tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80223536590271719992024-03-05T18:55:28.096-08:00Self-Indulgent ExhibitionismWorking my way through 642 Things to Draw, and whatever else happens.Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-71958660824608626042011-02-07T11:53:00.001-08:002011-02-07T12:01:24.107-08:00And the winner is...Both of you!<div><br /></div><div>Patti agreed that the two of you should not have to fight to the death in the randomizer so you're both getting a copy courtesy of Chronicle Books. Just e-mail me your addresses Labour of Love and Danny and your book will be on its way in no time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please direct your e-mail to selfindulgent at hotmail dot com. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for participating! </div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-17197175021830913402011-02-04T12:48:00.000-08:002011-02-04T09:48:43.007-08:00Bottle Opener and a Giveaway<div style="text-align: left;">So as I mentioned before,<a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/blog/2011/02/04/art-design-the-642-things-to-draw-challenge/"> </a><a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/blog/2011/02/04/art-design-the-642-things-to-draw-challenge/">Patti Quill</a> is talking about me today over at the Chronicle Books blog which I am super excited about. We weren't connected before I started doing this, and I'm not receiving any kind of compensation from them. I really just enjoy the book and the challenge. Also if you're not reading their blog I highly recommend it. There is a lot of good writing and fun guest posts from authors. Plus, it's very informative if you like artsy crafty and/or organizey things. (Which I do.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Some things about the blog and me that won't be in that post because I forgot to tell Patti about them are the fact that I'm currently revising a YA novel (Isn't everyone these days though?) and that I do have some rules for myself besides just working through the book. Partly, this is an exercise in taming my inner critic/perfectionist/nit-picky jerk. To that end, all sketches must:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. Not involve a ruler</div><div style="text-align: left;">2. Be done in one sitting (unless said sitting is interrupted by a short crying person)</div><div style="text-align: left;">3. Have minimal eraser use </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I strayed when sketching the sandwich because it was a lot more complicated than I thought, but I copped to that. In any case, here's the latest product of these guidelines.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_eXzge6HlZy_19fT3SoVtmnisJoUHuhjn8094RlotOkoK7KYLEnZHQ3THMh9yJoPthgXgNUFuKgDcw45o5V9TNLFCkIesnf7buN643jM7GWd6-DExS3xmv-WbjWUG3pTZf0Z0PGEFPPnt/s320/bottleopener.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564518099414416322" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" border="0" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">I chose the fold up pocket bottle opener because my dad always used to carry one around and it brings back fond memories of picnics and Coke's in glass bottles.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I will get back to the string quartet but I'm probably going to stick with simple things for the rest of this month. My life tends to have a nothing nothing nothing ALL THE THINGS pattern to it and I am currently in ALL THE THINGS mode. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway, thanks to the good folks at Chronicle Books I can now present to you the first ever SIE contest! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For a chance to win a copy of <a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,advanced-search-result/?main_page=advanced_search_result&store=books&inc_subcat=1&keyword=642+Things+to+Draw&categories_id=">642 Things to Draw</a>, simply comment answering one (or both in one comment) of the following questions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Choice A: (Inspired by an episode of House and in the spirit of finding some time for yourself) What is the biggest lie you ever told just to get some alone time?