Distracted But Committed

“Persistence. Perfection. Patience. 

Power. Prioritize your passion. 

It keeps you sane.”
  ~ Criss Jami

I'm really distracted from drawing at the moment, all wrapped up in 

getting ready for my fast approaching  one woman show.

 I do try to keep my commitments though, so here's today's 2 min. gesture attempt.

Paying Attention

"Sketching on a regular basis requires you 

to pay close attention to the visual world 

around you. With practice, you begin to 

see things you never noticed before. 

~ Paul Lasea

3 minute blind contour

You Are Simply Drawing

"As each new skill is learned, you will merge

 it with those previously learned until, 

one day, you are simply drawing; 

just as, one day, you found yourself simply 

driving without thinking about how to do it." 

~ Betty Edwards 

 3 minute Blind Contour

To See More Clearly

"Be clear in your mind why learning to draw well is important. Drawing enables you to see in that special way that artists see, no matter what style you use to express your special insight. Your goal in drawing should be to encounter the reality of experience... to see ever more clearly, ever more deeply."

 ~ Betty Edwards 

Today's three 3 min. blind contours

Got To Start Somewhere

“Every artist was first an amateur.”
~  Ralph Waldo Emerson 

    

“Joy is the feeling of one's powers increasing.”
  ~  Matthew B. Crawford

Wake Up Your Senses

"Artists get better by sharpening their skills  or by

acquiring new ones; they get better by learning to work, 

and by learning from their work."

~  David Bayles

"Drawing wakes up the senses and skills, 

and work is sharpened in other mediums." 

~ Timothy Nero

Quick As A Bunny

"As each new skill is learned, you will

merge it with those previously learned until, 

one day, you are simply drawing -  just as, 

one day, you found yourself simply driving 

without thinking about how to do it."

~ Betty Edwards

 "Skills can be found, like lost items that have always belonged to you. 

 If the spirit of learning is there, the passion of creation will never die."

 ~ Melissa Jean

What separates the Talented From the Successful?

Talent is cheaper than table salt. 

What separates the talented individual 

from the successful one is a lot of hard work." 

~ Stephen King

"If you work it will lead to something. 

It's the people who do all of the work all the time 

who eventually catch on to things." 

~ Corita Ken

Good Work Practices

"Work joyfully and peacefully, 

knowing that right thoughts and right efforts 

inevitably bring about right results." 

~ James Allen

 

"Proficiency is often nothing more than good work practices repeated." ~ David Allio

The Essence of Art

"Art is the essence of awareness." 

~ Louise Nevelson

"Consciousness is the glory of creation." ~ James Broughton

Expanding Awareness

Art that serves an artist best 

is an experiment in expanding awareness." 

~ Peter Londo 

"Awareness without action is worthless." ~ Phil McGraw

Repetition Is Key

"I like to employ a form of repetition, 

in which the same elements recur but 

in different and unexpected ways, 

rather than being discarded as soon as

 they are understood or passed over." 

~ Graham Nelson

 Before I put the wash on, I refine and clean up the drawing with a pencil and eraser.

 Here I am using an eraser shield to help me get into small areas.

 

"Repetition and variety create unity." 

~ Virginia Wiering

Mindful Repetition

"Satisfaction lies in mindful repetition, 

the discovery of endless richness in subtle 

variations on familiar themes." 

~ George B. Leonar

"Repetition is the mother of study." ~ Latin proverb

The Beauty Of Repetition

"I believe that the beauty of repetition is 

something that is not explored enough yet." 

~ Keren Ann

 

  

"Repetition is important in the training 

not only of animals but also of humans." 

~ Yann Martel

Of Sky And Earth

"When nature made the blue-bird she wished to 

propitiate both the sky and the earth,
so she gave him the color of the one on his back 

and the hue of the other on his breast."
~ John Burroughs

"There is always more to be found 

by exploring the same subject again and again." 

~ Dion Archibald

Got The Blues?

"There ain't no cure for the summer time blues."

 ~ The Who

Meet my newest models; a bevy of bluebirds. All the same shape but all in different poses.

Some ¼ turn, 2 minute sketches of the one on the right.

Detail of one sketch with a tonal watercolor wash applied.

I hope the bluebird of happiness visits you today!

Happy Creating My Friends!

X ♥  O

 

Everything is Sketchable!

Jerry is a bit of a hoarder and trash picker from way back,

so there is never a scarcity of things to draw around here.

Here is how I set up today's model. I think it helps to get it up
close to eye level and put a solid background behind it.

This is a 15 minute blind contour of a very cute toy dinosaur.

Blind contour doesn't necessarily create a beautiful drawing, but

it is a wonderful exercise in developing your skill of really seeing.

In my opinion, artists put too much emphasis on creating paintings
or finished pieces (a product) and not enough on practicing (the process).
The real joy for me, is in being in the moment, engrossed in the process of creating.

You can see more about blind contour in the side bar here.

AAARRR!

Happy Creating My Friends!

X ♥  O