Baseball. pastel/colored pencil on paper. 5.5" x
8.5"
Had an interview in Akron yesterday that I think went really well, so I've got my fingers crossed that some design work will be coming my way soon. In the meantime, I've decided maybe it's time to send a self-promo piece out and remind everyone I'm still here. I've got a baseball idea, so I'm going to get cracking on that and I'll post it as I go along.
First I painted the flowers brown against the gold background, but that seemed a little stark to me. I added the reds and greens from the fall painting and I really like it. It has an oriental, modern feel to it and it's very different from anything else I've done. Still, I think it works well with the first painting, so I'm happy.
Looking at Game Seven tonight for the Indians — do or die time. I'm hoping they get their act together because they sure weren't on last night.
I consoled myself with the thought that by Drawing 3 and 4, the kids in the class are either planning to have careers in art or they like it enough to want more than just the 1/2 credit fine art that's required. Someone would probably get something out of whatever I managed to say. Or at least I hoped so. I took some work I did in high school, similar assignments from college, my design portfolio and some of the "artwork" I've been working on lately. I also took a couple of my sketchbooks.
Then I pretty much just winged it. I showed the similarities in the projects I did in high school and college, trying to make the point that you have to learn the materials, techniques and theories before you can really be creative. I spoke about the career path I've had and showed them my portfolio like I would show it to a potential client. The teacher asked me a few questions about how I draw, the materials I use, where I find inspiration and I tried to answer as best as I could.
Finally, I talked about my sketchbooks and how for the first 30+ years of my artistic life I didn't get the point. Even when keeping a sketchbook was an assignment in college classes, I thought it was a waste of time and took a hit on my grade instead. And now, after keeping at it for a year, I think sketchbooks are the most important tools an artist can have.
More than improving my skills and building my confidence, my sketchbooks have taken me back to that time when I drew because I loved it. Somewhere along the way, amidst all the teachers, clients, critiques and jobs, drawing became work instead of fun. My sketchbook is where I do what I want, draw what I want, use the materials I want — I don't have to create for anyone but me. I so wish I'd figured that out sooner.
BTW, the little oval shape on the bottom just left of center has the word "Believe" engraved on it. I BELIEVE. Do you? A song I heard yesterday says it best ... Let's Go All The Way!
I haven't
been feeling like myself lately — really pretty
crummy actually. I've had a couple of big
design/illustration jobs fall through for one reason
or another and a couple of other ventures aren't
going as well as I'd hoped. I'm feeling discouraged,
frustrated and angry with myself for feeling
discouraged and frustrated. Freelance work ebbs and
flows, but it's still tough when it is at a low
point.
And my fine art is more than a hobby for me — I
should know that by now —but sometimes I find
it hard to give it the time it merits. The last
couple of months have had me jumping from one
more important activity to the next.
Between getting ready to move, moving, unpacking, my
son starting a new school, wanting to get
painting/decorating done, birthday parties and a lot
of stuff I'm not remembering right now, my art isn't
even on the stove anymore, let alone the back burner.
I'm happy that I've kept up with my journal, but mad
at myself for finding more and more ways to stay away
from my studio.
It's time to
cut it the heck out. I need to start taking
better care of myself and if that means the dusting
and vacuuming doesn't get done right now, so be it.
Yesterday I finished up a couple of paintings I had
in progress that have just been sitting. I've
finished my latest books from the library and I've
decided I'm not checking out any more right now.
Burying my head in a book isn't going to get a
drawing done. My daughter likes to draw with me when
my son is at preschool. No reason why I can't work on
a more complicated piece while she colors. And when
she naps, if my son doesn't want to draw, he could
play with his cars, trucks or trains while I work.
That's probably about four hours a day right there.
So sorry about the long, whiny post. I'm going to
work at getting myself back on track.
Don't expect much out of me as long as the Indians are in the playoffs. I just can't draw and cheer at the same time.
GO TRIBE!
I had
intentions of drawing all day, so I started with my
oatmeal for breakfast. I was going to draw my Arthur
Treacher's Fish & Chips lunch, but I ate it too
fast. And the rest of the day included a trip to get
pumpkins and cutting the grass — not a lot of
opportunities to draw. BUT three in one day, that's
nothing to sneeze at.
Tom Roese, a local artist known
for his cityscapes, was asked to act as an
"instructor" of sorts. He showed us a technique
that's similar to using your pencil to measure
distances, but instead helps you transfer the
angles of buildings to your page. I think with
practice it will be helpful, but yesterday it just
felt weird and frustrating. Partly I know it was
my resistance to anything new — I'm a dork,
but I'm a self-aware dork — and part of it
was that I really wanted to focus on the sign.
Next time I'll know to just chill out and draw
what I want.
There were
dozens of similar sculptures, all about a foot in
height, scattered around the reading garden next to
the library. I think I'll have to go back because
this little lady was so much fun to draw.
All in all, it was a good experience. I got to
meet Karen Sandstrom — thanks for
inviting me to the crawl — another
artist/blogger from the area whose website I love
to visit. I'm looking forward to the next one in
November.
I guess what I like about her pages is you have someplace to rest. There's not so much going on, so you can just enjoy her art. Instead of having a page of words to read, you can investigate her use of color and shading and how she models her subject.
I wanted to give it a try, so here are two peppers. This was MUCH HARDER than I expected, which might explain my need to at least draw a line around the page. But I did seem to slow down a bit. I was more concerned with the drawing and painting of the peppers and less concerned with planning what I wanted to write. I don't think I could do this on every spread, but maybe every now and then would be a nice change.
