Hols can spark new ideas!

Back from lovely hol in Wales …

Sadly unproductive on the art front (difficult to find time for yourself on a family holiday!)  But a change of scene can refresh the mind so I have high hopes of renewed creativity!

So, diving straight in ,   lets think about this book  that  I’ve been threatening to do for years but not known quite how to start: –

There are so many forms it could take….

1. a straightforward story with illustrations

2. a cartoon style book with captions.

3. a picture book for kids.

4.  a graphic style more aimed at adults…..

I know I want it to be more pictures/illustrations than words,( so that knocks out the first one.)  Maybe the subject doesn’t lend itself well to a graphic style, ( number 4 gone. )

That leaves cartoon style and a picture book for kids.

Now I have a zany idea ….. which means getting other bloggers who are interested in writing st getting involved…. I need to think about for a while as to how it may work, but am quite excited about it!!

 

Hares and hols!

Pretty obvious from my header pic that I love drawing hares -and  they do seem to be ‘in’ at the moment

This curious beauty was grazing in a field one warm summer evening a few years ago and  luckily I had my camera with me!

It spotted me and  stopped eating but amazingly didn’t hare off !(cringe!)   It just stared at me and the dog, (who had for once obeyed me and was sitting transfixed!)  so I was able to snap off quite a lot of pics but this one  was the best I think…

 

So when I got home I had a bash at drawing it…

  using  ordinary old crayons

Maybe watercolours would have been more defining but anyhow I enjoyed doing it.

I’m now  off on holiday to sunny wales !  We’re staying in a really remote area with no signal so won’t be able to blog …. more time to draw maybe?!!   who knows there may even be time to start that book or even a graphic novel I really fancy doing that sometime as well! ( I really love ‘Tamara drewe ‘ by posy simmonds) – her art work is lovely  the book was then made into a film not that long ago.

She has made several graphic novels.  Check her out if interested.

 If anyone out there is of a similar mind re illustrating  do get in touch, it would be brill to compare notes!

Hopefully see ya  week after next ?  Don’t go away!!

 

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Inspiration fires up again!

After another period of art dormancy, more books attracted me and set my pen whizzing again!…

I love to draw people so when ‘Draw from your imagination’ by Ron Tiner (look out for this book) advised to go out and draw people in the real world, I took my sketchbook/ journal with me whenever i went out,  places like dentists or doctors waiting rooms , train or bus stations, even cafes I found  are great for observing people who are sitting or standing fairly still – or not, depends how swiftly you sketch!…

 

 

Of course the good old camera is another great aid to remembering shapes and detail which are sometimes tricky to retain –  a good source of reference for later…

   “So that’s where ewe are!” 

…(O dear!)

 

So lets draw from photos … 

 

 

 

 

From the TV…

 

 

Copy other artists work  (just for experience of course!)…

 ….(my doodlings from Frank Muirs ‘Wot a Mess’ books)

 

….( my version of Minter Kemps ‘The Party’)

 

Lets Just keep on going!

 

I do get disheartened when things go wrong- as they frequently do of course!  Then I  stop drawing for days and it takes a supreme effort to pick up the pen again.

Confidence is i think a big issue for quite a few artists, they say failure is part of the learning process but that doesn’t  make it any less painful!   Also the desire for  perfection can dominate and crush your creativity….how do you ever know when a piece is finished?!… is it ever?

I reckon its a great artist who knows when to put down their paintbrush!

 

Art journalling is addictive

This business of drawing every day is brilliant discipline …and addictive ( rather like blogging I’m finding!)  It make you see everything in a different way, for the first time you really LOOK at the shape, say for instance something as ordinary as a couple of bottles… all their angles, proportion,  texture, colour, light and shade  etc …

Even a little ant passing by!

Another good tip is to use  an ordinary biro- good practice as it cant be erased!

But things happen in life,  time runs away and you get distracted then eventually all those promises you made  to yourself fade away till they are almost forgotten about….. sad,  but probably a fact for most of us.

So my faithful journal started gathering dust in a corner….

 

 

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Here goes blog number two!

I found,  after years of not drawing   when I finally started again (also learning to paint for the first time ) that books and online courses are a great way of learning – especially if  like me, classroom situations send you into a quivering mess !……                                

Danny Gregory fab book ‘The Creative Licence’ really helped give me that initial confidence to have a bash at drawing again and not worry about how it looked.

It basically said if you want to improve then  draw anything and everything  ( even your breakfast!).. . .but the main message he clearly states , the  one definite thing you must do is :  draw  EVERY day!!!  which to start with I duly did , and yes confidence definitely grew ….

Who would have thought a pair of old fluffy slippers could hold a persons attention for so long!!…..or a mucky old plaster for that matter!

So on it went and I actually started looking forward to the challenge of drawing the remnants of last nights potato peelings!

 Best of all as confidence increased it meant that my more ‘important’ creations did seem to be benefiting from these daily chores.   Thank you Danny!

Do look out for his books, he’s written more.

But of course life hits and all good intentions trail off……

will write more tomorrow

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First forays into art blogging!

 

Hi I’m Panzie,  I’ve been persuaded to start writing a blog by my daughter (who has also just started one).  Its to encourage me to do more art work.

This picture is from my art journal back in 2011 sparked off by Danny Gregory, a very inspirational artist….check him out!

I am very interested in illustration and am doing online courses to help improve my style.

I am going to post a drawing a day, even if it goes horribly wrong (we are only human!)

Any hints/tips /constructive criticism would be much appreciated!  🙂