Confession

Super quick post.  I made a pit stop at the blog today and began feeling awfully guilty.  So, I confess that I have barely drawn since my last post.  Sigh.  A bit too preoccupied with other randomness.  However, today I'm schlepping through my daughter's online FAFSA form - which is made more complicated by the fact that we have a family farm, but live in town.  Ridiculous... that's a whole other rant.  Anyway - It should be done by tomorrow and I will absolutely positively definitely be sketching after it is submitted.  Back to the grindstone.

The Envelope Please...

And the award goes to.. me!  Eeek!  (That's a good eek.)  Yup, I won and I'm probably happier about that than I am the recent snowstorm and, considering I'm obsessed with snow, that's a lot!

Over there on the right side of the page are several artist or art-related blogs I follow.  While browsing the blogs a few weeks ago, I noticed Kristy at Flying Shoes Art Studio was having a contest in appreciation of her followers.  Briefly explain why you love art and the favorite reply would win a print of "Artist."  Really?  Fantastic!  I've admired her work and that piece in particular since I discovered it last fall.  I dug into the ole brain and, after multiple rewrites, came up with a short statement - "Art seeks me - reveals despair, joy, angst, peace - entreats my soul to fill the page... to lift hearts.  I seek art - as comfort, as challenge, as breath."  I wanted to run it by my writer sister, but she wasn't paying attention to our chat window so I clicked submit.

A week or so later & there was a message waiting on this blog ... and it wasn't from my sister!  (That didn't come out right - I always like hearing from you sis.)  It was Kristy - I'd won!  I gave her my info.  She gave me some great advice and encouragement.   Kristy announced the winner today on her blog and included links to my blogs!  (This one & my rambling The wind blew me here.)  I just came in from trying to draw in the snow and there it was.  I am flattered and honored and nervous.  If you're visiting my blog for the first time, you'll find my story in What is this trek? and a few of the first posts back in September.

Though I didn't submit visual art and it may not seem big to long-time practicing artists, this feels like another milestone.  No matter where the sketchbook leads me, this print will always be symbolic of my journey.   And the encouragement that resulted from pushing that submit button will be treasured.  Thanks Kristy!

Tomato - Tomahto

The tax man has our paperwork and I can get back to the sketchbook.  Wading through receipts slows art production, but not completely.  My daughter gave me a lovely mushy Valentine's card that begged to be recreated in watercolor.  And, during a few late night wind down sessions, that's what I did.  No photos to share just yet.

I can share these fruits of my labor...  See what I did there?  Sorry, couldn't resist.  Prior to the tax interruption, two color pencil tomatoes appeared in the pocket Moleskine.  On the left: older Faber-Castell pencils that came with a colored pencil booklet (purchased years ago - used once).  On the right: Prismacolor pencils.  I'm wondering if the FC pencils are a cheaper version. I wasn't impressed with the feel or color.  Perhaps a different paper choice would help.  Whatever the reason, I prefer the Prismacolor.  Now I'm curious what good old Crayola pencils would do... saving the next Moleskine page for one more tomato.

Art Before Taxes

Our tax man appointment is next week - early because of FAFSA due soon.  The 30 Day Challenge is in a holding pattern.  I am NOT giving up.  I AM doing paperwork.  Bleh.  Not my favorite kind of paperwork, but life's not all watercolor rainbows and happy stickmen.

Until next time - a few recent sketchbook pages...

The leaves were a natural for my first go at water soluble graphite pencils.
The sketchbook (start of this trek in that book) grew from an evening of dot, dot, dot...

I discovered posemaniacs.com last month - a website of figures in multiple poses.  It is a boon for those of us not terribly excited to wander around searching for moving strangers to sketch.  The changing pose option is fantastic for rapid gesture sketching - trying to capture just the line and movement of the figures.

A study of water drops (from photos).  We'll pretend the big ones are marbles.  Next time using real water.

Stick(man) It!

Let me make this perfectly clear.  Anyone, I mean AN-EE-ONE, can keep a sketchbook or drawn journal!  Drawing ability is irrelevant.  It's all about making marks.  The act of scribbling on paper is therapeutic.  It can be literal scribbles, stick figures, recognizable shapes, or words mingling with drawings.  I know I neglected my art for most of my adult-ness, but I've been inspired and I want to get other people in on this.  So, several family members received some kind of sketchbook and drawing supplies for Christmas.  They laughed when I told them not to just hand the nice sketchbooks and quality drawing pens & pencils to their grand kids.  Grown ups need to play too!  One brother has an obvious natural talent.  He probably laughed the most.

A month later, that same brother sent me a birthday card with a stick figure preprinted on it and commented how this is what his drawing efforts would look like now.  A statement which makes it obvious he is ignoring my pushy art supplies.

So, this one's for my gift-ignoring brother.  A full page of quick stick figures.  Now pick up that lonely sketchbook or calendar page & DRAW A FEW OF YOUR OWN.  Yes, I just yelled that.

Gifting from the Sketchbook

And now a flashback to December...  I enjoy creating art and creating in general (usually).  I also get a kick out of finding and giving gifts that mean something to the recipient.  The two loves merged this past Christmas season.  Dusty 1950's-ish melamine plates from my childhood, stored away years ago by my nostalgic parents, were cleaned up and put in shadow boxes with a background of words heard around our family table.  Gifts for my siblings.  Remember the vacation art inspired by the quilt store side trip in Arizona?  That sketch was recreated with a touch of color and gifted to Mom.  There were more art related gifts, but we'll get to that in a future post.

Side note 1:  Sorry about the glare folks.  I neglected to photograph this before framing it.  After my son literally shed blood getting out the exceptionally tight-fitting glass of the floating frame (glass front and back), I didn't want to ask him to do it again so I could get a decent photo.

Side note 2:  The 30 Day Drawing Challenge continues with some progress - practicing some "real" art.  More on that soon.