Practice Drawing

This is an other drawing of Sarah.  I am going to do a few more of this particular image in pencil, and then start a painting. I always find it easier to draw or paint animals, people or things I love and since I loved Sarah, and this should help a lot.  Or - is the artist eye - the look of love? 

Drawings for Paintings

Practicing drawing for painting

This is my first sketch of my son's dog - I plan on doing a few more drawings; then I will decide what medium to use.  My favorite is oil, and I haven't used oils in a long time. Each practice drawing helps in getting the image but when I change mediums it will be starting over.   Each medium has it's positive and negative points.  Maybe I should try to do the painting in a few of them, oil, watercolor, acrylic, etc.  Then let my son decide which one he likes best.   I see where the texture of the hair can be a challenge in all mediums - but what else have I got to do.  The journey is the fun part and we all enjoy some fun along the way.

Muscovy Duck

Information on Muscovy Ducks

 This is a Muscovy duck, one of the animals I am learning to draw for a story I'm writing.  The story is about animals that live along a canal in South Florida and their day to day adventures.  Some of the ideas came from my Mother and her friends and the day to day adventures they had with the animals. This is a pencil drawing, but I think watercolor might be better. Who knows I'll try a few different mediums and see.

Chicken; a little at a time

Chicken seems to be the perfect one for me at this time -  I know fear has no place in any art.  Or is it fear but do it anyway?   The creative process feeds my soul - yet fear puts my soul on a diet.  I'm not giving up,but I know some of the more adventurous artist out there are saying - "Just Do It" , and they would be right.  Just do it, and have fun doing it.
The chicken was drawn with pencil.

Good paper makes a difference - think I will stop saving the good paper

I can see that the paper I am using is not the best that I have - and I better do my next drawings on the better paper.  Although it is good to practice drawing on any kind of paper you will get better results with a finer grade of paper.  The cheaper paper gives me more freedom to make as many mistakes as I need to when I am learning and improving, but the better paper as I mentioned above gives better results.  

Using a sketchbook is a challenge for me because all the practice drawings that do not meet with my approval are there to haunt me - although it can also show me when improvement is made.  

Drawings - that have been done but not posted

Haven't posted for so long - and then was ill for some time - but I need to keep the practice of drawing and painting and then entering this blog on a regular basis - that is the only way to improve.  I did these two sketches in a sketch book - the polar bear is in pencil and the raven is in pencil and ink.

 I truly enjoy doing the drawings in pencil it can be done anywhere - but I still love the smell of oils - my favorite medium.  But it seems that any medium is fun to play with and create.  Pencil is a lot of fun also - even though I didn't think so when I was studying art.  Actually the reality is we eventually have to teach ourselves - and that is when the fun begins!

One day I was trying to get a good photo of myself since I didn't have any recent ones - but each one I took just got uglier and uglier.  So-o-o-o I said to myself "OK let's see how ugly we can get - I got some really ugly pictures and the experiment is on going.  See picture.  The saving grace is that if I make enough changes it will be hard to tell who it is. - I can now make paintings from these photos  - 

Learning Acrylic

My first love is painting with oil, but it takes so long to dry; so I am trying acrylics.  I read somewhere that you can make acrylics look like oils with glazes etc.  The bunny above is a 4 x 6" painting.  My other challenge was getting the camera to get just the painting.  Next time I will try a bigger painting. 

The wonderful pencil

This is a sketch of a goat - my next step is going to be working in paint - although sketching with graphite pencils can be enjoyable and can be done anywhere and anytime. Could have saved myself a lot of money if I knew I was going to start with pencil only.  I never appreciated working in pencil when I was in art school - what a shame.  From what I understand it is drawing that will help make the painting better - something we all learn in our art class - but think we want some medium with a little more to it - finally I am getting to appreciate the pencil.

Today's drawing

I think the pig is cute and smart and fun to draw.  I just got a book on animal anatomy the other day - so will start drawing the legs, bones etc. these are not pretty by themselves - but when put together look pretty good.   The anatomy drawings I think I will keep to myself till I get the hang of it all.

Starting with something I love

I love animals - so animals it is. I can see I will need to learn the anatomy for all of them - you know - legs, feet, tails etc.   I figure  as long as I keep drawing the better it is - and then I can try other subjects.  I love to draw people's faces - but they all end up looking the same - but people are fascinating.  I will not give up but probably will not be a portrait artist.  There are always flowers, landscapes and still lives to challenge me - with an occasional face thrown in - to check if any improvement is coming along.

A Sketch a day

I've started sketching everyday which I feel is breaking down the artistic block - like an apple a day helps to keep us healthy - I can feel my artistic yearnings returning like a slow burning ember - I'm sure there will be good days and bad. But the thing is to just do it.  I realize doing my art is as important as any regular spiritual practice is for my soul.

Still here

It sure has been awhile since I have posted anything on this blog.  I have been doing a few drawings - need to photograph and add to the blogs - It seems that life keeps getting in the way - I know that is how we let our dreams go - I need to focus more on my art giving it the attention and time it deserves - since doing art feeds my soul and mind giving me joy.  Well I am not giving up -

Never give up

Even though I have missed a day - I must not give up - this is like priming a pump -and I must keep trying till the creativity starts to flow - and it becomes like breathing.  Although I do realize that doing anything creative requires lots of energy -   I remember leaving sculpture class after a few hours feeling so tired - and I had a great time.  So till I get things rolling I will add pictures that I have done in the past - it might work - the picture below is of a cat done in ink, and colored pencil.

Working on elephant

I have done this drawing of an elephant but need to do more work -  the goal is to do a painting.  I'm sure this will take me a little while longer.  I am hoping that this blog will encourage me to do more work and keep on learning.