New Zealand Book Council - Going West
41 minutes ago
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Filling the Well
I got some good advice from Zom (she has a great blog!) - she said that the well runs dry and then you have to do things to fill up the (creative) well. I've been reading more, and plan to start taking walks daily....what fills your creative well? I'd love to hear your suggestions!!
Here's a few ATC backgrounds I did. (seem to be able to do backgrounds and that's about it right now!)
Here's a few ATC backgrounds I did. (seem to be able to do backgrounds and that's about it right now!)
Friday, November 20, 2009
watercolor
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Guest Post!!!! Thanks Miranda ;)
Mirnada, from one of my favorite blogs, has written a great guest post for me, ENJOY!! Check her blog out too, it's FULL of creative goodness!
So, you want to start drawing? Awesome!
What are you waiting for?!
[hand drawing] Drawing is one of the most traditional, basic art forms, and also the simplest in terms of supplies and getting started. Think of the cave drawings at Lascaux, one of the earliest examples of human artwork. If you want to draw, pick up a pencil and go to it! It really is that simple!
Then again, drawing is weighed down with custom and preconceptions. The blank page can be extraordinarily intimidating when you’re starting out (and even when you’re more experienced). The great news is that you don’t have to be DaVinci re-incarnated to enjoy drawing! Learn to relax and your drawing experience can become one of exploration and success.
Before you Begin
Drawing tools are among the simplest of art supplies; all you need is something that makes a mark and a surface to draw on. Pencils are a good place to start and come in different hardnesses. It can be useful to have a selection to choose from. The pencils I use most often are my B and 2B pencils.
If you’re the adventurous type, you can also draw with ink. This can be anything from a ball point pen to a sharpie to dipping a stick into a pot of ink! If you’re into colour, try out pastels or coloured pencils. The key is to play around and find what feels most comfortable to you! As far as surfaces go, the most common is of course paper. No need to go all out, but a heavier paper will give you better drawings than regular old computer paper. It’s a good idea to get a sketchbook to keep all your ideas in one place. Another interesting experiment you can try is drawing on coloured or tinted paper. I’ve seen some beautiful drawings done on brown or sepia, using white pastel for highlights. You may feel an urge to have several dedicated sketchbooks for different types of drawings. Unless you
’re extremely disciplined, this probably won’t work. Why make things more complicated? Think of your sketchbook as a casual place to keep all of your creative and artistic ideas. One day you might draw, another day you might collage, another day you might plan a painting…. We all know how difficult it can be to find time for our artistic endeavours; it’s best to keep things as simple as possible! Now What?
You’re all set with your supplies, but what do you draw? Everything!
Honestly, when it comes to drawing, anything goes! There really is no right or wrong.
Drawing or doodling from your imagination is a good place to start. Just focus on making marks on the page; it doesn’t have to actually be anything. The term drawing usually makes us think of a picture of something, but drawing can be as abstract as any other art. Check out what this artist can do with a line! [glass drawing] Another good way to practice is by drawing what you see. Pick an object around you and challenge yourself to see it as it really is. Describe the forms using shading rather than outlines, or concentrate on drawing only the contours. You could draw something as simple as a coffee cup or a piece of fruit!
You could also try setting up an arrangement of objects to draw from, or having a friend sit for you. Drawing from life is one of the best ways to practice drawing skills!
The thing to remember, whatever you draw, is not to worry about it being good or bad. In your sketchbook, there is no good or bad! There are only ideas and experiments and practice. When I started drawing, I felt like each page in my sketchbook should be a work of art in itself. I would draw and erase and agonize over each page until I had a perfect drawing. All that did was put unrealistic expectations on myself and stifle my creativity. Now, each page is different. Some are more developed and some are little more than a few marks and doodles.
Last Words of Advice
… Draw lots, draw often!
The more you practice the better you’ll become and, just as importantly, the more comfortable you will become, which will help you with the next tip. Loosen up!