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Or if you're the honest sort,</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Choice B: What is your favorite PG-rated alone time activity? Why?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Just enter your answer(s) in comments below. I'll enter the number of comments into a randomizer to pick the winner because I have an unhealthy need to be liked. Contest is open until February 6th, at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-89887014601883216272011-02-03T20:15:00.001-08:002011-02-03T20:38:13.177-08:00Bubbles, Mushrooms, and Luminescent Plankton<div>I'm not thrilled with any of these to begin with. It's made worse by the face that I'm apparently taking these from inside a freezer. I just could not take a steady picture despite multiple efforts.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9F9ukht-ol6eHuz0c_IvylJyfFxfBZKoTRt0zLUxLf9-qEw5RNInvesQoi5s05nwpjSZwo7aJrJ3CVH48Z7mIfRgMk1EQThzOr-H4ZQmlouqxRJAncUiSqILMzp2Gmn8HMzqcnGBd9YF/s1600/Bubbles.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ9F9ukht-ol6eHuz0c_IvylJyfFxfBZKoTRt0zLUxLf9-qEw5RNInvesQoi5s05nwpjSZwo7aJrJ3CVH48Z7mIfRgMk1EQThzOr-H4ZQmlouqxRJAncUiSqILMzp2Gmn8HMzqcnGBd9YF/s320/Bubbles.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569686268357804514" /></a><br /><div>Here's my bubbles, although they look a good deal more like wonky marbles. I've tried before to draw bubbles and I just can't seem to get the lightness of them. I think this is a subject best done in watercolor. </div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_paInn3fjMSztd2zYYH2WhlFSlNQoVFn1JAkPM_xNZha7NIs3Fq-w8BCbLbis_vYsfIp8RqBg2wnTci5_XyiSLB28LNIMNLMEYzwqnH_kGfXC9MUXgYQa4vpXqjPkNSwI6XwqWXvSUJW/s1600/Mushrooms.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_paInn3fjMSztd2zYYH2WhlFSlNQoVFn1JAkPM_xNZha7NIs3Fq-w8BCbLbis_vYsfIp8RqBg2wnTci5_XyiSLB28LNIMNLMEYzwqnH_kGfXC9MUXgYQa4vpXqjPkNSwI6XwqWXvSUJW/s320/Mushrooms.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569686268261089746" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I couldn't decide between real mushrooms, and the Nintendo toadstool that pops in my head whenever mushrooms are mentioned so I did one of each. I think I made toadie look subtly malicious. </div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_paInn3fjMSztd2zYYH2WhlFSlNQoVFn1JAkPM_xNZha7NIs3Fq-w8BCbLbis_vYsfIp8RqBg2wnTci5_XyiSLB28LNIMNLMEYzwqnH_kGfXC9MUXgYQa4vpXqjPkNSwI6XwqWXvSUJW/s1600/Mushrooms.jpg"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHqKkKhMWUtcjFsM3z86fDyXLvtNIjohhEvqRwCzgx1pE2VgbSa_834HbjF7q6xb7MXai8HDL-bC2OAwvvz7WQPu9a_3P0BG2_-ZkNQ3QU6omZC3P5o7QTDhAkko6Q4lvzpQYueiqrzgG/s1600/Luminescent+Plankton.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHqKkKhMWUtcjFsM3z86fDyXLvtNIjohhEvqRwCzgx1pE2VgbSa_834HbjF7q6xb7MXai8HDL-bC2OAwvvz7WQPu9a_3P0BG2_-ZkNQ3QU6omZC3P5o7QTDhAkko6Q4lvzpQYueiqrzgG/s320/Luminescent+Plankton.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569686262903506946" /></a><br /></div><div>Last but not least, I give you luminescent plankton. I've been a little obsessed with bioluminescence ever since I was a kid, so I got a little distracted researching this. In then end I think this is more sardine/rabbit hybrid than luminescent plankton but it has it's own distinct charm. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><br /></span></div><div>Fin.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-50213956331935632092011-01-18T11:47:00.000-08:002011-01-18T12:14:22.509-08:00Ottoman, Sandwich, Van Gogh's Ear, and Chronicle Books<div>Okay. So, I've been feeling mostly like myself again for a couple of days but I've had to use that time to try to make a dent in the piles of filth that mysteriously sprang up during my convalescence. I am skipping the string quartet page for now because I'm going to try to knock some easy ones out this week while I'm still playing catch up everywhere else in life as well. Also, I want to get some more content up because I'm expecting guests from the awesome <a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/blog/2011/01/07/art-design-letterpress-love/">Chronicle Books blog</a> where Patti Quill is going to feature my poky little sketching blog on Friday. Hooray! They have also been kind enough to offer a copy of 642 Things to Draw for me to giveaway on Friday as well so I'll have to think up a fun and exciting competition for y'all.