Keyword: Ignore

So I did it. I ignored the pile of laundry. I ignored the pile of dishes (I didn’t ignore the dog – she wouldn’t let me). I just sat down and sketched! Now, I will admit that I’ve been slacking horribly, not practicing at all – so don’t laugh.

Sitting there, it just flowed. Everything that I learned in my class last year came back in a rush, but I’m still struggling with perspective. I did buy a copy of Betty Edwards Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain last year.
Did I sit down and start reading it? Weeeeeeeelllll…not really. I opened it! I read a few pages, I got bored and I put it away. I do that; I buy books that really interest me…until I start reading and realize that I couldn't tell you what the last five pages were about because my mind wandered. I have to be in the right frame of mind for a book lest I put them on the shelf, vowing I’ll get back to it. And I do…eventually. I think it may be time to pick it back up. I think it will have to become the new purse book (a book in the purse is a must! Esp. when you have time to kill at the chiropractor's office or lunch breaks when your stuck in the office).

And this little bird was just a doodle that took shape. I think I might work with this and add color. I keep seeing red in it...and maybe some sky blue and yellow. It just started looking very German folk art-ish.

I also think I need to pick up a little purse sized sketch book and pencils to keep with me. I tend to doodle on everything (esp. during staff meetings at work), so this would be a good thing to have, rather than a million scraps of loose paper that end up who knows where!

**update** Mum had an appointment near where I work, so she took me to lunch with a quick stop at the bookstore and art supply store where I picked up a small sketch book, pencils and an eraser...and you know I'm just itching to sketch! Thankfully only 45 more minutes left in the work day.

2

#1: As promised, the forgotten "What I learned Wednesday" photo

"Paper bags" - pastel charcoal and willow charcoal

It isn't really done; there are a few things that I need to touch up and erase, but I ran out of time in class. I was so shocked at how the erasing of certain areas really makes it pop out!

#2: The Dollhouse

So I'm making a dollhouse for my best friend for Christmas. The story is that when she was little (long before we ever met), her grandmother had this beautiful, huge, old dollhouse that my friend spent hours lovingly playing with every time she visited. She was absolutely in love with this dollhouse.

Secretly she thought of it as hers and knew in her heart that her grandmother, seeing how much she loved this dollhouse, cared for it and played ever so gently with it, would one day give it to her.

During one visit, while she was playing with this dollhouse, my friend let slip how one day she would love to have this dollhouse as her very own, but her grandmother exclaimed, "Oh no, this dollhouse isn't intended for you - I plan to give this to your cousin!" This cousin was mildly mentally challenged and always threw pieces around, trying to break things. My friend's little heart was broken, her spirit crushed and the next time she visited her grandparents, the dollhouse was gone, never to be played with by her again.

Upon hearing this story, my heart broke. After all these years, she still lamented the loss of that dollhouse (she's thirty now). I decided a few months back that I would find a dollhouse kit and make my friend her very own dollhouse. I found a kit for a Lafayette house on Ebay in September and little by little, as I can find what I wanted, I've been buying furniture.

I sat down last night and started to read the directions and familiarize myself with the pieces. As I looked at it I thought, "Well, maybe I'll just start the first couple of steps", then I did a couple more and a couple more until the first floor was almost finished! I'm so impressed with how easy it is! Take a look:

I just love the design! I'm thinking that I'll have to get another one and make it for myself! It's only 4 little rooms with a little spiral staircase and I'm in love with that little window seat (which will be the kitchen). Once I get the first floor partition in, I'll start to paint the downstairs. I'm thinking yellow for the kitchen (it'll go well with the green seat of the kitchen chairs) and the living room will be a victorian red. I haven't figured out the 2 upstairs rooms yet. Before I paint anything I really want to find out what colors she would like, but how do I do that without letting her know what I'm doing? I thought of posing the "What If" question of "What if you owned your own house, what colors would you use?" and follow up with "What would it look like? How would you paint the outside? How would you decorate?" etc. etc. but I couldn't just come out with that question. I need to be sneaky about it. I'll keep thinking on it and figure out how to get around to the House Color questions. I think I need to get her family involved!

Bummed

I had a great "What I learned Wednesday" planned for today, but I was running behind this morning and never took pictures of what I drew last night in class.

