An Exercise in Muscle Memory

So I took a drawing class once (Eve Larson at Laguna Gloria), and one of the exercises that we did was to draw our own hand.  However, before we drew it on paper, we drew it on a clean plastic sheet, over our hand.  More specifically, it was a transparent plastic sheet, rigid; my fingers curled up beneath the sheet and I traced them.  Then, we were to draw our hand directly onto paper.  And I have to admit that I did a great job!  Tracing first allowed me to see the lines in my hand for what they were, and I was easily able to draw the same perspective onto paper.

So, trying to emulate that exercise, I bought myself some tracing paper and am intent on being able to draw a specific photo that I took of my niece.  If I get good enough, maybe I can gift her a nice painting one day.  Or maybe her parents.  (Then, of course, I'd have to find another picture of her sister to do the same, but that's a topic for a completely different blog!)

Here's my traced sketch of my beautiful, little niece.

Lazy Weekend

I didn't do much of anything...  I think my allergies are getting to me, and my body is wanting to fight it off but is just too tired.  I slept yesterday and didn't do much else -- I totally had artsy-fartsy time, but slept through it!  I feel like such a slacker, but I really think I needed the sleep, perhaps still need the sleep.

So I found a topic on Illustration Friday and just went for a quick sketch.  While I may not be putting in loads of time everyday, I am putting in some time everyday, and some is better than none, and that is what the habit is supposed to do: continue practicing everyday, no matter how small, no matter how quick.  And eventually, I'll get better, and I'll want to spend even more time drawing!  Or something like that...

So here's tonight's...

Oh, and here's another from last week.  A quick sketch of one of my students - bawling him out for being a pain but in a "funner" way...  

Sketchy Playing

Still kinda bummed.  Need to get out of the house to do some sketching, me thinks...  in the meantime, here's some crappy sketches from at home.

Yes, the kitty on the bottom has 2 sets of eyes.  I wasn't happy with the placement of the first, higher set.  Now it has a kinda dazed-and-confused / Led Zepplin sorta effect...  

It was fun playing with the super soft brush pen!  My favorite sketch is the dog.  

Better today...

Not "fixed," but better.  Regardless, I promised myself art.  Here it is...

Stuff I added on to first:

   

And stuff that is new, created tonight:

Just a quick sketch from a picture in a magazine.

Blue-Eyed Grass.  Added it to my "bouquet."  I like it, but I think I should have left the bits in the middle until after all the dark bits dried, and then I could go in and make it really bright yellow to match the original.  Maybe I'll mess with it later when it's completely dry and try to fix it...  Then I would need to add a border of some more purples around the yellow in the middle... 

Last night I was sad

Water-Soluble pastels.  

And I'm sad again tonight.  So instead of drawing, I journaled, which I'm totally counting as my artsy-fartsy activity for tonight.  Though, I'm not including my entry here.  Tomorrow, I will draw something.  

Play Practice

So, no idea what I wanted to do today.  I watched some old klasses on SBS/Storytelling, and I was assigned to draw people at a coffee shop, then someone at home.  Since I didn't go to a coffee shop today, I started drawing someone at home - little Sebastian.  But, boy!  That boy can move already, and I have a hard time keeping up.  I'll have to do some more practicing, but here's what I've got so far...

While I was watching the klasses on SBS/Storytelling, Veronica Lawlor said something that resonated with me.  I had to write it down...

I started working on an-ivy-type of tree of life, modeling it after one that I had seen on the internet.  It started looking ok, but I stopped working on it, wanting to work on it later when I have more time, different paper...  then I went and used a marker a few pages later, and it bled through.  So you can see the bleeding here, as I didn't take a picture of it pre-bleeding...

And, finally, I thought I'd do a little practice at playing.  The brown ("sepia") that I started out in bled through the pages; the black brush pen was nicer to me.  

Not because it's January 1st, but kinda sorta because it's January 1st...

Everyone's asking about New Year resolutions, etc.  Most are talking about losing weight and doing better with diet and exercise.  And I say, "why just because it's the new year?!"

So, while I'm not doing this just because it's the New Year and I need a resolution...  I had time because it's the new year, there are new classes, and everyone is starting to work on their resolutions, and it's always easier to work towards a goal when you're doing it with friends, blah, blah, blah...

Here's my quickie art for today.

This was an assignment from Daisy Yellow, trying to blend the color by letting each color overlap when you paint them on.  I don't think it really worked for me the way it's supposed to.  I think I need more water.  Or maybe I should wet the paper before I lay down the colors.  I need to keep working on this.  

Eventually, I can use this in a multimedia journal or something.  Or for a background for something else.  I'll keep it and figure out how to repurpose it anyway.  And on to more practicing of blending colors.  But - water - water is the key.  I need to remember more water.  

I had painted the flower a while ago, the one from Fiji.  But I went ahead and filled in the background.  A single color, cerulean blue.  I think the background definitely works with the flower.  Makes me want to go ahead and paint some more.  

So maybe that should be my new assignment?  Maybe I should go ahead and paint this flower a few more times?  Use it as a study?  In that case, I should probably go ahead and print a couple of pictures of it, a few different tones added to it or something... Hmmm...

Also, I thought I might give one (if I do indeed paint more) to Mom and Mima - they love flowers.  Speaking of, I could use some more pictures from Galveston to paint from.  I had taken lots of flower pictures for Mom and Mima.  

Since this is a blog, I might as well blog...  

Artsy-Fartsy Projects In-the-Works:

• Aunt Bea's Christmas present - can't say what it is until I finish and she receives it.
• My shrug - can't wait til I finish it!
• Sketchbook Skool PLAYING Klass - starts January 15
• And my "new year's resolution" - a little art every day action, and I want to work in more mediums.  I know I'm still learning to use watercolor, so I kinda want to focus on it, but I have so much other stuff!

Ooh, just thought of a great New Year's resolution...  Let's use more art stuffs!  Use it up, no more saving for the perfect project, perfect moment, JUST USE IT!!!  (I should draw something to post and remind me to do this.)

And happy New Year!