I'm a bit of a sucker for a creative challenge, but of course there's never be enough time to take part in every one that comes along. For the last couple of years, though, I've really enjoyed doing Lisa Congdon's January creative challenges on Creativebug - so I was looking forward to this year's edition. In 2016 it was a daily drawing challenge, in 2017 it was a creative boot camp, and in 2018 it was a pattern painting challenge. Yay, right up my alley!
Each day in January, a new short class / demonstration video by Lisa was released, with a different painted pattern for participants to try their hand at. The medium of choice was gouache, although you could use a different medium if preferred. I was glad to get some further experience with gouache, which I haven't used much. It's a bit like watercolour paint, but more opaque and with a flat finish. The colours can be very intense, or diluted for a softer effect.
The first week consisted of traditional patterns, some of which are pictured in this blog post. We did gingham, basketweave, scallops, Argyle, chevron, paisley and harlequin patterns. I think a few of them have possibilities for turning into repeating patterns or developing further :)
I started the class thinking it would be a great way to stretch my creative muscles again after a bit of a break. It certainly has been that, but it's also been a great way to explore an unfamiliar medium, and to work on my brush technique in a surprisingly rigorous fashion - all those straight lines!
The second week was botanical patterns, which I'll cover in another blog post.