:: Days 9, 10, 11 + 12 of 120 Days of Making a Drawing ::

9/120

I'm still here and still doing this challenge! [just in case anyone is wondering...could've looked like I just gave up!] In truth, Day 9 was a toughie - the come-down after spending so long describing Nana Joy, perhaps - or maybe I'd psyched myself into thinking I had to achieve the same level of depth and detail...so I was a touch grumpy...ok - I was behaving in a fairly savage manner to those dearest and closest...and obviously feeling out of sorts...not finding inspiration in anything around me...oh, DEAR!
And then Aaron brought home a gorgeous pair of Oriental Lily stems - et voila - my muse for the following days...

10a/120

10b/120

 this drawing may look more than a little odd...it's called a 'Blind Contour Drawing' and it is literally made without looking at the page at all and all in one continuous line (which helps with the sense of feeling like one knows where the pencil is on the page). It is a way of training the eyes to really notice what they are seeing, so drawing as slowly as possible also helps this experience.  The concept was popularised by Kimon Nicolaides, who also thought drinking caffeine before drawing wouldn't really enhance the experience!! ooops!

11/120

These I drew using a hard-ish charcoal pencil - which gives a lot more control and a darker impression...liked using the pencil - much less messy...did I just write that?

12a/120

took me awhile yesterday to get into it - so tried another blind contour, this time just looking at the external lines of the whole subject before me...quite freeing and fun - no attachment!

12b/120

And this drawing also had a sense of freedom - this time very unexpected - as I often am so intent on interpreting what I see as the real thing, that I get a little too busy with the rubber (eraser - for non-rubber-understanding people), perfecting a line - and getting very 'caught-up' in this.  Whilst immersed in this drawing, I felt a switch and decided that if my proportions weren't going exactly true to the lilies I was looking at, that I would honour the mark in the position it was and just continue on...without the rubber and it's little petty tyrant commentary that went with it..."that isn't right, get rid of that!", etc As I progressed I sensed a strong improvement in the confidence of my mark-making...YES!!! And the drawing just is as it is...a drawing.