☆ Octobers Sketchbook Challenge

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Another challenge completed - tick! 


This one was much harder than I could have ever thought, and I have to say the first half of the month seemed to take forever to get through - but I persevered and the second half of the month seemed to fly by.


So what did I learn from this months challenge?

I learned..

..that their dummies didn't necessarily make it easier..

..that I had really, really bad days when nothing made sense..

..that it was easier to draw them asleep..

 

..that G was often in the same reclined state when I drew him..

..that Bug often looked scared or surprised..

..that my family are full of character and fun..

                 

..that they were much more interesting to look and easier to draw at when they weren't happy..

(no children were harmed in the making of this sketch challenge! ; ) )

..that I am proud that I accomplished this challenge no matter how difficult,

that noses are much much harder that you would think..

that i actually enjoyed this challenge at the end..

that noses don't translate to paper - unless you begin with them..

that I'm going to keep persisting with portraits..

and that I think Novembers Challenge will be portraits again..

What challenges do you have for November?


xx

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☆ Art, Heart and Healing - Week 1

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A week later than I planned I have finished week one of the Art, Heart and Healing course that the lovely Tam has, for absolutely FREE, posted on her website

I loved completing this project, I just let go of my fears and the negative thoughts I have been plagued with lately, and became completely involved in the process - and I am very happy with the results. It was so much fun to do.

'Relinquish'

And the amazing thing is that although she not perfect, and I can see things that I would have done differently or am not fond of - when ever I look at her I am surprised that I created her, and in my heart I know it is just perfect for now.

xx

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☆ Illustration Friday

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'Racing'

Not sure what expression the girl/ woman has going on, but I really enjoyed drawing this one!

A bit of fun..

xx

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☆ Elizabeth Gilbert and Nurturing Creativity

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So, I may be the only person on the planet who has missed the whole Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat, Pray, Love phenomena, I had no idea who she was, what the book was about, or why she is so revered... but then I stumbled on a video in which Elizabeth talks about creativity, and how every one has a creative genius with in and why we should nurture our geniuses (or is it genii??)

Its a long video - 20ish minutes, but I was captivated for the whole 20 minutes!



I must admit when I was a teenager wanting to be an 'artistic' I believed I didn't fit the mould. I feed into the stereotype that to be an artist you had to be manic depressive or an alcoholic or whose hands always were covered in paint, who smoked continuously, lived in exotic cities across Europe and who hung out in cafes drinking absinthe  - certainly not a fairly normal girl living in a small country town in mid west NSW!

Fortunately I grew out of this and realised that you didn't need to be any of these things - in fact you just had to be yourself - if not a wee bit mad!

Anyway to get back to the video - I was so inspired by this talk, a new perspective (or an old one revived) on creativity - and it certainly helped with putting my blues into the proper place - in a small dark box under lock, key and heavy chain...

So I think I will have to find and name my genius.... and I may just have to join the 'Eat, Pray, Love' phenomena!

xx

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☆ Illustration Friday

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So after my whingey rant, that seemed to just spew out of me and the crap day that followed I gave myself a stern talking to and am feeling like the old me again.

Thank Goodness!

I don't know how much longer it would have been before my fantastically supportive husband would have told the sad, sulky cow that was me, to snap out of it!

Anyway I managed to complete an IF drawing - albeit a stereotypical one, for this weeks prompt - Spooky.

It felt a bit rushed, and so cliched, but at least I drew something - right?

xx

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☆ The Creative Blues

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(Advance apologies for my post, I need a whiney rant...)

I am feeling so bleh at the moment, cranky, tired, uninspired, unmotivated, frumpy and stale.....

I am not sure how to move on. I don't want to give up. I don't want to repeat the patterns of the past. I want to push forward.

I have managed (barely!) to keep up with my October challenge, but I haven't even started my IF drawing, (even though I have a fair idea of what I am going to do), or finished the project I started for Fred (it's 99% there)....

I drew this this morning - just doodling, sorting through the crap in my head:

and went for a huge walk with the beasties - Bean & Bug (which Bean didn't want to go on, and complained the entire way 'I go home, mummy, I go home - thank god for ipods!) and I feel a little better, but to be honest it is all I can do not to go to the fridge and scarf down the tim tams that are calling my name - loudly...

Have you ever felt bleh and had the creative blues? How did you move through it? 

xx

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☆ Art, Heart and Healing

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So I was surfing the other day, and I stumbled across this fantastic FREE art course to be run by Tam at Willowing.

I'll let her tell you about it...



How fantastically lovely and generous, in this day and age, to run a course for free and of course I immediately signed up.

I can't wait to begin! Hope to see you there

x

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☆ Illustration Friday

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Transportation

The Hitch Hiker

(mixed media)

This was inspired by the story 'The Things I Love about Bedtime' by Trace Moroney. We read it to Bean most nights and one of the things the bunny loves about bedtime is to think of all the cool things he could do like fly to the moon on the back of a giant bumble bee!

xx

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☆ Octobers Sketchbook Challenge is...

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...Taaaa Daaa - PORTRAITS!

Blech. This is much, much, much harder than I first thought when I asked myself at the end of September - what will I draw next month???

The theory behind this is that by practicing that which I struggle with, and am never happy with, I will become better at it.

And if that isn't hard enough, by using black ink, I cannot rub out the mistakes.

Sometimes, I don't know what I am thinking... oh wait maybe it was the wine speaking ; )

Anyway I am struggling, am never really happy with my drawings, and the girls are too young to sit still long enough, but I have not given up, and I have taken some cute photographs to draw from.

It's only day 10 - the next 20 days will be challenging! Oh crap October has 31 days doesn't it!!

xx

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☆ Illustration Friday

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BENEATH

This was a challenging prompt and I had many ideas for beneath: 

♥ Heaven above, earth beneath, 

♥ Interred beneath,

♥ Some where beneath the sea,

♥ Beneath the same roof,

♥ Beneath our feet,

My favourite idea was to answer - 

 'What does a Scotsman wear beneath his kilt?'

Now having been to a few Céilidh's in my time, I know what some Scots wear beneath (or don't wear!) and I didn't think I could do the idea justice... 

...so this is what I drew instead

xx

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☆ Fred is here!

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My gorgeous sister gave birth last week to a beautiful, healthy baby boy!

at 6 lbs, and 50 cms he is so very wee...

I kept thinking my girls were never this small...

but of course they were both around 8 pounds - giants in comparison!

So I got in a good long aunty cuddle, was a wee bit weepy and then took my beasties home to give them all some peace and quiet!

xx

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☆ September Sketch Challenge

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I. Did. It! 

I finished my challenge for September (see here for more deets)

Sometimes, I was interrupted by life... 

Sometimes, Bean wanted to help...

Sometimes, I just couldn't be bothered, but did it anyway (hence the sharpener!)

Sometimes, I was away from the safety of home...

Sometimes I spent a really long time on a drawing...

Sometimes, Bean would want to play with what I was drawing...

Sometimes, I drew what was right in front of me...

Sometimes, I went outside for inspiration...

Sometimes, I bought the outside, inside...

Sometimes, my drawing reflected what was happening in our life...

Sometimes, it didn't...

 And sometimes, you need to have faith in yourself and believe you can do it...

I am very proud of myself for finishing, and really, really happy with the way my sketching is progressing

So much so that I am going to try another challenge for October, but this time I am thinking of something  more...

...but I will let you know later on - once I have thought about and completed a few days!

Have a great weekend.
xx

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