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry again, for the crappy shots. I'll be getting back to using a real camera by the next post, cross my heart.</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzXCV3aXsbodL_sbYgTrHamF5_LmOABVbXDMb9gRuZVa6yzUtQCck-9cOoSugUtEPmsqzSKkIHA0jG7Af0_gJCrM9X9yNh5soHYCNC_SqkQfUYUlNBlh0XW8S2PmosJZzDANzby0ZRv2q/s1600/VanGoghsear.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzXCV3aXsbodL_sbYgTrHamF5_LmOABVbXDMb9gRuZVa6yzUtQCck-9cOoSugUtEPmsqzSKkIHA0jG7Af0_gJCrM9X9yNh5soHYCNC_SqkQfUYUlNBlh0XW8S2PmosJZzDANzby0ZRv2q/s320/VanGoghsear.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563616877718868690" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzXCV3aXsbodL_sbYgTrHamF5_LmOABVbXDMb9gRuZVa6yzUtQCck-9cOoSugUtEPmsqzSKkIHA0jG7Af0_gJCrM9X9yNh5soHYCNC_SqkQfUYUlNBlh0XW8S2PmosJZzDANzby0ZRv2q/s1600/VanGoghsear.jpg"></a><div><div style="text-align: center;">Van Gogh's Ear</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The envelope was a last minute decision. Can you tell? I really thought this was fun. I kind of have a thing for ears and I've always had trouble drawing them so it's good to get the practice in and have an opportunity to focus solely on the ear without any pesky heads or faces to distract me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTzXCV3aXsbodL_sbYgTrHamF5_LmOABVbXDMb9gRuZVa6yzUtQCck-9cOoSugUtEPmsqzSKkIHA0jG7Af0_gJCrM9X9yNh5soHYCNC_SqkQfUYUlNBlh0XW8S2PmosJZzDANzby0ZRv2q/s1600/VanGoghsear.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbne5aUKO-LHVjN0TNsBUK2m7VX-gSxRe8gBDFhCUFqx-dlvGL5vVKsHokXpxoTyd00kEGFyLyCz3eB_1eKxyDdJQVowY1G4kXVmhmj6MEc2LDYUL15aKwcao3fSRH0_v0zx5fa_bdFgj/s1600/Sandwich.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifbne5aUKO-LHVjN0TNsBUK2m7VX-gSxRe8gBDFhCUFqx-dlvGL5vVKsHokXpxoTyd00kEGFyLyCz3eB_1eKxyDdJQVowY1G4kXVmhmj6MEc2LDYUL15aKwcao3fSRH0_v0zx5fa_bdFgj/s320/Sandwich.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563616871352382050" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sandwich</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was totally wrong when I classified this as an easy one. Lettuce is kind of hard to draw and a monochromatic sandwich caused me way more problems than I thought it would. Overall it took me about three times longer to do this than I planned, but I've never drawn a sandwich before so I think it's pretty good for my first time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJZBw5VzN2qZ91STREeDv1ma7-MxaBMMurDfv_x37dBwQYmYr0UAUGB6Tuv-Xgfe0XjatAvX3cOQ97okpqIz6hpPfBdGDVJzz4CrSwVKXW2-rjskvtLgNkOE62c-_1unenB2NI5SLMSHB/s1600/Ottoman.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJZBw5VzN2qZ91STREeDv1ma7-MxaBMMurDfv_x37dBwQYmYr0UAUGB6Tuv-Xgfe0XjatAvX3cOQ97okpqIz6hpPfBdGDVJzz4CrSwVKXW2-rjskvtLgNkOE62c-_1unenB2NI5SLMSHB/s320/Ottoman.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563616861943425218" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJZBw5VzN2qZ91STREeDv1ma7-MxaBMMurDfv_x37dBwQYmYr0UAUGB6Tuv-Xgfe0XjatAvX3cOQ97okpqIz6hpPfBdGDVJzz4CrSwVKXW2-rjskvtLgNkOE62c-_1unenB2NI5SLMSHB/s1600/Ottoman.jpg"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span>Ottoman</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm also pretty sure this is my first ottoman. It was by far the easiest of the three but I actually like how it turned out. I'd like to work on my fabrics in the future. I'm always impressed by people who can make things appear to drape, especially when it is done in sculpture. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all I'm glad to be back in the saddle. I've been drawing for over ten years and I've never even tried to do two out of three of these things. I'm usually a houses and flowers kind of girl so these really stretched me which is part of what this whole project is about. </div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-61001391596062302352011-01-03T13:39:00.000-08:002011-01-03T13:44:42.508-08:00Final Christmas Flower, or Finally for the love of God Finally I'm done<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eZ6cSfLOM51UqiZd87xM3DOoL9Ug5kOO9zq0_GJNcQRsWU7RCz-d7M4Z5CGgq_eWZsUBo5Td1mG4Yd08J_8nSdsX-6tFUgYvdK_VpbADH4pmszVUlOBBIvlxX_dAr6dCd1jsLYmkeeao/s1600/Momflowers.