highly valued, again

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Something else I value highly.

As a person who hangs her clothes to dry (outside in summer, and on lines and racks in the basement in winter), I use a lot of these, all the time.

It's satisfying to see the representation get better....

Though I believe I am doing the equivalent of memorizing a piece of music rather than learning to read it...........

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thinking about inspiration in re creative pursuit

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I think everyone involved in creative pursuit goes through colder periods. It feels so good when things are rolling along; I think that people often quit working when things are not rolling.

"I'm blocked!"

It happens to everyone -- things are good and then not as good.

I am 100% convinced that the way to get through it is to keep working. Inspiration is lovely, but perspiration -- or perseverance, at any rate -- is just as important in creative endeavor as any other part of life.

Since I've been blogging, I've gone through this cycle every year. That experience has taught me that the way to turn a fallow period into "a period," rather than letting it be(come) "a way of being," is to keep going.

Work anyway, "inspired" or not, and the inspiration will come back.

Wait for "inspiration" and it may not show up for a long time........



I don't *enjoy* this up-and-down swing, but it's happened often enough that I take it as part of the process rather than as a terrible (fatal?) blow to the whole plan.

I watch too many creative people just quit when things get tough, thinking that they have to feel inspired in order to get anywhere.

I believe this is totally bogus.

Keep working.  Whether you are excited about what you produce or not.  Expect that some of the work will suck.  Keep working.

It's the best way to get back into the zone........................



For your eye candy, go have a look at what Alisa Burke is up to.

Those red berries.  Swoon.
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drawing

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January 8

I remembered to number them, this time.

This is really #5.

January 9

I'm finding it very interesting to watch the sketchbook challenge site (button in right side bar).

Different people have such different ideas and intentions. The different things people value are interesting (love the choice of salt!), and the difference between some people's sketchy work and other people's very finished work......

I'm doing just what I mean to be doing (if not quite as frequently as I mean to), and I hope others are, too!

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love MeL

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Lots of bloggers make a point of posting things they are happy about at the moment.

Here is something that is making me happy -- the Michigan eLibrary system that lets me check out books that belong to other libraries.

I had tried the inter-library loan thing, a long time ago, when it was a pain to use. Then, more recently, I looked for a book I wanted, and none of the libraries I had access to, through mine, seemed to have it.

A few weeks ago, one of my colleagues at work told me he uses MeL all the time. He used to live in Ann Arbor, and now lives in one of the smaller near-by towns. He still has access to the Ann Arbor library's collection, but he has to use MeL and wait until the materials are delivered to his current library.

I decided to try using MeL the next time I wanted something Ann Arbor doesn't have.

Which is a lot of stuff.

Ann Arbor used to have a rather good selection of craft books, but in the last several years, they have decided it's more important to have an enormous selection of books in foreign languages. The selection of craft books is now much sparser than ere it was. Alas.

It also used to be the case that they were very responsive to requests that they add titles to their collection. That, too, is no longer true. (Do you detect a pattern of fading warm-n-fuzzy feelings toward my erstwhile beloved library? Sigh!)

In any case, I had a sizable list of books in my Amazon cart, so I asked MeL about them. Only one book on my list was not in MeL's lists, and only one more was there but unavailable. (I suspect people in the town whose library has a given book have priority for that book, which seems meet and right to me.)

Apparently lots of other libraries around Michigan are still buying craft books rather than foreign-language novels. Huzzah!

I can't figure how it's cheaper to ship books hither, thither, and yon around the state than to buy more books. But hey. They don't pay me the big bucks to make library decisions............

Google says Iron Mountain is 471 miles (8.5 hours!) from Ann Arbor.

Nevertheless, I have their copy of Danny Gregory's Illustrated Life.

This book is constructed of the contributions of many artists who draw all the time.

I was familiar with several of them (including Danny Gregory) before seeing this book.

France Belleville, whose work I revere but have no thought of emulating.

Mattias Adolfsson, who makes me laugh -- check out this drawing.

Jane LaFazio, whose work I would love to emulate (and who is one of the pros doing the sketchbook challenge).

Christian Slade -- I own one of his original drawings! He donated a copy of Korgi to an auction in service of CorgiAid, and I won the book.

