All posts tagged: sketching and drawing

The same, but different. Sketch the same thing in different ways.

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Last week I was in the garden looking at my tomato plants to see if any were ripe and how huge the beefsteaks are getting.  I like to pop into the garden every morning and see how my tomatoes are doing, it is one of my favorite things about the summer. Nothing better than being able to grow your own veg, even if you only have three tomato plants! All of my plants have lots of tomatoes which is a marvelous thing. Anyway, on the day in question, I spotted a dried up leaf mangled up among my little tomatoes.  I went to pull it out when I realized that it was not a leaf, but a dried magnolia flower from my neighbour’s tree.  Perfectly formed, just with brown petals instead of the delicate pink of the fresh version. In all the years I have lived here, I had never noticed these mini wonders.  I began to look all around the tree and I found a handful of crispy flowers. Of course I did what …

Create like No-one is Watching.

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Do you create and make for no apparent reason?  Is that ok?  Ok to draw or paint or sew for no reason other than to do it, to practice? Maybe this is a good life lesson, get the equipment and a little guidance and get going.  Try and create as if no-one is watching and no-one cares how it turns out.  Don’t you always feel the pressure to do everything well or wonder why you are bothering?  If I get asked to do or make a specific thing, I get all nervous and jittery and worried that it won’t be good enough.  Will it break, be the right colour, will it be in focus?  If I just grab a handful of beads and tell myself that I will keep it if it does not turn out, or if I pick up my phone and snap a few practice shots, guess what, it often turns out and I feel great about my project. If it doesn’t turn out so well, at least I know I need …

‘I Like’ Fridays featuring heart pendants and movie going.

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This past week has seen some great weather, the raised beds are almost defrosted in the garden and I am almost in a digging and planting frame of mind.  I must be patient, with the planting at least, it is still January and we could get all manner of cold and snow up until March! I do want to get some chili pepper plants started inside, because mine only began producing peppers last year at the beginning of the Autumn and they never got to ripen properly.  So this year I plan to do a better job! So, what have you been up to this week?  Here are a few things I have been liking – Trying out more drawing and painting and I am looking into trying some hand lettering, there are classes at Creative Bug and I borrowed this book from the library. Seeing ‘Mr Turner’ at one of St Louis’s oldest movie theatres this week and I liked it.  Mike Leigh did an amazing job with the costumes and settings, the whole film …

How to draw a freeform Mandala

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Today I am going to show you how I made this mandala.  Hurrah! I have been enjoying drawing a few mandalas this month and I have been really surprised at how effective they are once they are all done.  Working a step at a time really makes the layers work together and flow outwards beautifully.  Like most things, one step at a time works best! Previously I have been making the base lines by measuring with ruler, compass and a protractor which works great and I have loved the mandalas I have made like that.  I also wanted a nice quick and easy way to get started on one without all the equipment, so I just drew out the basic lines – horizontal, vertical and the two diagonals, the only rule being that they must cross in the middle.  This way I can make a mandala anywhere, all I need is pencil and paper.   I drew in the circles, not worrying one jot about them being perfectly round or spaced apart.  In fact I …