Timeout for Art – Beauty Everywhere

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Drawing foliage, Pencil drawing, Timeout for Art

Foliage – Pencil

“If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”
– Vincent Van Gogh

When given a sharp pencil, a blank piece of paper, and ten minutes or more of quiet time, I can usually find subject matter close at hand to occupy my attention.    I have learned to admire the simplest of plants.  A desiccated blade of grass can transform into an object of beauty via a finely-honed drawing.

The meandering philodendrom makes, for me, a fairly easy study.    The basic shape and details of the leaves are forgiving and can be lightly drawn without too much fuss.  The shading can be added later.  This drawing is an unfinished work, though I am hesitant to continue.

My critical eye goes to the two simple leaves in the middle of the drawing.  They seem to have a push-pull effect as if they’re not sure where they belong. Ten or so minutes of subtle shading will place them more firmly in the background.   But wait -overworking a picture often ruins it.

The decision belongs to all of you; should I continue shading and adding depth, or is it time to stop? Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Would any of you consider drawing a blade of grass or three?  I will try to do several studies of grass and will share those results next Thursday.

Sharpen that pencil and start drawing!  🙂  Z

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TIMEOUT FOR ART: Be Still, Seek and Find

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ceibo trees, Pencil drawing, Timeout for Art

Pencil (Continued from earlier post)

All that you need is deep within you waiting to unfold and reveal itself. All you have to do is be still and take time to seek for what is within and you will surely find it. ~Eileen Caddy

I am writing from La Division, where I hoped to get away from smoke that’s been wafting ‘downwind’ from some sort of burn pile. The smoke seems to have followed me here! I was also hoping for a stronger internet signal. I was not planning to have many distractions, but they are here as the old battery runs down while the upload functions and pages fail to load!

Perdon for this hurried post!  The quote is quite ironic for a day when I was unable to be still in order to publish this post!    Two of four images loaded, and I am going to call that ‘a good day.’  The battery is now at critical —- some days it’s best to stay home and draw!

Z

Timeout for Art – Selective Editing

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bamboo drawings, Drawing from Nature, Lisa Brunetti art, Pencil drawing, Timeout for Art

I devour nature ceaselessly. I exaggerate, sometimes I make changes in the subject; but still I don’t invent the whole picture. On the contrary, I find it already there. It’s a question of picking out what one wants from nature.  -Vincent van Gogh

Working from nature marks our drawings and paintings with an original freshness; instead of drawing the forest or the tree, draw a leaf;  admire the details in a cluster of bamboo or the delicate tendrils of a vine.    Instead of drawing the entire scene, focus on a small area and edit the parts that seem too cluttered or too boring…

Don’t get discouraged; YOU CAN DO THIS!

Z

Timeout for Art: A Species of Writing

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art therapy, Museo Portoviejo, Pencil drawing, transferring tension to art

Student Exercise Sheets – (10 samples)

“Drawing is the artist’s most direct and spontaneous expression, a species of writing;  it reveals, better than does painting, his true personality.”  (Edgar Degas)

This time last year (July 2012) many students toured the Mola Series exhibit at the Portoviejo (Manabi/Ecuador) Museum. The director of the museum said that a group of girls would be visiting the museum and asked if they could tour the exhibit. She said that the girls had ‘problemas.’   Some came from abusive homes, one was pregnant, and they all deserved some positive experiences. I suggested that we buy pencils and paper and give them a quick drawing class!

Timeout for Art: Drawing Comes First!

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jama painting concurso, painting on glass, Pencil drawing, postes con colores, restaurant decor, Timeout for Art: Drawing comes first, urban art

Two snowy egrets: shading the background took much more time than drawing the birds, but the dark background makes the egret ‘pop.’

“Drawing is the basis of art.  A bad painter cannot draw.  But one who draws well can always paint.”  (Arshile Gorky)

Jama Ecuador – 05/June/2013

The past week found me totally immersed in art projects and in society! The post-painting competition stretched from Saturday until Monday evening, and several of the most dedicated artists continued painting after sunset!  Tapping into the pre-Columbian designs of the Jama Coaque Indians, the street artists displayed strong drawing skills.

Brian, this year’s winner, worked for three days and into each night and kept this focus the entire time!

Timeout for Art: Through A Child’s Eyes

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art therapy, Botanical drawings in pencil, Pencil drawing, Timeout For Art: Through A Child's Eyes, Warm ups for Art

(Ecuador)

What I do when a page won’t load or an email won’t open! Bienvenidos to Casa Loca!

“When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work.  I told her I worked at the college – that my job was to teach people how to draw.  She stared back and me, incredulous, and said, “You mean they forget?”  (Howard Ikemoto)

WordPress folks, YOU ROCK!  You quickly steered the once-a week drawing theme into an amazing community project!  

Timeout for Art: Pencils

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Drawing lessons, Drawing tips, Lisa Brunetti, Pencil drawing, Secrets to drawing well

My friend the pencil! (Drawn with dominant/right hand)

“A pencil is quiet, clean, odorless, inexpensive, and lightweight.  I can slip it in my pocket and take it with me everywhere – my secret friend.”  (Sherry Camby)

Years ago I taught art to elementary school students, and I reminded them that they were ‘safe’ from ridicule from their peers. All that I expected from them was that they try their best, and they were not to laugh at anyone’s attempts. How rewarding it was to witness the improvement from all levels! Awkward with their early drawings, some students worked on mastering their pencils, which were foreign in their hands. Other “naturally-talented” students had many more hours of drawing than the others and had found solace in their pencils and crayons. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

The most important ingredient in being a good artist is practice! Practice, practice, practice! I was reminded of this last week, when Ruth, with her dominant hand in a cast, said that she’d try drawing with her left hand! I volunteered to include an additional sketch with my left hand each week in her honor. It was much more difficult than I realized! Although I draw well with my dominant hand, I am again at beginner status with the other!

Timeout for Art: Drawing & Paying Attention

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Drawing, Drawing from Life, Drawing from Nature, Pencil drawing, Quotes about Drawing, Quotes about Observing, Timeout, Tree Drawings

(Palo de Agua) – Detail of pencil drawing

“The very act of drawing an object, however badly, swiftly takes the drawer from a wooly sense of what the object looks like to a precise awareness of its component parts and particularities.”  (Alain de Bottom)

Timeout for Art – YOU CAN DO THIS!

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About Art, ART, Finding Faith in Oneself, I Can Do This, Inspiration to Create Art, Lisa Brunetti art, Paintings, Pencil drawing, You Can Do This

“My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue.” (Carole King)

Recently we’ve joked about the magic carpet on the bodega floor, though our lives are all intricately woven like tapestries.  With each move – and I’ve made many, I’ve met new people that have enriched my life.  Sometimes we exchange ideas and move on, grateful that Life presented us a special gift.  Other times a chance meeting opens the door to a lasting friendship.   Some friendships from long ago remain strong through long-distance communications.  Many of my artist friends fit into that latter category.

“An everlasting vision of the ever changing view – A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold -A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold”  Carole King – Tapestry

This past month several artists have written touching and soul-bearing letters.