As you may recall, we were continuing with fully rendered value. We started with thumbnail sketches in the last class of paper bags and then moved to the big paper to sketch our favorite thumbnail. Last night's class, we were to move on to rending light and shadow.

I wasn't really grasping the concept...I thought I was. I thought I understood it, but I'll admit that I was wrong. I didn't know what the heck I was doing...until my teacher came to my rescue! She showed me how to properly add tone and how to take it away with my eraser. My paper bag didn't really look like much until she showed me how to make it pop. I was so excited that I was really grasping the concept (and she played much better music this week, thankfully!)

I'll take pictures of it tonight and show it off tomorrow!

Homework

So you'd think that with Christmas just around the corner, I'd have a ton of bags in the house to put gifts in...and to complete my drawing homework! Or at least a couple of paper bags from the grocery store. But no...I had to search for a bag (and my homework was to draw a couple of bags, rendering light and shadow). So I dug and dug and finally I lucked out and found one lingering in the boxes of decorations:

"Hark the Hearld Angel gift bag" - willow and regular charcoal

I have to admit that I like what I draw better in a photo than in person. I think because you can't get close up enough to scrutinize :^)

Well, I'm off to a dentist appointment (having 4 fillings replaced. UGH!) Wish me luck!

***

Almost forgot, if anyone is interested:

These little guys are up for sale in my Etsy shop, Faery Tree Creations.

What I Learned Wednesday

Unfortunately, I have no pictures to show what I learned in class last night and that's only because you wouldn't really see much more than a bunch of lines and a bit of tone.

Last night, we were introduced to value rendering and drawing paper bags. I have to say, I really enjoyed it! I need to create a value scale though and really practice, but it was such a good class - even the Sunshine Sisters were in good moods last night! Until the radio came on and we were subjected to my teacher's choice of music.

Oh, Lord and Lady! It was some sort of Progressive Jazz Fusion with wailing saxaphones and blaring trumpets. It wasn't something I would have chosen...had she thrown in something along the lines of Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughn - some bluesy jazz - I would have loved it and it would have helped me with that creative groove...but it just didn't work for me. And I did give it a chance! There was a rendition of Take the "A" Train that I enjoyed but that was only one song. I know I know, to each their own - maybe it's my teacher's mood music, but I think I'll bring my mp3 player to the next class.

But the music aside, the class was great! We were missing about 7 people (though I think some dropped out), which gave many of us room to spread out and a chance to dialogue. I wish Adult Ed capped the class at 8 or 10 people to make it more intimate.

Gotta scoot! Got another meeting in Freeport - whoo hoo! Love being able to get out of the office to sit in on interesting meetings (Lands for Maine's Future this time) and still get paid for it!

Homework

We're still doing perspective in my drawing class and I seem to be struggling with it. Not because I find it hard - I get the concept, I can see how it's supposed to look - I just find it hard to get into that space, you know, the one where everything flows and time stops and there is nothing but your subject, your medium and you...that zen place. And it's no one's fault but my own - there's no lack of inspiration, no lack of creativity, plenty of paper & ink, charcoal & erasers - I've just been feeling...rushed. There seems to be so much going on that I'm taking no time to practice at home. How sad is that? And I know that when Christmas is over, I'll have more time than I'll know what to do with...but you know, after tonight, I only have 3 more classes! Not that I need the classes to be able to draw, there's nothing stopping me from drawing once classes are done - it's just that they've been such a motivation. I guess I just need to motivate myself once they're done, because I'm really seeing an improvement in myself. Check this out:

This is my homework from the very first week of class,

and this is what I did on Sunday, after hours of procrastinating (seriously, I did housework and made brownies because I just couldn't find my zen to draw) and then WHAM! I hit that zone and it just came together!

This is what I've been trying to do in class, but haven't. I think it's the time constraint and having to share my work space with someone else - I feel like I can't spread out. And of course, the teacher stops us to point things out and talk, like she's supposed to...but it's just enough to not allow me to slip into that focus that I need to create. And I know that this is why practice at home is so important, to allow me to slide in and out of that groove with such ease.

Now I'm itching to draw! Too bad I'm at work and they'd frown at me doodling when I'm supposed to be working on constituent stuff!

Ah, until tomorrow and the new adventures in drawing that I'll get to share!