Goal number 8 is to improve my drawing. This, like improving cardio endurance or improving one’s cable-knitting skills, is a matter of practice.
Yesterday, when I was wasting time on the Internet, I came across an image on Sugar City Journal. It was striking to me. Her image appears to be collage, it is of little red riding hood as she approaches the woods, the wolf peering at her from behind a tree. I bookmarked the page to return to it later.
I decided that this image, one that was so striking to me would be a good candidate to draw. I did a very quick and hasty freehand sketch of the image last night. This morning, with the sketch sitting on the table where I write this blog, it called to me, saying, “paint me.” I think that the image could have been really cool done with watercolors; however, it was sketched on a recycled sheet of copier paper and I wasn’t interested in making a big mess so close to my computer. I turned, instead, to my super cheap student cakes of gouache. Then, I went at it. Without referring again to the original image. It is interesting to me to see the ways that my memory of the image were different than what I originally saw.
It occurred to me that I haven’t drawn or painted in so long that I don’t even know where my supplies are. I have paper for this sort of thing, a variety of (cheapo student) brushes. I have all sorts of supplies to make these things happen, things that I have accumulated over time, the pack rat that I am. However, I have failed to create an environment in which doing these things comes easily. Once I committed to the idea of putting pencil, then brush to paper, this took little time at all, and was, indeed satisfying.
I am not beating up on myself, after all, I have a young son, a full-time job that challenges me, and other hobbies. I try to cook well, and exercise and get enough sleep. There is much going on and little lazing about on a nearby couch passively taking in the flicker of a TV. (Confession: I do waste a lot of time online.) Ultimately, though, this is about choices, about being responsible for the allocation of what may be one’s most valuable resource, time.
Things to think about.