The Elements of Drawing

This is the first exercise in a book called The Elements of Drawing, by John Ruskin.  Roz Stendahl recommended it on her blog.  This book was first published in 1856, and it was a ground breaking book written for the average person who wanted to learn to draw, rather than for art students.

I didn't find it an enjoyable read, so I returned it to the library.  But I might borrow it again or look for it in a used book store; I can see myself wanting to try again at some point.

Drawing as Meditation

Sometimes when I do a lot of painting, I find that I miss drawing.

Drawing is a kind of meditation for me.

The concentration and focus are calming and peaceful.

Go & Grow Fearless

Whim from Whims in Watercolor 2

Changing Things Up

Lesson Two in Find Your Joy was about trying something new.  We were to use new tools and colours we don't normally use on a familiar subject.  "Notice what you enjoy and what you don't", Louise instructed.

I used my 2 least favorite colours, purple and orange, but couldn't resist adding ochre and grey. I used a fan brush and a flat brush.  (I usually use rounds).  I found a stick in my desk drawer with 2 different ends. 

I enjoyed everything about doing this, although the feeling was different than when I worked wet on wet in Lesson One.    I felt very calm and peaceful doing this.  (Lesson One was joyful and exuberant.) 

I'm usually impatient and uninterested with this level of detail, but I found the fan brush fascinating and fun.  And I wanted to make tick marks with the stick over and over. It was all like some kind of meditation.  

I even enjoyed the colours.  I had to dive into a set of pan watercolors to find an orange and a purple, but these colours might find their way onto my shopping list.  If I'm paying attention to what I enjoy and what I don't, I would have to say that I don't enjoy mixing large quantities of paint colours.  I never mix enough and then it is hard to match.

Palette Cleanser

Joanne Sharpe can even make a whim out of cleaning your palette!

Find Your Joy - A Second Take on Lesson One

I love finger painting with wet gelatos on canvas paper, so I decided to have another go at Lesson One of Find Your Joy.

My joy didn't last because I used too much black and the colours turned muddy.  (I got some of the light back by twisting a bunched up paper towel and removing some mud.)  The tape didn't work well on the slick canvas paper, so the wet mud slipped under the tape.  I thought it was destined for the garbage.

However, once I cut them up I found that I liked them.  They have nice depth, I think.  I have no idea what I'll do with them.  

This course isn't about the results, thankfully, it is about finding joy in the process, and identifying what you like doing.  I already knew that I liked fingerpainting with wet gelatos, so I'll do that again, no doubt.  The idea of taping, working large and then cutting them up just didn't work with this medium though.  It's all a learning process!

Luscious Landscape with a Border

We taped off a border using washi tape for some landscapes.  Washi tape has just the right amount of stick for this, it turns out.  Some tape will damage your paper, but washi tape removes easily.