One of the important aspects of drawing that we often forget about is relaxing. Remember, this is supposed to be fun! Don’t be intimidated by your blank page, just dive right in and see what happens. Whatever it is, have the confidence that you can learn from it. Drawing is all about the expression of feelings, images and ideas. In order to express, you need to relax and open yourself to the possibility of making mistakes.
So, you want to start drawing? Awesome!
What are you waiting for?! Nothing!
So, you want to start drawing? Awesome!
What are you waiting for?!
[hand drawing] Drawing is one of the most traditional, basic art forms, and also the simplest in terms of supplies and getting started. Think of the cave drawings at Lascaux, one of the earliest examples of human artwork. If you want to draw, pick up a pencil and go to it! It really is that simple!
Then again, drawing is weighed down with custom and preconceptions. The blank page can be extraordinarily intimidating when you’re starting out (and even when you’re more experienced). The great news is that you don’t have to be DaVinci re-incarnated to enjoy drawing! Learn to relax and your drawing experience can become one of exploration and success.
Before you Begin
Drawing tools are among the simplest of art supplies; all you need is something that makes a mark and a surface to draw on. Pencils are a good place to start and come in different hardnesses. It can be useful to have a selection to choose from. The pencils I use most often are my B and 2B pencils.
If you’re the adventurous type, you can also draw with ink. This can be anything from a ball point pen to a sharpie to dipping a stick into a pot of ink! If you’re into colour, try out pastels or coloured pencils. The key is to play around and find what feels most comfortable to you! As far as surfaces go, the most common is of course paper. No need to go all out, but a heavier paper will give you better drawings than regular old computer paper. It’s a good idea to get a sketchbook to keep all your ideas in one place. Another interesting experiment you can try is drawing on coloured or tinted paper. I’ve seen some beautiful drawings done on brown or sepia, using white pastel for highlights. You may feel an urge to have several dedicated sketchbooks for different types of drawings. Unless you
’re extremely disciplined, this probably won’t work. Why make things more complicated? Think of your sketchbook as a casual place to keep all of your creative and artistic ideas. One day you might draw, another day you might collage, another day you might plan a painting…. We all know how difficult it can be to find time for our artistic endeavours; it’s best to keep things as simple as possible! Now What?
You’re all set with your supplies, but what do you draw? Everything!
Honestly, when it comes to drawing, anything goes! There really is no right or wrong.
Drawing or doodling from your imagination is a good place to start. Just focus on making marks on the page; it doesn’t have to actually be anything. The term drawing usually makes us think of a picture of something, but drawing can be as abstract as any other art. Check out what this artist can do with a line! [glass drawing] Another good way to practice is by drawing what you see. Pick an object around you and challenge yourself to see it as it really is. Describe the forms using shading rather than outlines, or concentrate on drawing only the contours. You could draw something as simple as a coffee cup or a piece of fruit!
You could also try setting up an arrangement of objects to draw from, or having a friend sit for you. Drawing from life is one of the best ways to practice drawing skills!
The thing to remember, whatever you draw, is not to worry about it being good or bad. In your sketchbook, there is no good or bad! There are only ideas and experiments and practice. When I started drawing, I felt like each page in my sketchbook should be a work of art in itself. I would draw and erase and agonize over each page until I had a perfect drawing. All that did was put unrealistic expectations on myself and stifle my creativity. Now, each page is different. Some are more developed and some are little more than a few marks and doodles.
Last Words of Advice
… Draw lots, draw often!
The more you practice the better you’ll become and, just as importantly, the more comfortable you will become, which will help you with the next tip. Loosen up!
One of the important aspects of drawing that we often forget about is relaxing. Remember, this is supposed to be fun! Don’t be intimidated by your blank page, just dive right in and see what happens. Whatever it is, have the confidence that you can learn from it. Drawing is all about the expression of feelings, images and ideas. In order to express, you need to relax and open yourself to the possibility of making mistakes.
So, you want to start drawing? Awesome!
What are you waiting for?! Nothing!
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