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eZ6cSfLOM51UqiZd87xM3DOoL9Ug5kOO9zq0_GJNcQRsWU7RCz-d7M4Z5CGgq_eWZsUBo5Td1mG4Yd08J_8nSdsX-6tFUgYvdK_VpbADH4pmszVUlOBBIvlxX_dAr6dCd1jsLYmkeeao/s320/Momflowers.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558078229409149874" /></a><br /><div>Sorry for the crap photo. I took it with my cell phone because I had to finish this at my mother's house and didn't have my fancy camera. It was a gift for her so I couldn't bring it back to take the picture either. </div><div><br /></div><div>This was really a case where taking a little more time to plan and prepare would have saved me a lot of time on the back end. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm planning to get back to sketching now, but posting will still probably be light for the next little while as I have been stricken with plague.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year!</div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-63533106153498232302010-12-20T12:53:00.000-08:002010-12-20T13:03:15.375-08:00Christmas Flowers Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbFnVGgQSFvBtPRLT3n85Z0lkGmQdeZikThnggrD5jvwFAc64qOCYL5BrMRbRg28OG-9tkgkzV601p7AUwtxv9zxi7LSX04-ZWuY70280oI2WNOQk6H9SEil_nyttt04urllMc4_AWUcg/s1600/Joyceflower.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbFnVGgQSFvBtPRLT3n85Z0lkGmQdeZikThnggrD5jvwFAc64qOCYL5BrMRbRg28OG-9tkgkzV601p7AUwtxv9zxi7LSX04-ZWuY70280oI2WNOQk6H9SEil_nyttt04urllMc4_AWUcg/s320/Joyceflower.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5552871639087872002" /></a><br /><div>I finally finished this one yesterday. It's a water lily. There's something about it, maybe it's just the composition I'm not sure, that feels off but it's growing on me and besides I don't have time to dwell on it if I'm going to get my mother's painting finished before we leave. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once we're out of town I plan on having a lot of time to sketch due to all the people who love to occupy a baby. Yay Christmas!<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-21664082792077929062010-12-16T19:43:00.000-08:002010-12-16T19:53:02.009-08:00Christmas Flowers Part 1<div style="text-align: left;">This was all I got done yesterday.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8_uvu-YlpMMWxOvaabcngMv17K2Oh6wU5Tfe4ecEs5H3TfKpZcXX-B8VwbHNmybdkxFZY-sB5sK8LkqHAhQqnW9kWpu6uNO8TsPXP11M4B6kBYOCjp5sNHOgLj2wHj6bfil63UPoN8RPj/s320/Dadsflowers.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5551492836223952370" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>I'm pretty happy with it, but it definitely illustrates the importance of this project for me. I spend so much time between artistic spurts that I have to relearn how to do things and get certain looks so projects take a lot longer than I budget for until I get back in the swing of things. On the upside, I learned a lot doing the detail on this one so hopefully the next two will go faster. </div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-56358601346689150812010-12-14T21:40:00.001-08:002010-12-14T21:47:38.356-08:00Acrylics on Canvas: BeginningsI just wanted to post the beginning stages of my parental stocking stuffers, so my blog doesn't get lonely and seek out other authors.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdz_tjghzbqUJEH7mCTqXnFeFsHnG3IBOtUjkggow7duPo3-IGAPAs16JjP6tvmOTCjKnt75bZRAHtnCM_6EJPzhLpjZ9w6VwOL2DeOQU-SGxuaOISqhUi15lP-pdyo_c9xIYU91prxnHS/s1600/Flowerdraft.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdz_tjghzbqUJEH7mCTqXnFeFsHnG3IBOtUjkggow7duPo3-IGAPAs16JjP6tvmOTCjKnt75bZRAHtnCM_6EJPzhLpjZ9w6VwOL2DeOQU-SGxuaOISqhUi15lP-pdyo_c9xIYU91prxnHS/s320/Flowerdraft.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550780760142983874" border="0" /></a><br />So far I've got all the blocks of color down where I want them to be. Tomorrow (hopefully) I'll hit them with the lights and darks and shape up any other problems that present themselves. After that, only a billion more things to do before Christmas. Woo! Holiday chaos!Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-60240601234869417042010-12-10T22:45:00.000-08:002010-12-10T22:54:28.625-08:00Desk Chair<div style="text-align: left;">I chose this chair from a google image search because I liked the simplicity of it along with all the interesting shapes.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiG2KsqSthfWqFBAZcdPsp2MVs6d1rnq6uJvdXRe5kAZjSMqdvQax0yXahpsGL8ZEF10hLzLNI2rqTB4PknAU7NoDwutSsONxSntTFu7mjzwolTOUzfxVXLHSFamlwVWWtHbrbkT-WfOY-/s1600/Desk+Chair.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiG2KsqSthfWqFBAZcdPsp2MVs6d1rnq6uJvdXRe5kAZjSMqdvQax0yXahpsGL8ZEF10hLzLNI2rqTB4PknAU7NoDwutSsONxSntTFu7mjzwolTOUzfxVXLHSFamlwVWWtHbrbkT-WfOY-/s320/Desk+Chair.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549313590911846434" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></a>Now I'm going to take a break to do some acrylic on canvas for Christmas. I'll be posting them soon imaginary readership!</div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-81696197097292420922010-12-10T22:36:00.000-08:002010-12-10T22:45:48.135-08:00Skunk<div style="text-align: left;">So when I got the outline down, I thought it was going to look like more of a skunk-o-saur, than a skunk and I almost started over but then my cooler side was all, "Shut up! There were skunks in the mesozoic era. Prove there weren't." So pressed on and...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7LG8wyE5IVGGSHWZlUQrlWKCaIgpUa3P1mWFruqP7Q_HzAprju4Drnf1z0RbvwYYJwowIi65roQ6dgOu23gFKm-PLhV4op2cJKRpfIzTtBmGtC1j1hdVOBzju7RWRKSZlNouP7Rel2ze/s320/Skunk.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549311465674533618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div><div>Tada! I think it's a pretty friggin' impressive skunk.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It was fun to do, I never fail to be impressed by how using negative space turns out.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span></div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-28657761294006936592010-12-10T22:29:00.003-08:002010-12-10T22:36:08.470-08:00Anchor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJe2NG4PlaY6rlnoxol9KIPnVHmnTQFxoIIRjnCBhbH6YYCeDv-MTzJ-MYBdt5WXaak3DQbXsYDk5u4p8N4-5cCwgoSmuBTj0dX4-wieTZfSP5G2IFEsNT9DrqsMWSH4GreLFmazoA0Q3L/s1600/Anchor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJe2NG4PlaY6rlnoxol9KIPnVHmnTQFxoIIRjnCBhbH6YYCeDv-MTzJ-MYBdt5WXaak3DQbXsYDk5u4p8N4-5cCwgoSmuBTj0dX4-wieTZfSP5G2IFEsNT9DrqsMWSH4GreLFmazoA0Q3L/s320/Anchor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549309160912593170" /></a><br /><div>I think I'm getting the hang of this loose sketching thing. No ruler and only used the eraser once. I'm pretty happy with the results.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-14809193793446714692010-12-05T20:28:00.001-08:002010-12-05T20:36:15.428-08:00The Hammock<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zrUpR6dDFGWCW4Zd7za1p5DqF29LuL4PrGqpoAi6772p-g0eXstT1dGmUZU02slVDp5n-h_FPJe5z9UvZgaipVm8-sTGgTTVVZ1D0vnoF2jLU3_XhnPSO-SH8uUbJRQ8_hre_MXDPXct/s1600/Hammock.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zrUpR6dDFGWCW4Zd7za1p5DqF29LuL4PrGqpoAi6772p-g0eXstT1dGmUZU02slVDp5n-h_FPJe5z9UvZgaipVm8-sTGgTTVVZ1D0vnoF2jLU3_XhnPSO-SH8uUbJRQ8_hre_MXDPXct/s320/Hammock.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547422441913521298" /></a><br /><div>I tried to be a lot looser this time, so I didn't use a ruler and I told myself I had to finish it in under an hour. There are some things about it that drive me nuts but I think doing things this way has made the whole activity a lot more enjoyable for me and are going to help curb my inner nitpicky jerk. </div><div><br /></div><div>I actually did have fun doing this one. Mostly because I have a soft spot in my heart for hammocks. I slept on one every night for a week and a half in Mexico and it was the best sleep I've ever gotten. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope these aren't too dark, but the flash really washes them out. I'll try to control for that in the future.</div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-71989789814901775042010-12-05T11:52:00.000-08:002010-12-05T20:36:49.231-08:00The Rolling Pin and Discipline<div style="text-align: left;">So the first suggested object in the book was...