Pencil Shavings

Getting a Handle on "It"

What ever "It" is... I think I'm starting to get "It" under control. 

"It" probably means homework, and this is my pile of it (and it doesn't show my giant 30 day drawing which is hiding in the closet for fear the kids spill juice on it).

  "It" could mean housework, which I have actually pretty much abandoned with the realization that I can choose between sleeping and cleaning.  A clean house isn't very likley going to help me focus on what my Art History professor is trying to explain to us when he says that an Extistential Operator has elevated Elvis into a deity.

"It" does have a link to my drawing classes where I have been making steady progress. 

"It" is facing my fear of difficult subjects, like transperent objects (on a mirror no less).

"It" is also figuring out a way to do as much as I can without sacrificing time with the kids.  Today that meant bringing them to the plaster studio with me so I could touch up my project that is due on Tuesday, and then taking them out for lunch and walking around the campus in the sun.

"It" isn't going to get me down.  I'm ready for "It".  I'm feeling a lot more confident this last week than I have in so long that I can't remember when.

"It" has slowed down my blogging, but I will fight "It" and make sure that I can keep you updated with what is coming out of this overwhelming creative and brain stretching exercise.

Now I'm going to push "It" aside for a while and enjoy the rest of this amazing day and plan an outing with our friends tomorrow, because even a mature student needs social time.

365 Days of Art - Day 312 - Mmmm, Can You Smell That?

The beauty of sending my kids to Zoo camp every year is that I have the opportunity to roam the grounds of the zoo looking for great subjects, taking reference pictures and sketching the neat stuff, and animals, that are there.

This year I wandered around the gardens that are being renovated.  There are some pretty wide areas of dirt where sprinkler systems are being installed, which is a pity.  But there are some hidden corners where some of the mature plantings are showing off.

One of the great hidden gems is a gazebo in the shade of some big trees that is surrounded with some really amazing peonies. 

I took the time to take lots of pictures and then came home to paint this postcard that I sent out with the latest batch for my postcard project.

This piece was done on watercolour paper that was painted with a pinkish background, then I put acrylic matte medium on top.  When I came back into the painting with watercolour the matte medium allowed me to lift highlights back out with a wet brush and paper towel. 

If you would like to get a postcard please be sure to stop by The Postcard Project and send in a request.

365 Days of Art Day 311 - DUCK!

There are so many wonderful places in my city that offer up a wealth of inspiration.  Even if I don't have time to sketch, I do have time to take pictures with the wee camera that is always in my purse. 

I took pictures of some ducks at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary last month.  I got a picture of this guy (whom I haven't identified yet) The picture was taken from quite a distance, so I had to guess on some of the details when I was working on the colour sketch, but that kind of made it more fun.

I did the drawing with ink then added watercolour to the drawing.  The paper in my sketchbook isn't very receptive to watercolour, but that adds something to illustrative charm of this one.

That reminds me that I need to get back to the sanctuary to see how the young ducks are doing now.  They were just babies when we saw them last.

365 Days of Art Day 310 - Browsing

I was at the library a few days ago, and much to my good fortune there was an older lady there looking through the microfilm spools.  Fortunate for me because it meant that she sat pretty still - or at least returned to the same position often. 

I got this one in about 15 minutes.  I always feel conspicuous drawing people in public, so I try to get it done quickly.

I like the softness of her jaw and her chin in this one.  It's a sure sign of aging as our faces start their slow decent, the muscles and skin softening as we get older.

I fins that to be one of the most beautiful thing about aging.  I'm an oddity in this world that is obsessed with youthful beauty, but I find that age has it's own wonderful beauty.  The years change us and mark us, and I don't think that it's something to hide from, because it's a sign that we have made it this far and are still moving forward. 

365 Days of Art Day 309 - Alice?

 There is something really interesting, to me, about camels.  

They are so languid, slow moving, unflappable.  And of course they have those amazing big eyes with long eye lashes that make them seem a little saucy.

There are three Bactrian camels at the zoo, the ones with two humps.  I wanted to capture the idea of camel chewing, but the result wasn't quite what I wanted.  I think I'll try this one again at a later date to try and get the feeling chewing.

