Dread Not, Draw More

Looking at the past few weeks, it might appear this artist is veering off course or losing focus... or something.  Not to worry.  I'm still trekking - still finding my way - still making it up as we go.

I had a minor epiphany last week.  You know when you're dreading something and that dread climbs on your shoulders and pulls down your arms until you grow exhausted from the weight of it?  Yeah.  That feeling kept hitting me as I contemplated a certain watercolor exercise.  Ridiculousness.  Some trepidation or discomfort is expected with new steps and I'm sure my inner critic was exaggerating the dread, but it was just too much.  Perhaps I was jumping in too far beyond my current abilities and comfort zone.  Whatever it was, I gave myself permission to step back and change course.   Hence the minor epiphany:  New paths will cause some anxiety, but they must also cause some excitement.  The good must outweigh the discomfort.

My goal is to do something to stay on the road every day.  Currently, I'm about 1/3 through Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.  The exercises are not difficult, but they are revealing some intriguing things I never really thought about when I'm drawing.  I highly recommend this book to anyone with any desire to learn to draw or improve their skills.

My drawing table yesterday: Drawing on the Right Side workbook on the page I just completed, remnants from the Sketchbook Project and a small card my sis sent me.  The card illustration is a stick version of DaVinci's Vitruvian Man by Jeffrey Metzner.  Check him out here.  The animations are hilarious, especially The Scream.

Up close...

Several ongoing adventures are keeping me busy and I'll share them soon.  Right now, it's time to draw.