31 January 2009

More Pencil Practice




Thursday evening was the second session where I sat down with my pencils, sketchpad and a magazine! I enjoy this exercise so much and seeing it here, in writing, I must admit I am frustrated that I wait-so-long-in-between!! ARGGHH!

I believe it's important to add "copy work" to my skillbuilding toolbox along with freehand sketching. As a true beginner with no recent drawing experience (does 20 & 30 years ago count?), it's a challenge when there's nothing IN MY HEAD to pull from. At times, I believe we all struggle to come up with ideas and I do envy those with unlimited imagination!!

All artist's use inspiration to feed their creativity. My grandfather (no relation) was a professional painter and airbrush artist. He also did alot of portrait commission work and I recall the steady stream of people that came through his home studio in the late 50's and early 1960's. Models, clients, fellow artists, etc. When possible, he set up his easel and painted landscapes & seascapes from his island home in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. I have a box of Kodachrome slides that he labeled "for painting" so naturally photographs are a great source of inspiration, as well.

The choices are as varied as the individual! We can paint from a photo of a flower or a sunset, or tune in to an emotion; something that's pulling at our heart such as sadness or loss. Many choose to focus solely on the uplifting aspect of affirmations and draw from the feelings they get from words such as hope, dreams fulfilled, joy and love! Yet another form of inspiration is to look at something someone ELSE has created and make it your own, as in a tutorial or in a classroom.

The simple skill of observation comes in handy, too! As mentioned in an earlier post, where I described the "foundations" of my creativity, 25 years of photography have helped me to develop a clear vision. By taking 10's of thousands of pictures and experiencing what appeals and what doesn't - I understand MY views of contrast, color, perspective, proportion - and the BEST PART? It constantly changes because we are constantly changing.

Long winded post today, but I simply enjoy sharing my world with others. What I do, what I think about, what helps me to become a better person; a better artist. That is why I'm drawn to blogs that allow a peek inside someone's thought process. I learn MUCH from seeing their surroundings, hearing about their challenges as well as what inspires them. In that sense, I hope that you will be inspired by some of the posts here. In sharing so much of myself, which is the true nature of my personality, my goal has always been to make CONNECTIONS!

I'd like to sum this up with the idea that we are all a Work In Progress. Never stop learning and you will never run out of ideas!

4 comments:

Aimeslee Winans said...

I totally agree, with all of this post, 100%. In my family, we called it being a life-long learner (my parents were teachers). I passed that down to my DD and even though she is only 20, I already see signs of it in her today.

I love the idea of your Thursday night sketch date! May have to jack it, if that's ok. You know, it's easy to forget that artists throughout history endured long apprenticeships shere they did nothing but repetitive copy work. It's like what we did in school -- rote work. I believe in it. But I'm so happy to read your take on it. It makes me feel less embarrassed about doing it, if that makes sense. :-)))

HEY, check out the awards I bestowed upon you and your blog, on my Paper-Paisleys blog. xoxo

rose AKA Walk in the Woods - she/her said...

Indeed ... we are all a work in progress! And the potential for progress is endless!

And ... I love your drawings!

Peace.

Lisa Renéa said...

WOW! You've truly got some talent, there! Thanks for sharing these!

Anonymous said...

Hey, how are you? I hope all is well. I have been wanting to stop by your blog but things have been hectic and I don't know where the time goes. Thanks for stopping by and leaving me some comments. It means alot.

These drawings are gorgeous. Loved reading your words in this post also.

When I was in high school(forever ago) we did exercises in looking at magazines pics and drawing it and I wasn't too bad at it but I was not interested in it at all either. A few years ago I tried doing it and I couldn't. I could barely draw a stick figure, lol. someone had told me to keep practicing and it would come back to me but I don't think it will. wish I had kept at it when I was young. Okay, didn't mean to bore you. Just that your drawings brought back memories. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.