I’ve been feeling a bit quiet as of late. Under the current global situation there hasn’t been much else on my mind yet I feel as thought I’ve said all that I could say, so I’ve been just quietly inking away in an effort to focus some of my energy towards putting something peaceful out into the world. In this latest drawing I discovered that I didn’t have to get too detailed in drawing trees, just the use of light and shadow was enough. That little tidbit made drawing trees less intimidating as well as the best part of doing this piece next to the nice contrast between the mountains and the crane.
I hope that everyone is finding a positive way to manage in these difficult times. May we all get through this safe and in better spirits.
There’s something about cranes and mountains that just appeals to me. When I first set out to work on this drawing I wanted to do just a mountainous landscape but as I was sketching it out I threw in a flying crane and now all seems right, although I’ve been tempted to add in another one off in the distance but that might be overkill and take away from the drawings tranquil feel making it a bit busy, so I’ll just keep it to one.
I hope all of you lovely followers are doing well and staying safe under the current global situation. It’s been interesting seeing how people have been adjusting. To these stay at home orders. Personally I thought I would spend far more time on social media and face timing friends and family but actually it’s been the complete opposite. Instead I’ve been cooking more, taking naps and feeling as though I can actually relax without feeling guilty about it. The whole world has slowed down and I don’t feel that constant pressure to be highly productive and in the know on everything, it’s just sad that it had to take a pandemic to feel it’s okay to not be busy or at least appear as though you’re busy all the time. I know that the economy is really taking a beating from this but on the bright side maybe more of us will gain a different perspective on our lifestyles and whether all the busyness is worth it.
I didn’t fall off the earth. I know it’s been about two weeks since my last post but I’m still here and still drawing. Unfortunately some family health issues had come up and that has had most of my attention for the time being. My hubby and I both have parents who are getting up in age so things are bound to happen with their health. Fortunately though, they are both doing better now and for the moment, we have been able to get back into the routine of thing. But the ordeal has left me feeling a bit emotionally exhausted, so I don’t really have much to talk about. I did however manage to complete the “Riverbed” drawing and a little something for Valentine’s Day called “Together”, as you can see once again penguins have graced my drawing board for something adorable. So far they’re my go to animal for when I want to convey something warm, cute and loving.
Finally the snow has come and it looks like winter outside my door. Up until this weekend the landscape has stayed in an Autumn state, which was unusual for this time of year. And for someone who actually looks forward to bundling up in sweaters, scarves and sipping on hot chocolate, I was starting to feel a bit depressed that there was no blanket of snow to greet me when I stepped outside my door. But Nature, if not always on time, she’s always faithful. We got a good 8 inches of snow over weekend along with freezing rain and gusts of wind, which was perfect for settling in for a few days and getting some work done.
Having been a bit distracted with other things and my Riverbed drawing has unfortunately been the victim of back burneritis (I just made that up). I had been feeling guilty about that. Thankfully my drawing board is forgiving and waited patiently for my return. I was able to get a little inking done over the weekend. It’s not much but it’s progress. I’m aiming to have this done by the weekend in between making pocket journals. To my surprise my “Buddha Tao” set has been well received and I’m having to replenish my stock more frequently than anticipated. I only make two sets at a time, so I have to spend a day getting those done. But that’s a welcomed problem I don’t mind having. I really enjoy making journals. 😀
Welcome to the new year. I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday and are in good spirits. Unfortunately, I can’t say that my holiday was all that upbeat and joyful. I have to admit last month took a bit of a toll on my creative energy, which left me not wanting to draw. Sometimes it can take a lot out of you to constantly put stuff out there without any assurance that it will be well received. So I spent a week wanting to draw but not sure if I could actually bring myself to do it. It was rather agonizing. But after seven days I finally regained my courage to pick up a pencil and pen and get to drawing again. I’ve been tired before but this experience felt like much more than just needing a break. That was a brief but trying moment for me.
Well, since it’s the new year, I thought I’d start things off by tackling something new; a rocky riverbed. Before the year was out I got to thinking about how I haven’t done much with landscapes, especially since it’s a subject matter I really like. I did a few landscape themed ACEO pieces a few years ago but haven’t revisited the subject since. So now I’m in the process of laying out the base drawing of a rocky river, which is coming along nicely but inking it can turn out to be something altogether different. One of my concerns is how to stipple flowing water? This is something I’ve never done, so that’s challenge number one. My next concern is when working on a small piece like this, how will I stipple the vegetation so that it actually looks like vegetation? And that’s challenge number two. Oh what have I gotten myself into? 😯 I hope my ambition hasn’t exceeded my skills. Wish me luck. 😊
Carve & Draw 