No Time Like the Present

Now that ii is the new year, everyone talks about exercising, improving skills and bettering their life. Even we, Bear Track Girls 3, are doing yoga here on an almost daily basis. And now that post-holiday mayhem is settling down, it's time to get to other exercises--the task of illustrating.

I found an excellent book, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures at the library on drawing comics and graphic novels. I highly recommend it. My own used copy is in the mail as we speak. In the book were exercises that I found helpful. One such sketching project has the artist filling 5 pages with drawings. Try it.

• Heads - all angles, front, back, above and below.
• Hands - yours or someone elses.
• Poses - have a friend, SO, or stranger pose for you. Ex: holding a cell phone, sword play, sweeping.
• People - in a group or cafe-visual note taking of a scene.
• Mirror - look in the mirror, sketch yourself at all angles. Try a silver Christmas ball ornament for extra fun!

Well, I went to the Brighton Art Guild meeting last night and sketched a plein air artist while he painted. Too bad I was sitting behind him. Still, it turned out neat--and he never knew!
But this simple sketched scene tells much. From the paper towel on the floor, to his paintings of herons in the front of the classroom to his open paint box with a pine tree landscape and brushes. A lot of information was captured here in this quick 5 to 10 minute sketch.

Now try this the next time you go to a conference, gallery opening, grocery store parking lot, or oil change garage. I once got a wizard character for a book I had to illustrate while I waited for an oil change. The gentleman next to me in his SUV had the perfect face, nose and look I needed for a wizard. 

I am excited for the next conference I am attending. Of course, I will have sketchbook in hand.No one ever knows that they just might make it in my sketchbook. Here are a few from last year's Stewardship Network Conference.







Tire Change Gossip Lady





Pancake Breakfast Bunch at Art Show 2010



Wildflower Woman





Fish and Wildlife Guys



Faces, hands, poses, props all tell the tale of a scene. It is very exciting and you may come up with story characters in the process.

ART CHALLENGE!

"No Time Like the Present"

• sketchbook
• drawing tools.

If you are reading this post, RIGHT NOW, drop everything and draw! Right now. Drop everything and draw. No one has to see it but you (unless you followers want to send me a scanned sketch--which I would really like).

The corner of your room, a nook or cranny of geegaws, what-nots or nick-nacks. RULE:  DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING OUT. Even though it is your own familiar space, you don't really know it as well as you thought you did. I challenge you to try this.

The idea is to get to the busyness of drawing. DRAWING FROM LIFE IS VISUAL NOTETAKING!

Flex your sketching muscle and remember to breathe, stretch and exercise life notetaking in 2011.