Recent Artwork
I've been doing a lot more drawing recently, since I've been going to a life drawing class on Thursdays, which has inspired me and shown me how much you can improve by practising.
It's strange for me, because I usually just draw people (mostly faces) except for when I was at school and had set themes or assignments to do, which pushed me out of my comfort zone. At the moment I'm trying to get out more and draw interesting things, both to improve my abilities and also just to do something and get so fresh air. Because of the fatigue and malaise my ME gives me it's very hard to seize the day. Even when I am physically capable of going out I sometimes want to crawl up into a ball and moan "I don't feel well." But of course this is no good for me psychologically, so what I want to do is less mooching (random internet surfing and TV watching) and more arts and crafts work, alongside more productive resting (lying down in a darkened room meditating). I sometimes forget that TV watching and surfing the internet are not energy neutral and get stuck on them too long, instead of pacing myself properly.
I'll post some life drawings soon, but here's some other stuff I've been working on.
My mum and I went out to Crowland Abbey, which is a former Benedictine Abbey that is now partially demolished. It's decoration has incredible detail, so unless I wanted to be there all day I had to simplify it a lot and create an impression, which I guess is what differentiates drawing from photography.
This of the local wellhead. Willow trees and water are both really attractive to me, but I don't think I've mastered them yet. Good thing about parks is that I can usually get through them on my scooter, which is not the case for woods or public footpaths, so it's an easy way for me to get some landscape to draw. In the park there were little duckings, a pair of black swans and for some reason a bunch of noisy crows (I seem to be seeing crows everywhere these days).
I did this Great Tit for a card to send to my Grandma. Sadly it's from a photograph, not direct observation. We did get a bunch of Great Tits around our front window, eating the berries on the hedge, and I could sit on the sofa and watch them. I don't usually have the patience or skill for watercolour, but I like this.
Two self-portraits. These were done in fifteen minutes with felt-tip. In the drawing class I go to we sometimes do poses in fifteen minutes and are told not to rub anything out. I'm a total slow-coach and always want to erase stuff, but it's excellent practise and really helps your hand eye co-ordination. So I thought I'd make a regular habit of doing quick self-portraits, in a medium I couldn't rub out.
A drawing of fields ten minutes away from my house (advantage of living on the edge of a rural town) in artist's chalks. I just walked up there with my seat cane, unfolded it and started drawing. It took me two short sittings to complete.
This entry was originally posted at http://coldneedles.dreamwidth.org/2336.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
It's strange for me, because I usually just draw people (mostly faces) except for when I was at school and had set themes or assignments to do, which pushed me out of my comfort zone. At the moment I'm trying to get out more and draw interesting things, both to improve my abilities and also just to do something and get so fresh air. Because of the fatigue and malaise my ME gives me it's very hard to seize the day. Even when I am physically capable of going out I sometimes want to crawl up into a ball and moan "I don't feel well." But of course this is no good for me psychologically, so what I want to do is less mooching (random internet surfing and TV watching) and more arts and crafts work, alongside more productive resting (lying down in a darkened room meditating). I sometimes forget that TV watching and surfing the internet are not energy neutral and get stuck on them too long, instead of pacing myself properly.
I'll post some life drawings soon, but here's some other stuff I've been working on.
My mum and I went out to Crowland Abbey, which is a former Benedictine Abbey that is now partially demolished. It's decoration has incredible detail, so unless I wanted to be there all day I had to simplify it a lot and create an impression, which I guess is what differentiates drawing from photography.
This of the local wellhead. Willow trees and water are both really attractive to me, but I don't think I've mastered them yet. Good thing about parks is that I can usually get through them on my scooter, which is not the case for woods or public footpaths, so it's an easy way for me to get some landscape to draw. In the park there were little duckings, a pair of black swans and for some reason a bunch of noisy crows (I seem to be seeing crows everywhere these days).
I did this Great Tit for a card to send to my Grandma. Sadly it's from a photograph, not direct observation. We did get a bunch of Great Tits around our front window, eating the berries on the hedge, and I could sit on the sofa and watch them. I don't usually have the patience or skill for watercolour, but I like this.
Two self-portraits. These were done in fifteen minutes with felt-tip. In the drawing class I go to we sometimes do poses in fifteen minutes and are told not to rub anything out. I'm a total slow-coach and always want to erase stuff, but it's excellent practise and really helps your hand eye co-ordination. So I thought I'd make a regular habit of doing quick self-portraits, in a medium I couldn't rub out.
A drawing of fields ten minutes away from my house (advantage of living on the edge of a rural town) in artist's chalks. I just walked up there with my seat cane, unfolded it and started drawing. It took me two short sittings to complete.
This entry was originally posted at http://coldneedles.dreamwidth.org/2336.html. Please comment there using OpenID.