Drawings from the hospital bed

It seems like I will never finish the 29 faces that I have been unofficially doing.  Uhhhhh wasn't that challenge over in February? (LOL)  I just knew I would catch up in the hospital, but I did not feel like arting as much as I thought I would.  So here are two faces that I did manage to draw.  One I actually didn't finish until I came home. 

Now I am home recuperating making blankets and watching others make art via the internet.  I really want to get back in the studio, but I feel blah.  I hope my mojo returns soon.

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I AM grateful...

I am grateful for many and all things, but in this season I am especially grateful to GOD for sparing my life.  I was experiencing increased pain in February 2014 until I went to the emergency room on March 7.  After a series of miraculous events including a discharge interruption I came out of my anesthetic sleep to learn that my appendix had ruptured.  I was told that it had ruptured some time ago and that gracefully most all the toxins were encapsulated in one spot.  Glory to God!  So, yes I am grateful to GOD for amazing grace and favor.

I created this background with leftover paints some time ago.  It just happened to be in my travel mixed media kit.  I sketched this face while in the hospital.  Amazingly it satisfies two challenges for this month-wow!

 

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March 2014 Creative Dare

March 2014 Challenge with Limor Webber

Word Art Wednesday challenge #125

More faces

I am almost at 29.  Even though I didn't keep up with a face each day, I am still working to complete the challenge.

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More Sketches

I am practicing a bit more.  I call these car drawings because I drew them while in the car.  It is cumbersome to carry the sketch pad, but I do not think I could embrace a smaller one yet.  I will keep going.

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Sketching faces

I am not officially doing the 29 Faces, but looking back over the month I have drawn 12 faces.  Since I am pretty much caught up-I guess I am sort of playing along in the challenge-lol.  This gives me motivation to keep going.  I cannot recall what I already shared and where so here is a update of the faces that I think I didn't share previously.  They are numbered arbitrarily, but all done this month.

#8

#6

#9

#13

#10, #11 and #12

A quickie sketch

I just grabbed this graph paper note pad to practice lips.  This immediately turned into a quick face.

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You always make me smile

The week #3 Journal52 prompt:  what makes you smile

A lot make s me smile.  When my dog, Dugan curled up on the bed to take a nap I decided that folding laundry could wait while I sketched him (ROTFLOL).  I wish I could skip housework and do art without the guilt.  But I digress...here is the page:








I was surprised that it sorta looks like Dugan







I did some doodling and tried some different lettering.  BUT THE WHITE SPACE NEAR ABOUT KILLED ME! rotflol
Sentiments: It is very hard to embrace the white space.  Look it's here too! Grrr...Seriously this is stressful...White Space.  More white space.  DUGAN MAKES ME SMILE. STOP...embrace the space..STOP.

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Another Sketch

Here I am working on hair.

My little elf- lol

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Sketches

I used to draw when I was a child.  My mother taught me how to trace an elephant in a coloring book and before long I was drawing elephants free hand.  I drew animals from pictures I saw in books.  I really enjoyed drawing.  Now my brother took art classes and developed his natural propensity for drawing.  In art classes he learned about the tools, shading, contour, depth, color mixing and all the technical stuff about drawing and painting.  While I was told "...go to school, excel at that, you are smart, get a good paying job..."  So, I stopped drawing.  Art classes were not a part of the college prep curriculum.

I can actually recall my last art class in sixth grade.  I loved the projects.  We were in the middle of learning to carve designs on tiles for printing when teachers went on strike and there was no more art class.  I still created and did some type of arts and crafts for the rest of my school years and into adulthood.   I would made sketches from time to time.  It wasn't until a few years ago that I recognized that final art project I did was called a soft block carving.  And that it was a really popular artform. 

So, here I am trying to learn how to draw faces.  I really want to use faces in my mixed media pieces.  I am truly self taught.  I can't afford to take classes.  Instead I connect with other artists and practice, practice, practice.  Recently,  I have  been sketching more consistently.  I hope the routine lasts.  I am starting to carry a sketchbook again.  I am a little eager to be good, but I keep telling myself to relax. I may not become good, but I at least want to be comfortable and confident.  Here are some of my practice faces:

This was done last year

This was done last year

drawn from a photograph

 

 

 

inspired by  Pinterest

inspired by Pinterest

drawn the other day

It is so hard not to comment on all the flaws.  I will say that I do not see a progressive improvement.  Some of the older faces are better than the more recent ones.  IMO  I can see how my pain level, mood, sitting position all play a part in the outcome.  I am beginning to play in my sketchbook whenever I am stuck in bed and immobile.  

I am glad that even when I draw wonky faces they can work well in art journaling or mixed media pieces.  For now it is about practicing, learning and not comparing myself to other FABULOUS artists.

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More hand drawn postcards

I have been seeing doodles and pictures in magazines and drawing them.  Here are two postcards that I made. I used scraps to make these.

These look like the birds from the Partridge Family Television Show

I plan to color these postcards before I use them.

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Drawing faces

When I was younger I would always draw animals, but sometimes I would draw people.   I mostly drew movie stars, singers and famous people from magazines and books.  The people I drew from my mind were often comical, cartoon like and whimsical.  My mother taught me how to do that.  As I do and view more mixed media pieces I really wanted to learn how to draw faces.  I even called my brother.  I recall him taking art in school and I can remember seeing many portraits he drew. I think my brother is a good artist and if we just didn't have to make money to survive he might have pursued his art more.  Well, as it turns out he couldn't recall much from his drawing days(LOL).  Still he gave me a few verbal pointers.  I was telling him that I knew nothing about shading, drawing hair or drawing ethnic faces and couldn't seem to find that much help online.  Nothing that I drew looked like me.  Here is my first attempt:

I just grabbed a lined note pad from my office...

My Caucasian cousin

Then I stopped being lazy and went ALL the way on the other side of the house to the craft room and got a sketch pad (LOL-the house is not that big) 

My second attempt has a kind of Latina feel...

 My third attempt looks African American to me.  YAY! 

 

This looked like a little boy until I added the hair.

I just had to add cowry shells to her headband.

I wish I could afford to take art classes, being self taught has it's drawbacks.  I look forward to learning and practicing.  I have so much to learn.  I really am thankful to those who put tutorials online: Jay French and Milliande were the two artist that gave me assistance and guidance.

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