B2S DIY Notebook

Hi guys! Some of you may have already gone back to school but there's still time to make your notebook cute! Today I'll be showing you how to make a collage notebook! On the right you can see my DIY collage notebook! Cute right? The best thing about this tutorial is that it can be completely different to mine! Here's the simple tutorial:
1.) Find a plain, cheap notebook that you will be decorating!
2.) Choose a cute piece of paper that can fit your notebook!
3.) Cut it to size. You can either have just the front covered or both the front and back covered! It's up to you!
4.) Stick the paper down
5.) Look for images online of your favourite things or just search for pretty things!
6.) Put them all on a word document and print them off!
7.) Cut them out carefully and arrange them on the notebook.
8.) One by one, glue them to the front cover.
9.) Fill the empty space with things like washi tape, sequins, glitter, buttons ect.
10.) Enjoy your unique notebook!

That's just the start of creating your own notebook! You can see in the pictures above that I have done some cool things inside the book as well! On the left there is a picture of the first page. On the first page of the notebook, I stuck lots of motivational quotes that I can look at whenever I want to! I got all of these quotes off of google images and printed them off! On the right, I have another page in my notebook! I have decided that on every page there will be an activity on the left and a notes page on the right! In this particular picture I have chosen to put a mini 'adult colouring book' page on it. On every notes page I have chosen a cute sticker to decorate it with! 

You don't have to do this with your notebook! Here are some more ideas for the inside of your notebook:

.write your timetable inside it

.write down your homework and when you have to give it in

.use it as a sketchbook/doodle book (you can't doodle in your exercise books)

.write down story ideas (if you're a writer)

.write down blog post ideas (if you're a blogger)

.write down lyrics to songs (if you need to learn a song)

.write down a script (if you're in a play)

.write down music notes (if you're a...you get the point)

.write translation pages for the language you're learning

There's so much you can do with your DIY notebook! I hope you try out this simple tutorial!

PS: Don't forget to check out my giveaway that's going on at the moment by clicking here!

My Terrific Ten Art Tips-Guest Post with 5 Star Artists

Hiya! I’m Kenza, author of 5 Star Writers and 5 Star Artists, an enthusiastic writer and artist who enjoys… you got it, writing and drawing! XD Today I’m hosting a guest post collab with Megan, which we’ve been really excited to share with you guys and hope you’ll enjoy!! :D For my part of the collab, I have decided to share ‘My Terrific Ten Art Tips’ . This is my first detailed art tutorial, put together especially for this collaboration, so I’ve done my best to choose art tips that would help all those artists out there willing to draw something awesome!

Be sure to check out Megan’s post, ‘What’s In My Sketchbook’ which is now featured on my art blog! You are guaranteed to like it!

If you’re interested in this post, please do check out my art blog, 5 Star Artists for more. I always do my best to share things that’ll interest my watchers. :)

Enjoy! :3

1) Start with the Eyes: When drawing characters (animated character fanart especially), I recommend you start drawing the eyes before anything else. (However, don’t of course go into detail until you’ve drawn everything else.) Not only does it help get the proportions right, it also helps you draw the eye in a more accurate way. Moreover, eyes are known to be what define a character’s appearance.

2) Play Music: This isn’t absolutely necessary, but I find that music makes drawing feel less time-consuming. When I draw, I’ll find a track that best fits the thing I’m drawing, say Let It Go when I’m drawing Elsa, Zen Ball Master when I’m drawing Po, I Can’t Wait To Be King when I’m drawing Simba, etc. … it doesn’t even have to have lyrics. Another interesting thing is that lots of artists out there are inspired by music to draw something. It’s cool!

3) Practise Drawing Hands: Hands are known to be one of the most complicated body parts to draw, according to most artists. They have a random form that is hard to copy. The best you can do is practise drawing them. Every so often, when I have the time, I’ll think, okay, I’m going to draw some hands again. I’ll get my spare art book (I totally recommend getting a spare one – it doesn’t even have to be heavyweight) and I’ll sketch some different hand shapes, either hands of animated characters (this is a good way to start) or of real hands. Try Elsa (Frozen) if you can – her hands always make interesting shapes and the good thing about it is that it gets you practising the easy way.

4) Draw Hairstyles: I personally find drawing hairstyles one of the most fun parts of drawing a character. Why? Because you can get really crazy and creative with them. I would also recommend practising them. When drawing hair, be sure to start at the parting. It helps a lot. Furthermore, if you draw a manga character, be sure to draw a hair line. This helps get the hair in an accurate position.