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisiO3AJWVa7RR21TiAHkmEYvf-F_sob9lOHFcCR0vvRIJVMYPG_6y85ec8cRCK13h6keqKP9FDquQVpdwui7dUbo-6YcuOkAgNAH5CK5J9AhLgCGB3NreH9yJCRZr86f8s1DRngF2h_1RV/s320/Rolling+Pin.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547420798976212786" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>...the rolling pin! I'm not off to a very good start I must admit. I thought this one would be really fun because I kind of have a love affair with wood grain and normally I love drawing it, but I had a lot of trouble getting the proportions of the pin right and so by the time I had a decent outline of the structure I was so sick of it that the details were not appealing at all. I pushed through, but grudgingly I think it's evident in the finished product.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think this whole thing is going to end up one long hard slog, and I'm probably going to have to intersperse it with more entertaining projects along the way, but I WILL finish! I know this will be good for me. I need to crawl before I can walk and I have the unfortunate habit of skipping steps in every area of life, but especially with regard to this. I always hated having to do X amount of sketches in a sketch book for the art classes I took because I didn't like to just sit down and draw something just because. I would go months without drawing anything before an idea would pop into my head and fill me with an all-consuming desire to draw or paint or whatever and then I'd stop again and not touch anything art-related for another long period of months. The obvious problem is that I have stifled myself this way by not practicing I can't make any noticeable improvement. </div><div><br /></div><div>By working my way through this sketchbook I'm forcing myself to practice more regularly and I'm hoping that practice along with drawing a lot of things I likely never would have on my own, will show marked improvement in the projects I really am passionate about. <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> </div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8022353659027171999.post-45634763725383691932010-12-01T17:38:00.000-08:002010-12-01T19:22:47.722-08:00Let's get startedI am lucky enough to get to stay at home with my son, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. However, now that he is starting to sleep regularly I have some time at night to pursue my interests again. One of those interests is drawing. I've been meaning to rebuild a body of work over the last few years but the process has been slow and sporadic. Taking time out to draw when it is not how you make your living is difficult to justify when dishes, laundry, general clean up, and quality time with your significant other (no it's not a chore, just a thing to be mindful of) are all seemingly being neglected. By starting this blog I'm hoping to become more accountable for taking time out each day to practice my art. For my birthday, a friend of mine got me <a href="http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,books/products_id,8965/title,642-Things-to-Draw/">this book</a> and my goal is to work my way through it posting at least two drawings per week.<div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1t0RQIYFZ7C5rgCxCNWIPm_S0R12g4CTaTmY4obT56Hu8V6dMcjWH8pB0LBfLbDI8qxKo0D7j8Zjfj1EFBISUaDRlIW8GALVWQnzMVzDFWlwMlDqDNb1wBznmhrEk-SduiBZVFPeTU6D/s320/photo-1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545899583289376978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div><div>As an example of my style, here is a pencil drawing I did a few months ago:</div></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K6hipv1YGW3_vI_yL8CW-EF1TA_QfTZ0C5muITvTmvku4yIjGNxYLBHkRodS_emYhyphenhyphenQ2iDEBVE9H4lgWfcjE8qdY_6uQmQTSuwAes3ymseFAzbJ9hZjQLmEZVK4_QvUFgk52bLFIH8lT/s320/photo-3.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545919647748706530" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px; " /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Summerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16287164654433360565noreply@blogger.com0