One Minute of Drawing

Here is a one minute gesture drawing. This is all I could muster today. I've been trying to get my June drawings from SketchingEveryday.com archived onto DrawingEveryday.com. Seems like my old web editing software is conking out on me. I know it's probably time for a major revamp. How I hate change sometimes. It can be sooo time consuming and frustrating! ERRR!!

Blind Contour Hummingbird

See more about Blind Contour here.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

"Repetition is the key to mastery." ~ Sandy Sandy

Two minute gestures.

But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day

Lucky Sunday's Child . . . 

"I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright."  ~ Henry David Thoreau

"Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful.  Everything is simply happy" ~ Author Unknown

Saturday's child works hard for a living,

Just look at him go . . .

"The poetry of the earth is never dead."  ~ John Keats

"Shall I not have intelligence with the earth?  Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself."  ~ Henry David Thoreau

Friday's child is loving and giving,

                          

"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes." ~  e.e. cummings

Thursday's child has far to go,

This could be taken two ways . . . 

Since I'm a "Thursday's Child", 

I choose to interpret it to mean, "will go far"!

Done today in my sketchbook on regular drawing paper.

"Oh hummingbirds, mighty little ones, stay a while. The sight, sound and touch of you fills me with such love and joy. Thank you for inviting me to hover a while and savor your sweet magic." ~ Sandy Sandy

:-D  ~ C H E E R S ! ~  {-:

Wednesday's child is full of woe,

Poor Wednesday's Child . . . 

Hummingbirds drink nectar and eat small insects constantly throughout the day. They hibernate at night to conserve energy. It is the only species that can fly backwards.

Done today in my sketchbook on regular drawing paper.

 "Hummingbirds teach us to hover in the moment and to appreciate its' sweetness." ~ Costance Barrett 

Tuesday's child is full of grace,

C'mon princess, pose for me . . . 

"The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man."  ~Author Unknown

Done in my sketchbook on regular drawing paper.

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."  ~ John Muir

See a color sketch of "Monday's Child" here.

Monday's Child Is Fair Of Face

I've been trying to photograph the hummingbirds the past few days with my big camera. It's a real challenge! Even though they are not as sharp as I would like them to be and I've got lots of quality issues, my images will be fine for drawing and painting reference. I'll be posting ones I like for various reasons, like wonderful hummingbird gestures! 

"Monday's Child" is a traditional fortune telling song and Nursery Rhyme that dates back to the early 1800's.  I am going to use the poem as my theme this week and post a new "child" each day!  What day of the week were you born?

Please feel free to sketch and or paint from my photos here on sketchingeveryday.com for this week's Hummingbird Sketching Challenge.

See a "Monday's Child" sketch in color here.

Jon Gnagy Draws an Old Oak Tree

My week of sketching along with Jon Gnagy has come to an end today. It has been an enjoyable walk down memory lane. I think it's important to mix things up, stretch your boundaries and break out of your daily routine from time to time in life and in art. These drawings were all done in about 20 minutes and made me draw fast without getting bogged down with details. I think drawing along with someone like Jon primes you for drawing quickly. These exercises help you see big shapes and values which is the foundation for any type of drawing you may do. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Jon Gnagy Draws Canadian Geese

Today, while sketching along with Jon Gnagy, I had to laugh when Jon describes how these wildfowl winter in the middle US region in the winter and then migrate up to Canada in the summer. Well, they certainly don't migrate around here anymore!  They are abundant year round residents to residential lakes, recreational areas, roadway edges, shopping centers, industrial parks and golf courses.