Day 309 was camel day.

I'm thinking of switching up my mediums again.  I have been using pastel a lot (mostly because it's easy to transport and doesn't require a lot of set up) but I am craving colour.  Hopefully in the next week or so I can find some space to do something more colourful.

365 Days of Art Day 308 - Seeing Spots

My family and I spend a lot of time at the zoo.  We have memberships and go for the morning when the weather is iffy on the weekends and we know the crowds will be down. 

(Have you noticed how little I care for crowds?)

on day 308 we managed to stake out a great spot for watching the giraffes.  One of the females was quite close to us and I had a chance to observe her for a while before drawing her.  My kids had their paint kits and did some art work of their own.

This one came out OK - her nose is a little short... and her upper lip a little too pointy.  But for drawing from (moving) life it's not that bad really.

I got a load of pictures from this trip to draw from so I suspect you will be seeing more zoo life in the future.

365 Days of Art - Day 306 - Some Days It Feels This Way

Day 306, and I was feeling so sad and beaten down.

This isn't really a self-portrait but it is a portrait of my emotional state on that day.  The news has been especially bleak recently.  I am more distressed and worried over the lack of news about the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster than I was when news was gushing out at us in the weeks before.  Why is there a media blackout on one of the worst environmental disasters in memory?

Of course there are personal worries too.  I always have them.  Much more so since becoming a parent.  I now have two other people to worry about constantly.

I am lucky in so many ways. One of my blessings is that I have an over capacity of optimism that never disappears for long.  So even though on the day that I drew this picture with pastels on toned paper I was feeling particularly awash with helpless, negative feelings,  today I am feeling sunnier.

It does help that after days of rain the clouds broke today and the house lost it's chilly damp feel, at least for a while.  When I got the kids up to go to camp the sun was low on the horizon and shining towards the mountains, where it created a dazzling rainbow.  The first time I've seen an early morning rainbow.  I hope it was a sign of good things to come.

365 Days of Art - Day 305 - Some Pink Sunglasses

Well we've been having buckets of fun on our Summer Vacation. 

I haven't updated here in ages (OK - a week really - but who's counting?)  So here is the start of the updates to get us back on track.

First Day 305, the Girl in the Pink Sunglasses.  This was a picture I drew at the playground while my kids were playing.

For possibly the first time in my history I got the head shape right the time out of the gate.  It was a great feeling to know that the practice of drawing is making a difference in a lot of ways.  One of them is being able to see things more clearly.

Hopefully I'll see things even more clearly after I go to the optometrist.  I realized that it's been more than 3 years since I got these glasses.  I was going to say "I don't know where the time goes" but I really do know where the time goes, and I do tend to put off things that I need to do for myself in favour of doing things for the family.

I wonder if the new specs will help  the drawing process?

Who Knew They Could Be So Much Fun?

I am so far behind on updating the blog it's ridiculous! 

On the other hand I've been having so much fun with my kids that it's also just ridiculous. 
Today we went did crafts and then went out for haircuts, had lunch out then came home and admired the new haircuts for a while (and took some fashion shots) before destroying their salon style by running through the sprinklers.  Then the kids went down the playground while I did my hour of art (in the stinking hot house) then dad came home and we had supper and played some games after.

Is it any wonder that I'm too tired to update the blog at the end of the day?

Maybe I'll try getting the update out first thing in the morning instead, while we are all fuzzy with sleep and before the urge to play, play, play takes over.

you'll know how that works out shortly!

365 Days of Art - Day 304 - In The Trees

My family are all early risers.  This can be problematic if Mom has been up plate painting, but it can also be a big bonus in getting my hour of art done early in the day.

On Day 304 my kids were up and ready to play quite early.  I decided to walk with them down to the playground, before anyone else was there.

They played and I made some sketches of the trees and birds that are down in the lower part of the valley.

I find evergreens to be pretty difficult to draw (and worse to paint)  Of course all trees have posed me with problems in rendering.  There is something about them that bring me back to my kindergarten drawing where trees either look like shaggy triangles or lollipops!

This tree came out looking pretty good, although the scale is hard to determine, I should try to take some time to figure out how to convey scale.