It’s been a long time. I know I’ve said this before but this time the dates back me up. My last post was June 29 and my last drawing was just as long ago. Two stressful projects at work and an even more stressful family drama derailed everything. I didn’t draw, I didn’t acquire art supplies. I didn’t even think about drawing. The few times it did cross my mind I felt too mentally and physically drained to pick up a pencil.
But slowly I got my time back. Summer set in and with it, less demanding projects at work. While the family drama continues, it doesn’t claim my time as work does. Before things got so crazy, I had started a drawing that was halfway finished, but I wasn’t satisfied with it. It was the usual interior design interlaced with doodle characters, but the drive to see it through was lacking. I often found myself daydreaming about doing a standard full page doodle collage instead. So that’s what I did. And the result was beyond anything I could’ve imagined.
When I hold this newest piece in my hands, when I glimpse it in passing, I am thrilled with how it turned out. The things I need to improve on fall away in the presence of the things I did right. I’m amazed that I was able to keep my skills after my absence. I also took some risks with this new piece.
First, I didn’t fine line the completed drawing with bold lines as I usually do. Something instinctively told me it would ruin the drawing. Although I prefer bolder outlines, it just looked right as it was.
The second thing I did was to use ink lines to create shading. I was inspired by the children’s books The Berenstain Bears. I purchased a few used copies for my daughter to read over summer break. While reading some of the books myself (they were one of my favorite series as a child!) I noticed some of the books were drawn with ink lines as shading. I thought maybe I could try them on this piece. I did so cautiously and with a light hand. While my lines are not as confident as the illustrator in The Berenstain Bears books, I think my efforts are off to a good start.
Tomorrow I start again. Originally I said I would launch a gallery page but I think I will shelve that idea for now and stick to the post format for sharing my work. I have too many ongoing projects in my life and don’t have the time or energy to tackle my website right now. With the sliver of free time I have I would like to focus on making art. And with the success of this newest piece I’m hungry for the next one!