There are many other artists in the book whose work I love as well as the five above.

It is very interesting to see the range of subjects, techniques, etc.

Very encouraging -- I'm pretty sure every one of these artists would say "If you want to draw, draw!"  I know it's what Danny says.

Me, too.

If you want to draw, do!  You don't have to show anyone.  You don't have to tell anyone.  Just ... draw.  And keep drawing................

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sketching, days 2 and 3

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Here's the sketching I did on Jan 2 and 3. (Work gets in the way of my life, sometimes. I'm going to need to work on sketching even on the days I go to work....)

Excedrin bottle?  Boring.  Ah well.

Glasses?  Very interesting, especially with shadow from my bed-side halogen light.

Interesting, but very hard to render, I thought.

The sketchbook challenge has many professional and/or very experienced artists who are sketching the chosen topic. It's interesting to see what they choose to draw, and to look at all the different means of expression.

It seems to be the case that we are getting one topic per month. I sort of thought they were going to give a new prompt each day, but I guess that's not the way it works.

I guess I mean to draw something every day, and I won't bother about making them all fit that month's topic, except that I'll try to follow the monthly theme at least a couple of times.....

If we upload a drawing to the group flickr site, we are entered in that month's drawing for the excellent prizes.

Too bad I wrote on the camera page before I photographed it. Perhaps I'll draw the camera again.....

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when I grow up, I want to sketch like Alisa Burke

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Have a look at Alisa Burke's sketchbook.

The color. The contrast. The few, but cogent, words.

EXACTLY what I wish I could do.

I am, by the way, continuing to draw. On the 2nd, I drew an Excedrin bottle (highly valued when you need, it, no?), but boring to draw. Yesterday, I drew my reading glasses (again, when you need 'em, you *need* 'em). They were interesting to draw because they were very hard to draw. The foreshortening! Ai yi yi! I tried over and over and had no success. I will keep working on them!

I'll show you, one of these days.....

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writing and drawing, day 1

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I mean to write down what I've gotten done each day. Maybe I'll note the things that made me happy that day, too. Noting the things that are aspirations/goals seems like a good idea.....

I've begun with stars by the accomplishments. I definitely need a particular mark for the aspirations.

I've 'shopped the pink star onto this image; maybe I'll use my colored Sharpies for other sorts of "bullets"......... (So many choices -- keep it simple -- one sketchbook and one Sharpie, vs more colors, more materials, etc..... Nothing stopping me from coloring it later, I suppose.........)



I used to love my handwriting, back in the day when I actually wrote anything by hand.

Now, the thing I write on most frequently is the grocery list........

In part because I can't write three words without needing to change something. As with "missit" and the illegible "halting" (below)...... This I am trying to get over.  I can't possibly write by hand and not need to scratch things out, so I'm trying to accept that and move on..........  Needing a pink star here in this paragraph ... maybe someday I'll figure out how to make a font out of my handwriting.  The best of both worlds.............  :-)



Our sketchbook challenge "assignment" for January is to draw things we prize highly.

The suggestion was family members and pets..................



I wonder if the expectation is that most people have been drawing for a long time and just want some impetus to practice daily.

As someone who has not drawn regularly at least since I was in middle school (in the mid 1970s!), I have no desire or inclination to begin with such ... high-value subjects.

With a low-value subject, I am able to not care that my efforts are ... sketchy ... attempts. With a higher-value subject, I would care.  Caring would get between me and doing; puzzled to hear a suggestion to jump off the cliff rather than dipping just my toes in the surf..........  Maybe that's just me.

Luckily, I am fine with ignoring suggestions that won't work for me.



Without further ado ... my efforts for 1/1/11 (with a bit of censorship).

My favorite part of drawing the camera was the wrist strap.  I've got a knot in the strap so the loop is less likely to slip off my hand when I'd rather it didn't.  (This has saved me from dropping the camera on multiple occasions.)

Drawing the loop, and the knot, with the woven texture of the strap ... that was my favorite aspect of the camera to look at more closely and to try to represent.  Happier with the second sketch all around -- 3D, and much better strap.....

I believe I'll continue mentioning my favorite part of the day's work.......

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