A 365 day art project… one drawing a day
Just slightly sick… nothing bad, but I took it easy with a simple little doodle… and watched movies and worked on cleaning up my studio full of after-Christmas messes. (and turned my little space heater up, and drank hot cocoa, and puppy even behaved himself… actually a very nice day!)
Today I decided to try the line drawings again. It’s the end of the Christmas season (Friday was Twelfth Night), so all the decorations must come down. I tried some of my Willow Tree nativity scene, one of my very favorite things. (I hate putting it away!) The creator has already done all of the art, I just have to copy it in pen. The first couple things I sketched in pencil first, thinking I could capture the shape better, but truthfully that made it more difficult and stilted. I think maybe looking less perfect but more instinctual might be better in some cases. Even if it isn’t quite “right.” That’s art, right??
I got a little better as I practiced, and the last one is my favorite. Less is more. A lesson I’m seeing over and over, everywhere. I used a different pen as well, an inexpensive Japanese kuretake brush pen. The others were Staedtler pigment liners. Great pens. But the brush pen brought a nice organic feel.
I tried the angel several times. (the truly ugly ones aren’t even here, even though I probably should post them all.) D0ing the pencil sketch helped me see her lines more clearly I think, but I really only liked my last attempt, although I like the line of the skirt on the one before that.
A week already!
Just wishing James Madison University good luck today …and everybody else in this winter storm… stay warm!
Today I didn’t have time or inclination to get supplies out, so I decided to try some Single Line Drawings. As you can see from the featured image, some of them used more than a single line.
I started out by copying some I googled… some are famous pieces are some are things people have posted. Because I was trying to figure it out, and copy others, I really wasn’t as free with my pen as I should have been.
Turns out, the female form really is kind of fun to draw. I just copied these from actual “art”.
The only ones I did myself are the cats and the jingle bells. Still, I was happy with my results, and am going to try this again. I’m looking forward to it, actually!
What I learned:
A little watercolor, some tiny notecards from Target’s dollar bin, and poof! Adorable mini lettersets. I plan to use these painted cards for a swap I’m mailing out tomorrow.
I got the idea for the design here, although I didn’t actually use the same method she used, instead adapting her idea to the supplies I wanted to use.
I kept the masking pieces, which are about 1 1/2″x 2″…. must be something they’ll be good for?
(I often keep interesting-things-which-should-be-trash, and I feel good about repurposing them. But I tend to forget about them once they are out of sight, so I end up with a studio full of actual trash. I’m trying to break this habit… I’ll really need to find a project quickly for these, or decide to ditch them!
I wish I had worked more carefully with my lettering, but they are cute. I’m happy.
Here’s the finished product… happy mail off to Costa Rica! (it’s cheaper to send two letter sized envelopes than sending one fatter one. Maria will be receiving the notecards, the cherry tree from Day 3, and some Christmas ornaments I should have photographed before I packaged, which I made from the weathered pages of an 1806 Bible) And look- I already found a use for some of the extra pieces, covering the address so InternetWorld can’t see it!
Today’s submission: “Inchies”. This miniature tradable art form gets its name from… have you guessed? The canvas size. Yep, those are 1 inch by 1 inch teensy pieces of “art”, for a swap I’m in. Three inchies, any medium, any subject. Frequently inchies, I think, like ATCs, have a combination of art media… painting, drawing, collage, 3-D elements. I often add charms, or ribbon, scraps of a printed phrase from a book, fortune cookie fortunes to my ATCs (Artist Trading Cards, 2 1/2″x 3 1/2″)… really anything. But today I’m being an acrylic purist. My inchies are already a little busy for their size… I think adding any embellishment may overwhelm them.
Acrylic paint on watercolor paper, each 1″x 1″. (Some of my squares don’t look actually square. A problem I’ve only noticed now, as I look at these photos.)
I followed this tutorial for the tiny trees (more or less). Very fun to paint. I’ll try a larger version sometime.
And this, because my swap partner loves cats:
I didn’t create the kitties on my own either. I got the idea here. I’m keeping a set of three trees and the lone kitty on the right.
What I learned:
-painting doesn’t have to be scary.
-inchies are an incredibly small work space.
-small spaces are (potentially) less forgiving.
-my current paper trimmer doesn’t cut a one inch square neatly. Two inches is its minimum. Hand cut future inchies, or purchase a better-for-inchies trimmer.
-simple curvy lines can make a cat.
-one inch paintings can take longer than you’d guess.
What I’m hoping:
-before the year is out, I’ll be able to paint things without following a tutorial and without stealing (ahem, borrowing) someone else’s idea.
Watercolor cherry trees (one to keep, and one for a swap) (from a youtube tutorial Fine-Art tips with Leonardo Pereznieto… splatter painting technique “How To Paint a Cherry Tree in Watercolor-Splatter Painting Trees-Paint a Tree-Sakura”
It took him three minutes. It took me… longer. But it won’t take you long, and it’s easy and fun. I’ll try these again another day and see if I can get them any better!
Prep your work area… paint gets everywhere. My table is tile so paint wipes right off. 🙂
Wacky pineapple, husband’s suggestion. 🙂 s
Same 90 lb mixed media journal, same Staedtler pens. .8, .1, .005.
(Staedtler .05 and .8 pigment liner pens in Strathmore 5.5″x8″ mixed media journal 90lb paper)
(…or paint, crayon, watercolor, ball point pen, marker, lipstick, scrapbook paper, restaurant napkin… whatever is handy.)
My goal is to make one little piece of art every day for a year. Big or small, simple or detailed. 365 days of practice. What is it that keeps me out of my studio now? It is simply the rest of my life crowding in and convincing me that I don’t have the time. Ridiculous, but I always fall for it. And my life is not that complex. I DO have the time. You can tell what truly means something to someone by watching how and where he invests his time. And so, a twofold purpose to this 365 project…
The first: to see improvement in my work, improvement that only comes through practice and experience. I’m no artistic genius… even a small throw-away scribble can teach me something, and I’d rather try to be as good as I can be myself, than just continue to avoid knowing how limited I really am.
And the second: to develop and improve a positive state of mind and body, and develop consistent habits. Focusing on a small project can be so relaxing for me. It is nothing but healthy. And I think trying to undertake a big overall project with a commitment like this will help develop much needed strength and focus in other areas of my life as well, even if I am less successful at it than I hope to be.
I welcome constructive criticism and advice. Consider this an open forum, and please participate. And invite other people to follow… I don’t plan to chat, just to post my pictures and be held accountable. If I don’t post, ask me why!!
ThreeSixFiveArt 