5) Use References: Almost all artists use references when they draw. References are there for everything… to inspire, to get things accurate, to help you develop your own style, and so on. Honestly, I don’t recall doing any good art pieces without using a reference. Bear in mind, there’s no restriction to how many references you can use. The more you use, the better!

6) Try Different Ranges Of Pencils: Okay, so this really does help when you draw, believe me. There are lots of artists out there who just use an HB pencil (I don’t blame you if you do, though, because of course a lot of people only have HBs as they’re also handy for writing. XD). You can get different ranges everywhere (good quality ones include Faber Castell, Royal & Langnickel and Derwent Academy). I recommend a set of 6B-5H if you can, but 3B-2H at least. Most people start their drawings with a 6B because it’s softer and easy to rub out. I, personally, then use a 2H (sometimes I even start with a 2H when doing fanart, haha) and a 5H for extra details. When you’re doing eyelashes, try a (sharpened!) 2B – it works better. Whatever you do, *SHARPEN YOUR PENCILS*. (Okay, I think I’d better stop my lecture on pencils now… XD)

7) Go Over In Ink Pens: I could go on forever about ink pens, but for now I tell you, not only do inks pens make your art stand out, they also preserve it for longer. If you don’t, you’ll soon find that the pencil lines smudge (Especially 6Bs. Most definitely.) When doing thin lines or eyes, I use a very fine tip, either an XS Calligraphy Pen or an ink pen of 0.05. When doing thicker lines, I use an S Calligraphy Pen or an ink pen of 0.1+.

8) Perfect Your Artwork: Once you’ve finished what you’re drawing, perfect it. Just try. Correct the proportions, add on more details, etc. Anything, anything at all that makes your picture look better. You’ll be glad you did it, because if you race ahead and colour, there’s a good chance you won’t be happy with the results in the end and it’ll be too late. Lesson learned (the easy way). (excuse the handwriting in this one)

9) Use A Manikin: If you’re drawing a person, and you aren’t copying something, then use a manikin. They help a ton, believe me. You can easily twist the wooden body parts into the shape you desire (jumping, sitting, waving, the splits, a pirouette, anything). Just copy it, draw the outfit on top and then rub out the manikin shapes. I know it sounds a bore, but it’s easier done than said! You can buy them in shops like The Works. I’ve got a small one and a big one (personally, I think the big one is better).

10) Compare Your Artwork: If you ask me, comparing artwork and looking back at your old pieces is an important thing for an artist. We all improve by learning from our mistakes and the only way to do that is facing our mistakes (even our worst fails). If you do fail an art piece, don’t rub it out. It’ll help you improve looking back at it in future. I don’t mean to be superior about my artwork, but I’ll admit I’ve improved a lot over the past year. (As for the old ones in this picture, I drew them over a year ago).

I also have some bonus tips to share with you guys!
1) Try reflecting your artwork (all you need to do is hold your artwork in front of a mirror and all the mistakes you haven’t noticed will show up – it’s a really cool life hack!)
2) Sharpen your pencils (yes, I’ve mentioned this in tip #6, but I just need to emphasise how much this helps when drawing)
3) Buy a heavyweight art book (they may be higher in price, but they’re absolutely, totally worth it… otherwise, get an art book over 139gsm… you see, if you don’t, it’s easy for pens/paints to sink through the paper or rip when you keep rubbing out – and we all know that’s totally annoying.)
4) Start with a rough sketch without pressing hard (otherwise, you might find later that you’ve made a mistake and can’t correct it easily)
5) Doodle (true fact: it gives you ideas and even helps you think, Zentangles especially)
6) Don’t be afraid to make mistakes (if you don’t make mistakes, then you won’t improve, so it’s perfectly fine if you do!)
7) And most importantly, KEEP PRACTISING! :D (whether you decide to follow any of these art tips or not, just keep practising… you want to draw a complicated mansion, a detailed dinosaur, a beautiful background? Just keep going at it and you’ll be a master of it in time to come.)

Thanks for reading! It’s been a pleasure to write for Megan’s blog and I hope you artists out there learned a thing or two from this! :D Keep drawing and keep your imagination racing!

Note from Me:

It was lots of fun writing with kenza and for her brilliant blog-so please check out 5 Star Artists to see what other amazing posts she has come up with! You can find my guest post 'What's in my Sketchbook' in her blog too! I hope you enjoyed this collab! Let me know in the comments what your favourite tip of hers was! Also, please check out the giveaway going on at the moment on my blog, by clicking here.