:: the journey continues...back to Possum Bend ::

watch this space...2012...we'll be back at The Bend

:: 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.

:: Day 8 - 120 Days of Making a Drawing ::

Nana Joy

The holidays...aaahhh! Day one - and as Jo over at Indigo Inspirations quite rightly says: "time to breathe out!".  Just a little more space is so welcome in these hectic times.  And when I have a little more space I can get all absorbed in something like this.  This drawing of my Nana Joy - who is almost 95, by the way - I have been wanting to use as a practise piece for my portrait-drawing for a while.  I took the photo last October on the evening of her 94th birthday and I think it is the nicest photo (if I do say so myself!!) of my Nana, who usually has to be sneaked up on to get any photo of her - she doesn't much like having photos taken.  She looked radiant at dinner that night.
I spent over 3 hours today on this drawing...so easy to become engaged in a subject like Nana.  There is so much interesting detail to discover on such a wise face - and much compassion to learn as well - the person being drawn is almost under a microscope - so all their little vulnerabilities are there for inspection and interpretation.  I had a most intriguing experience drawing today - thank you Nana Joy!

:: 120 days of making a drawing Day 7 ::

...hmmmm...we had a big day today...it began with a breakfast out at House of Gabriel, on the Tweed River, at Tumbulgum (I just love the sound of that little town - sounds like it ought to be in a fairy story...about mischievious gnomes, or gum-nut babies...?). Very entertaining breakfast - as all and sundry of the surrounding male gender were all out on show on the river in and on their various 'toys' - parading it up and down, using their very clean and flash automotive toys to deliver and receive back again said aquatic toys...very entertaining...all boys...and their toys...no - I'm not jealous! At all.
We'd thought we were achieving clever geographic-planning by choosing this little gem of a cafe for our special breakfast out, as we were then heading to the Tweed River Aquatic Centre for a fun birthday party involving waterslides!
Alas, technology let the day down and our festivities were relocated to...Ballina...only about 80km's SOUTH of where we'd so...cleverly (as we'd thought!) placed ourselves...with plenty of time to reach our party...we thought!
We hoofed it back down the highway and...would you believe...driving at the speed limit or less...were the first to arrive for the relocated party.

Big day on the water slides, which ended very dramatically as Ballina was literally bombed by a seriously heavy hailstorm which arrived after about an hour's ominous thunder and lightening grumbling foreplay...truly looked like it had snowed in Ballina this afternoon.
So today's drawing comes in the form of a fantasy sketch/doodle done in the car... : )

:: 120 days of making a drawing Day 6 ::

feet

there are so many body-bits I'd like to practise...so...why not feet today? I found a pretty basic reference  book: The Human Figure A Photographic Reference by Erik A. Ruby at the Brunswick Heads Old + Gold Festival this year for the bargain price of $1! Basic and very seventies...but still has just what I need for my kind of drawing practise at the moment.

:: 120 Days of Making a Drawing Day 5 ::

we have an old Kombi back bench-seat - salvaged from a van being converted into a travelling abode - residing on our back deck, facing West...perfect for slumping into, to watch the last rays washing everything golden, so all appears magical...and perfect!

And from that very comfortable spot I sat late yesterday afternoon, with drawing book and chalk and wondered what the heck I would draw...at the end of another very full and wonderfully-inspiring day at school...my eyes first focused on the cactus - so that was it - couldn't even think enough to make a choice further afield...so, the cactus on the ledge it was!!

Lady with an Ermine (left)

 And this is the inspiring stuff we co-created at school yesterday!  We were each asked to choose 13 tiny (4cm x 3cm) rectangles randomly from a paper bag, each of which were one of 90 rectangles, which together were a da Vinci masterpiece...although we did not know what we were creating - we were not allowed to see the print of the painting!
We then received 13 pieces of painting card - each 20cm high x 15cm wide and set about painting each piece as best we could represent what we saw.  We used acrylic paint and each mixed all the colours we 'saw'. The group worked feverishly to complete this within the day - seven of us, including the tutor, Michelle Dawson, since we were a small group on Friday. Once the pieces began to be placed onto the grid, it suddenly became thrilling to watch our image materialise...very exciting!!

The course we are taking is run in two groups - a Mon/Tues group and our group is the Thurs/Fri group.  The Mon/Tues group created the painting on the right and ours is the beauty on the left...Lady with an Ermine...and on the wall she hangs proudly at 2 metres tall by 1.35 metres wide!

What do you think about that?







 

:: 120 Days of Making a Drawing Day 4 ::

Here she is...day four...not much to say really, other than - I fitted it into a busy day and pleased I did - maybe suffice to say I was well-supported by husband to make the effort and get it done!  Looking forward to the weekend and days with a little more breathing space in them.