Drawing a Day 20150224

Just Dance (Watercolor on paper).

Another study for my commission.

Drawing a Day 20150223

Me in Line. (Pen on paper)

Enjoyed this. Really enjoying making line drawings. Practice, practice, practice.

Drawing a Day 20150222

Ashley's Super Mix
Pen and watercolor on paper

Ashley's Super Mix (before coloring)

I love pen and watercolor, but I don't usually trust myself with a pen for the initial drawing. But this was fun.

Drawing a Day 20150221

Sketch for SSB

Watercolor on Paper

Drawing a Day 20150220

Blind #1 and Blind #2. Pen on paper. Not showing today. Feeling a little self conscious.

Got to this very late today. I'm actually doing yesterday's today or something, but since I am still awake I am considering this yesterday's drawing.

Another blind contour drawing. I am falling in love with blind contour drawings, so much so I might give it a nickname (BCD). I am not surprised. I have ALWAYS loved line drawings.

Thinking out loud here. I'm almost done with this month of drawings and while I have loved it, it's exhausting and I'm not sure at this point in my life I have the time to keep up with the girls and do a drawing a day to my expectations. But maybe I can do a BCD a day (and not share them, necessarily) and do one more focused, longer drawing of something at least once a week. I like Jessie Oleson's suggestion to not be tied to your plan and alter it as you see fit. 

Not my work (but it's spot on)

Someone just sent this to me and it it describes exactly how I am feeling as I rediscover my own work. Thank you Bobby (for sending) and thank you Ira (for speaking!).

Drawing a Day 20150219

Self Port #1

Pen on paper

Self Port #2

Pen on paper

This is totally weird to post but I am pushing my boundaries, and then there was something I liked that came out of it. These are blind contour drawing self-portraits but then I started playing with features, but I really loved the way I was playing with the drawing with my nose, tracing the contours and building it out sculpturally, almost as if it were wires building the shape.

Drawing a Day 20150218

Not posting anything today. Spending my time working on a drawing for a private commission.

Drawing a Day 20150217

Mango

Watercolor on paper

I am loving watercolors lately. I was really overworking this so I had to stop but SO much fun.

Definitely playing with this again.

A special thanks to someone who has proven to be a wonderful mentor -- thanks so much, Bobby!

Drawing a Day 20150216

Self Portrait #1 and Self Portrait #2. Pen on paper.

I am always so self conscious of blind drawings, so I don't think I am going to post them. I had a lot of fun. I did them really very quickly. Definitely going to do this again.

Drawing a Day 20150215

Cupcake Again

Gouache and pencil on paper

Really enjoyed playing with that cupcake drawing the other day, but thought maybe I should be doing it in gouache because I was laying the colors on so thick. Thing is, I haven't done gouache in years. Some of my paint was 15 years old. I know the saying "It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools" and I'm not, but I was frustrated when some of my paints were rock hard. I'm having a hard time deciding whether I want to persue gouache more but it would be a bit of a financial investment because I can't use these paints as is. 

I did enjoy going in harshly with pencil at the end. It was empowering!

Drawing a Day 20150214

Me. (Drawing on paper).

Really not in the mood to draw today. But I did it.

Drawing a Day 20150213

Owl (Pencil on paper). No image today. Was working all night on freelance, so I didn't get to spend much time (12 min. total). Heard an owl outside and it inspired me to draw one. As I started to draw it, I began to recognize the elements that are so commonly stylized, so I started to loosely extract them. Interesting, but not something I'm excited to share.

Very excited to uncover my gouache and crossing my fingers they still work. Hopefully will play this weekend.

Drawing a Day 20150212

Cupcake

Watercolor on paper

Wasn't going to post this because I was really just playing, but isn't that part of the fun? 

I need to get my gouache out. I wish they sold gouache in pans. 

Drawing a Day 20150211

Pattern

Pen on paper

I wanted to play with pattern. You can tell where I really got into them and where I kind of was like "blah" -- you can also tell my hand was getting tired. It's funny, I intended to spend only a very short while on this, but I got very lost in it. Some was reminiscent of other projects I have worked on...including one where I made a mark for every day I have been alive. That was fun and beautiful. 

I hope someday to get back into the pattern work I loved screen printing so much in college.

I am so inspired by Lotta Jansdotter. I think her work is beautiful. Her living space must be gorgeous. I wish I could fill my house with her design.

Drawing a Day 20150210

Hey Pumpkin

Watercolor on paper

I love watercolor. I want to keep practicing and playing since I feel out of practice. Just wish I had more time to do all the things I want to do.

Drawing a Day 20150209

Deep

Pencil on paper

This was a quick one, and a nod to Thirty-Eight Self Portraits (Because I Wish I Were Smaller) -- one of my favorite pieces I have ever done. I'd like to get back into more work in that style. 

The photo from which I worked was horrible and lacked detail -- I had to make a lot of it up. It was taken tonight at about 10pm as I helped clear the snow.

Drawing a Day 20150208

Cracked

Pencil on paper

There was a class at SMFA I always wanted to take but I never did. I don't remember what it was but I do remember my friend Julie took it. I remember they had to draw things like cracks and spots on the sidewalk -- mundane things in everyday life, but pretty interesting and complicated when you draw them. 

Our house is almost 300 years old and with the original wide floor boards, we have a lot of cracks. Perfect to draw. 

Drawing a Day 20150207

New

Charcoal on paper

This doesn't look like me but I had fun playing with the light. 

Drawing a Day 20150206

I Have a Cold

Pen on paper

I have a cold. I'm feeling blah. I drew this in bed. I had fun with it. 

Drawing a Day 20150205

Wanna Try Again (Tomorrow?!)

Pencil and watercolor on paper

Meh. But I posted because I do want to try again. This is very muddy and overworked. In this case, my two year old's drawing as a ground didn't work so well. I feel like I was also lazy and rushed in this one. I think I am getting sick so I am not totally there.

Drawing a Day 20150204

Self portrait. Need Work Shading (Pencil on Paper).

This was nothing but frustration today. It has inspired me to take an class or read a book on shading in portraiture. I keep going in circles on the same thing.

Drawing a Day 20150203

Today was a self-portrait as suggested by Anonymous in a comment two days ago. It's called This Isn't Me (Pencil on paper). It's been a while since I have done self portraits and so I am really shy about it. It didn't look like me at all.

I'll keep working on them.

This one was a first. I was too lazy to find a mirror. I opened Facetime on my computer and used the image staring back at me.

Drawing a Day 20150202

Ice Cream Truck

Pencil and watercolor on paper

This is rough. I am posting it for a couple of reasons. 

1. I had so much fun. 
2. I was lazy and didn't want to brave all the snow to get to the studio. I got creative and cut up one of my toddler's watercolor paintings and used it as a ground and I love that part of it. (I can't keep all of the work they do -- they are so prolific -- so I have to pick and choose. This way I am recycling and king of keeping it anyway.
3. I see parts of this drawing I really like and I want to expand on further. 

Drawing a Day 20150201

I drew birds. Pencil on paper. 

I'm not posting it. I have been doing a lot of thinking about this project. 

I love the privacy of art, the way you can keep it yours until (and if) you are ready to share. 

By posting every day, I was putting too much pressure on myself. I wasn't allowing myself to be bold, to push the boundaries, to experiment in areas I am not comfortable.

I have so little time to make art. The time is mine and it shouldn't be stressful. I want to be ok with spending only ten minutes some days if that's all the time or energy I have.

I promise I will post daily in this first month to hold myself accountable, but it won't always be a picture. 

Thanks for your support and understanding.