The biggest news I have is that I started going to art class, thanks to a gentle but gigantic nudge in the right direction from my fabulistic sis-in-law, Snizza, who insisted we go together. I was petrified. It threw me so far out of my comfort zone it wasn't funny. For someone who had been drawing stick people and daisies for years, I was about to discover a whole new world of inspiration.
Now, traditional art is not reaaaaally my thing. I appreciate it, I respect it....but the idea of doing a still life of fruit or a hat kind of bores me. Give me colour! Big bold graphics! Draw a vase with some flowers? You're kidding me, right? Well I pushed all those feelings aside in the interest of actually LEARNING some new techniques, and I was so excited with what I discovered. I can actually draw! A bit. I'm random and rusty but there is definitely something going on in there somewhere.
SO. Here is my "tonal study" of some bottles. It was the first time I'd ever picked up a stick of charcoal. It was FUN!
Then it was time for a still life with pastels. Did you hear that? STILL LIFE! Woah things got a bit wonky with this one...and it was the first time I'd ever attempted using pastels too. I found them wildy confusing, yet strangely exhilerating!
Being a bit crazy about fashion photography I thought I'd try and draw a few fabulous looking models, with charcoal (I'm loving how TEMPORARY charcoal is: hmmm that line is in the wrong place....just give it a rub and its gone! I spent the entire first drawing class not knowing this LOL!)
I Iove her hair. The bend in her left leg is totally in the wrong spot tho. Funny how you can hone in on these things after not looking at it for a while.
It was around this time I declared drawing faces REALLY intimidated me, so my teacher encouraged me to have a go at "Nikolai". Who is pretty much JUST a face. No hair, no eyebrows. Just a sculpture of an accurately sized human head. Here he is:
Now I should mention that it was the lovely man in my life who decided a few months back that he wanted to start drawing more, and pretty much right away, came up with this:
So I INSISTED he go to art class too. Because obviously, there is a very talented artist lurking beneath his rugged exterior. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
And Merilyn Rice is a wonderfully talented teacher, and an inspiration as a succulent wild woman. I get very excited when I see creative women who have mastered the ever-so-elusive art of making a living from their passion. An art form that continues to elude me....for now!
Oh, and I also got busy madly making costumes for my brother's ridiculous bash he throws for the Aussie Rules Grand Final. My friend and I decided to revisit our uni days and go as our favourite band EVER and...well...lets just say I felt very OLD when a couple of younger people asked who we were....
See? I have been creative, I just haven't been blogging.
xo
