About halfway through May I quit my drawing project, because I got bored with it and wanted to do my own thing. I realize now that I don’t like being “told” what to draw. Instead, I started a new watercolor floral painting. I’m still working on it, but I might not post it because I’m not sure if I like the progress thus far. The plus side is that I spent quite a bit of time making a preliminary line drawing and working out the composition, SO if it comes out horrible I will still be able to start over again on a fresh piece of watercolor paper.
Here are some other random pages from my sketchbooks (with my remarks) to show you in the meantime. Yesterday, I also posted this sketch of a rhododendron blossom on Sketching in Nature.
I sketched this dried up tulip (below) and chatted with my husband as he changed the oil and the brake pads on my car.
This morning I tried to go outside to do some sketching, but the mosquitoes were too much so I had to come inside early. I don’t think I can go out again until I pick up some bug spray.
On my way inside I picked up this flower sprig and sketched it indoors. It came from a large tree covered in these purple blossoms. I have no idea what it is called though.
This drawing is based on a photo where Katie is standing on the bow of the boat looking over the lake. It would make a really nice portrait done in colored pencil if I can convince myself to get started on it!
I hope everyone has a good day, especially if you are feeling depressed. I am planning on having a nice, neutral V-Day this year. I baked a bundt cake with a lemony glazy, and we are ordering pizza tonight.
I had fun making this little sketch of a chickadee for the Wilderness Art Challenge, which is a monthly art challenge hosted by Gary Keimig. He has some really lovely nature art and photography, so I would check him out. The scan didn’t come in that great because of the buckling of the paper, but I wasn’t aiming for perfection.
A bit of trivia for you: I have only used birds as a subject three other times in my life before, when I was a preteen. I painted a bluebird for my grandmother, a parakeet for my grandfather and a cardinal for someone in my church who collected them.
Since then I haven’t drawn birds at all, mostly because I felt that the Internet was becoming too saturated with them, especially owls and peacocks. Birds seem to be a good “self-contained” subject and I have noticed that they are a favorite subject for illustrators and artists who like to stylize their work more. For more bird themed art, check out Geninne Zlatkis and Natasha Newton, who have made a name for themselves by painting birds almost exclusively.
Do you know of an artist who paints birds? Let me know in the comments!
Yesterday I was digging through my reference files to do some sketching and I pulled out a photo of some roses from 2009. I did some cropping and I made this sketch, which I am thinking of turning into a painting. However, I learned from my last painting that I should have at least two paintings in progress in varying stages of completion. Otherwise, it will be really hard for me to get my momentum back once I finish. Has anyone else noticed the same thing?
In the past few days sketching has taken a backseat as I’ve been concentrating more on filing paperwork and organizing my house. It is preferable for me to stay on top of things, especially during tax season, or else I will be too distracted to be creative. Today I am excited to get started on some new projects though.
Right now we are having winter mix and chunks of ice are pelting against my windows. Punxsutawney Phil predicted today that spring is near, but I have a hard time believing it!
Here are some roses from my sketchbooks, which were a sort of early Valentine’s Day present:
I’ve been trying to get a good amount of artwork done in the mornings before I turn on my computer or otherwise get distracted. This morning, I drew some pears while listening to people on talk radio go back and forth about Chinese Mothers. I am so glad I didn’t have a “tiger mother” because I would have hated to get roped into playing piano or violin. Painting and drawing is much nicer in my opinion.
Below are some things that have appeared in my sketchbooks recently. I’ve been setting a timer for myself when sketching and so far this has been really successful with keeping me on task. I keep sketchbooks mainly to practice drawing and to make thumbnail sketches. I’m rarely inspired to do art journal spreads like some people. Even so, I have really enjoyed reading Cathy Johnson’s new group blog Artists’ Journal Workshop, which she created to expand upon and promote her forthcoming book.
I started this portrait back in September, but I put it on the shelf and didn’t work on it for months. Finally, I decided to finish it off so I could move onto other things with a clear conscience. I did remember to scan it at different stages of completion (see below). The baseball cap was my favorite thing to draw as I loved the strong contrast. My intention was for this to have a more sketchy look, but I ended up adding more detail than I had originally intended. Even so, I am happy with it, and it bears an excellent resemblance.
