From the back of the church

It's been raining all day, a fairly steady cold rain with deep dark clouds. It feels like winter, like we're so far into winter spring will never come. Which is okay with me since I love this weather with all it's drama, rain that just doesn't end.


Some people draw on subways, some in airports. I draw in church. There were lots more people than I show here, but these were the ones I could manage and still participate in the service. I use a pencil and then retrace the best lines with a black Micron pen. Usually I draw Beulie in church but she's in the kennel and we're missing her and her unstoppable puppy energy.

Art as a state occasion

My moment of enlightenment this afternoon was when I realized that, whenever I draw even the most insignificant little sketch, it becomes a state occasion, not a habit habitually performed. For example, when I get hungry and decide to eat, I go into the kitchen an pull out sandwich fixings and construct a sandwich, sit down and eat it. It isn't a state event. It isn't something that particularly catches my attention. It's all over in maybe 15 minutes. And then I move on to some other habitual behavior like, for example, sitting down with a book. I don't make any internal announcements, "Now I'm going to do this great thing for the good of the universe, I'm going to take in a page or two," I just do it. I have yet to complete an entire sketchbook although I have begun several. Some days I don't draw at all. So.....what I need to do, in addition to Practice, practice, practice, is draw More, more, more...and several times a day, several times a day, several times a day, without it being such a Freakin' Big Deal! Just draw, doggone it!

Just keep on

I'm trying to learn how to draw folds. I just don't have the concept yet and need to look at the work of the masters, consult some drawing books and ask for help. But I did make an effort and copied a simply draped scarf from a magazine model. I haven't even started learning how to draw faces yet so that isn't currently important to me -- but it will be! While I was at it I journaled some memories of Halloween. (Click to enlarge.)

So I'm tired, OK???

I'm not really cranky, just a tad discouraged. I decided to drop my pastel class last night because 1) I don't usually get home from it until almost 11:00 pm, 2) Every other Tuesday morning I have an early chemotherapy appointment, 3) I don't really enjoy pastels, 4) The rest of the class seems pretty far ahead of me, and 5) If I stay home I can do something on my level - and enjoy it!

So last night I collaged my exhaustion. This morning I did a very quick sketch of my little alarm clock - in ballpoint because my ArtBox is still in the car because I thought I was going to the pastel class - and I couldn't erase, I couldn't get the perspective right, the shading right, anything right, like I was proving to myself I don't really belong in the pastel class and it's a good thing I'm dropping it. But I will keep the watercolor class because it's much slower, lots of folks on my level and it's right here in town on Tuesday afternoons. So cut me some slack!

Summer plan

Classes are over for the semester and I have no plans to go to summer school. But what I want most is to learn how to draw so....while I'm waiting for the fall courses to begin I hope to sketch/draw one picture most days of June, July and August. I am a beginner, maybe even a bit below the beginning level so I have lots to learn and lots of practice in front of me. Just to give myself a head start I started today: