Monday, June 10, 2013

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

Whenever I draw something and struggle with it, I realize how much more I need to draw and practice.  And how much more I really need to practice (even if it seems boring at the time) foundation techniques and skills.  With this in mind, I'm going back to some videos I downloaded of Michael Britton (from ArtAcademy.com) and drawing.  And it's hard!!  I'm finding myself whining and saying, "I can't do this!!"  But then I take a break, have a bite to eat, and carry on.  I don't know where I got the videos - I don't recall buying them so he might have given them as free downloads at some time - he does that a lot.  Anyway, I need his workbooks to continue on so I may have to buy the Drawing for Beginners lessons with the books.  Truly a steal!  And all you have to do is make yourself do the lessons/exercises (it doesn't work if you just look at the videos and books and don't do the work - I know, believe me!)

My problem is, so many things have come easily for me.  Or I have loved learning them so much that it didn't seem like a struggle at the time and I got better.  So working on sight measuring and drawing (on plexiglass with a watercolor Caran d'Ache crayon) simple shapes and then seeing how far off I am can get unnerving = how can I be so wrong??  Why does my hand seem like it's put in strange positions whenever I hold a brush or a straight stick to sight see?  It's like I don't know how to turn my hand! ha ha

I'm trying to silence that inner brat that says, "I want to play with color, not do this boring stuff!"  You know we all have that brat - she wants to play, enjoy the things we do well and bask in the success; she does not want to struggle, fight and work hard to get to a place that takes patience.  Time to go back to "beginner mind" as the Buddha would say :)

I hope your inner brat is not winning the battle this weekend! 
I hope you are learning, growing, and finding real essence in the work you are doing. 
I hope your artistic voice is shouting out loud!




4 comments:

Autumn Leaves said...

Not so much for me these days, Rhonda. But I sure admire your get up and go go go. Drawing is foundational to every good piece of art (at least in my mind).

laura said...

I suffer from the same disorder: "processes" make my skin crawl and my mind rebel!
In my first drawing class, the teacher made us start w/white paper and black charcoal; then we added neutral-toned paper; then white chalk; then colored paper; then, finally, color ... It was very smart of her, I thought!

RH Carpenter said...

Sherry, you do what you have to do and can do - it's too easy to beat ourselves up over what we "should" be doing instead of enjoying what we are doing. It's hard to balance!

Laura, sounds like a good class, working slowly through the foundational aspects. I imagine a good foundation stays with you, and like riding a bicycle, comes back if you get rusty once in a while.

http://carolking.wordpress.com said...

I hear you completely. I want to play with color too. When I first learned about art in the (ahem) 1970's) it was all about abstract art and I never had a basic fundamental drawing class. Now 35 years later, I have to go back and reteach myself.

Keep up the good work.