Friday, February 17, 2012

Diagnosing with Drawing???

Drawing and re-drawing in the Czech Republic
In 2008, while on a cruise from Prague to Berlin, I chanced upon this intriguing vista in one of the many stops along the route. I liked the way the buildings stacked up and the varied rooftoops, etc. I found a nice niche and settled down to enjoy drawing. But something was wrong...try as I may, I was not accurate in perspective. If you look closely, you can see the initial line in a lighter value beneath the darker lines. And it still isn't right. I can draw and usually drawing is solace, relaxing and pure joy for me...my confidence was a bit shaken. I slunk off to do another drawing with an easier subject but was disappointed with the day. The next morning I could feel myself begin to succumb to the malaise onboard. My throat was getting sore and I could tell I had a nasty cold on the way. It explained why I'd struggled the day before.

Pillow, Teapot and Zicam
I really only had two choices in Berlin. I could push through my cold and get to visit this fascinating city and get some drawings or I could tuck myself in bed and have a chance to send it packing. Since I was to meet my husband in London just after this workshop, I chose to be good and stay warm and quiet. This drawing is in my small Moleskin accordian sketchbook where I did one drawing each day. When you open up the pages it gives a nice overview of where I was and what I was doing. This is the saddest page in the whole sketchbook!

Crooked Tower
Above is my attempt to get a drawing the day after I stayed in bed. The comment is: "After a day in bed, I venture out and do a crooked drawing." It's a better attempt that that poor one at the beginning of this post though.

The experience taught me something. Perhaps drawing is an early warning system for me when I'm about to be pounced upon by a germ. I'm going to pay attention to my skill level. This is a good impetus to draw everyday!

May you stay well and draw straight!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Watercolor Musings: Reflections for Dessert

Watercolor Musings: Reflections for Dessert: Reflections on two types of glass - transparent and opaque Dessert! What an assignment! The two glass objects gave me a good opport...

Reflections for Dessert

Reflections on two types of glass - transparent and opaque

Dessert!
What an assignment! The two glass objects gave me a good opportunity to paint shiny surfaces in both clear and opaque glass. We had gotten several small desserts at the Farmer's Market for a tasting treat. While my husband and daughter went off to fetch dinner, those desserts became subject matter.

When looking for shapes in reflective surfaces, plan on painting around the lights in an opaque object and paint the shadowy shapes on the clear one. Squinting your eyes helps the lights pop and they are easier to see. I drew with a small water soluble pen first, added watercolor to the to the cake within the dome. The shapes and reflections were painted after that.

Choosing appealing subject matter is easy if you open up your eyes to your everyday life. Sometimes the most common of subjects make the most emotionally powerful work...we are connected to those things.

So...consider this your assignment...go get some yummy desserts and paint them...and then test them!