING how painting with my toes is loosening me up. It’s a mess. It’s a really big colorful mess. And it’s a challenge to take that blob of color & make it into something recognizable. But, oh, it’s so much fun. I love how these little sketches/paintings aren’t taking me very long to create, too. I’m usually the slowest doodler on the planet! But I’ve used a much smaller sketchbook this go-around & I think that’s helping. #draw #sketch #paint #watercolor #paintingwithyourfeet #mastoepiece #purple #crystalcluster #geometric #paintwithyourtoes #nikssketches
Ok, first of all I’m taking part in the #doodleadayaug by @ellolovey. Hop on over & check out the drawing prompts for this month. It’s definitely not too late to join! Secondly, this might be a very weird exercise, but all month long I’ll be painting with my toes. 🦶😂 The girls & I did this a long while ago. I loved it then & always wanted to give it another go. Now, I thought, was the perfect time. We call each painting a #mastoepiece 😂😂😂 It’s about learning to loosen up, let go, step away from trying to have everything perfect. And it’s ridiculous fun!!! I paint by holding a brush with my toes, but ink the paintings by hand. Today’s drawing prompt was “mountains”. It’s a scene looking out the window of the car, at mountains in Alaska, as my family & I were headed to the airport in Anchorage from Nikiski. The mountains were so big, overlapping each other, jutting out of the inlet. I had a big pile of blankets next to me that were overlapping in a similar silhouette. #nikssketches #paint #toepainting #sketch #draw #watercolor #paintwithyourfeet
MAKE STUFF: 204/366 Zoey was so disappointed when she painted this "blue blob with yellow" yesterday during our toe painting session. She was trying to make a teapot. She hated it. But I saw something beautiful in her #mastoepiece & I asked her if I could ink it. So glad she didn't throw it away. She loves our collab! #zoeymommycollab #nikkimakesstuff #sketch #draw #sketchbook #teapot #blue #yellow #teatime #watercolor #ink #nikssketches
MAKE STUFF: 203/366 Another toe painting. #mastoepiece #watercolor Inked by hand. #gnome #mushroom #toepainting #sketchbook #sketch #paint #artistsofinstagram #nikkimakesstuff #nikssketches
I put a little video together of the girls & I toe painting as I'm recapping last week's Summer School on the blog. #mastoepiece #toepainting #feetpainting #mansgirlssummerschool2016 #summerfun
MAKE STUFF: 181/366 This is another #masTOEpiece I painted yesterday. (The girls & I used our feet & toes to paint. We tried both acrylic & watercolors.) I decided to add some ink today (with my hands) & I really love how it turned out. This is a flower from my parents' backyard, a beard tongue. A little bee flew right by my picture when I snapped this shot. I love the shadow of his antennae! #beardtongue #toepainting #feetpainting #artwithkids #nikkimakesstuff #watercolors #art #DIY #create #paint #flowers #paintflowers #nikssketches
MAKE STUFF: 180/366 This is my mas-toe-piece. The girls & I painted with our feet & toes. This is an acrylic of a giant polka-dotted bow in a little girl's hair. What a challenge---what concentration! And my feet are so wiggly when I paint. We also tried holding a paintbrush in our toes & used watercolors. (More on that later.) Lots of fun today! #nikkimakesstuff #paint #masTOEpiece #paintingwithfeet #art #acrylics #summerfun #paintingwithtoes #mansgirlssummerschool2016 #DIY #create