How do I start? Too many options for an indecisive soul. I'm that shopper staring at toothpick boxes for 10 minutes deciding between round & flat. I need a plan for this journey. (Fail to plan and you plan to fail...) Work through the Drawing Lab exercises or stick with 642 Things to Draw? Sketch a traditional still life or the cat or the dog or my feet on the couch? Indecision is a bit crippling. Ugh.
I have maybe decided to simply start making marks and see where the line takes me. Realism, cartoon or abstract, we'll see what happens. Yeah, we'll go with that. Then we can mix it up as we go.
Open the Sketchbook Day aka D(raw) Day aka aaaaaaaagh . . . is tomorrow. I know there are much more important and serious things going on in this world, but in this little corner - I'm excited, anxious, nervous, elated, scared, brave, sick, giddy, paranoid . . . you get the picture.
Showing posts with label 642 Things to Draw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 642 Things to Draw. Show all posts
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Mom, just paint SOMETHING!
My daughter moved into her first college apartment last month. "Mom, paint something for my wall." I've heard it several times now, but I just don't know what to do.
Over the years, my parents gave me various sketchbooks and pestered me now and then to draw again. It hasn't stuck. My daughter is the antagonist now. Two years ago she bought me 642 Things to Draw. A fantastic book of prompts & blank space. I drew exactly 3 things. Last year she gave me a lovely wooden box with an easel & drawers filled with inexpensive paints to play with and rediscover my painter. I love it! I used it twice. For Mother's Day, I received The Artist's Way - a book I had borrowed once from my writer sister, but never did anything with. Now I was determined to follow the 12 week plan it set forth. I wrote the required daily pages... 3 times. Rats - started over a month later... didn't last. Started over again... yeah, not going anywhere. I still want to get back to it, but so far - anything I have to do in the morning? Not happening folks. The one daughter gift I have used more is a book of mandalas to color in. My theory - you don't have to think. Pick up the colored pencils and just fill it in. So, I'm carrying that theory into my sketchbook - not a lot of thought (yet) - just do.
Over the years, my parents gave me various sketchbooks and pestered me now and then to draw again. It hasn't stuck. My daughter is the antagonist now. Two years ago she bought me 642 Things to Draw. A fantastic book of prompts & blank space. I drew exactly 3 things. Last year she gave me a lovely wooden box with an easel & drawers filled with inexpensive paints to play with and rediscover my painter. I love it! I used it twice. For Mother's Day, I received The Artist's Way - a book I had borrowed once from my writer sister, but never did anything with. Now I was determined to follow the 12 week plan it set forth. I wrote the required daily pages... 3 times. Rats - started over a month later... didn't last. Started over again... yeah, not going anywhere. I still want to get back to it, but so far - anything I have to do in the morning? Not happening folks. The one daughter gift I have used more is a book of mandalas to color in. My theory - you don't have to think. Pick up the colored pencils and just fill it in. So, I'm carrying that theory into my sketchbook - not a lot of thought (yet) - just do.
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| Monkeys sleeping at the end of Too Many Monkeys. A favorite bit of the last illustration. |
From realism to idea sketching to the final page - Here's a bit of the creative process for the children's book my sister wrote and talked me into illustrating 5 years ago - Too Many Monkeys. She's also persistent & I am grateful.
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| Marmosets in the banana line & Mandrills "sharing" ice cream. |
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