It was a gentle ride yesterday. I went by myself. That made all the difference. No feeling of holding someone else back… time to stop and look. Again I was awe struck by the beauty of the unfolding summer. Honing in on the roadside flora, the shapes of leaves which curl around flower buds were enchanting. I have forgotten more names of plants than I remember… perhaps a good thing… without a name the shapes stand out in all of their twists and angles and interplay. Emerging flowers in mauve pink, white, yellow, deep red draw my eye. I make the commitment to return with sketch book and pen today… but of course the weather has changed and the rain puts a damper on drawing… what matter, there are day lilies exploding by my kitchen window.
Last week I started a drawing class… figure drawing. The idea was simple. While on our trip across the country I would want to capture what I saw with pen and ink. Improving my skill in drawing would help. Little did I know how hard it would be. Of course I should have taken Drawing I before starting into figure drawing but I went for that which was available for the summer… If learning is supposed to challenge the person - mind, body, and soul - I have to be learning an enormous amount. New materials, new ways of looking at the visual world, shapes, proportion, angles, bones, ribcages (what manner of animal is captured in that cage?), joints… the human body is one amazing machine… I didn’t know it would be so hard to do it justice… and to convey a sense of form and beauty at the same time. With luck, practice, and confidence (which I am lacking now in this endeavor) by the end of class I will be able to succeed to some extent.
The class assignment for the month is to draw, draw, draw… make at least 25 sketches of the human head… all angles, all shapes, all postures. Daryle is kind enough to be my model to start out. I was feeling very intimidated by the whole effort until I started yesterday. He worked at his desk while I tried to balance large sketch pad, graphite stick, tippy easel, and hesitant soul (that was the hard part) to draw a reasonable likeness of him. Made two sketches. The good part is that one can tell it is a human head! One needs to look hard to see it is Daryle… we’ll see what happens 25 to 50 sketches from now!
So for relief and confidence building I turn back to the dance of the flora outside my window… No shape is more elegant than the unassuming simplicity and economy of one flower, one leaf, a bud or two, and the play between them… and yes, I can’t help but share the graphic I did for my dear Women With Wings after a celebration last week. Love and simplicity make so many things clear.
Last week I started a drawing class… figure drawing. The idea was simple. While on our trip across the country I would want to capture what I saw with pen and ink. Improving my skill in drawing would help. Little did I know how hard it would be. Of course I should have taken Drawing I before starting into figure drawing but I went for that which was available for the summer… If learning is supposed to challenge the person - mind, body, and soul - I have to be learning an enormous amount. New materials, new ways of looking at the visual world, shapes, proportion, angles, bones, ribcages (what manner of animal is captured in that cage?), joints… the human body is one amazing machine… I didn’t know it would be so hard to do it justice… and to convey a sense of form and beauty at the same time. With luck, practice, and confidence (which I am lacking now in this endeavor) by the end of class I will be able to succeed to some extent.
The class assignment for the month is to draw, draw, draw… make at least 25 sketches of the human head… all angles, all shapes, all postures. Daryle is kind enough to be my model to start out. I was feeling very intimidated by the whole effort until I started yesterday. He worked at his desk while I tried to balance large sketch pad, graphite stick, tippy easel, and hesitant soul (that was the hard part) to draw a reasonable likeness of him. Made two sketches. The good part is that one can tell it is a human head! One needs to look hard to see it is Daryle… we’ll see what happens 25 to 50 sketches from now!
So for relief and confidence building I turn back to the dance of the flora outside my window… No shape is more elegant than the unassuming simplicity and economy of one flower, one leaf, a bud or two, and the play between them… and yes, I can’t help but share the graphic I did for my dear Women With Wings after a celebration last week. Love and simplicity make so many things clear.
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