In the flurry of activity surrounding all the good things happening these days, I found myself drawn to the Gardens here in town. There were so many reasons why I should NOT go spend a morning to draw…piled laundry, dirty house, art “business” stuff to do, etc. But I knew I needed this. To sit in the quiet of the Gardens and use my pen to drink in the visual richness of an Autumn garden.
It was a bit nippy out there at 9:30 am…hence the fingerless knitted gloves…perfect for a chilly morning of drawing. I truly get lost in the lines I see before me. I love these drawings just as they are without color. But something drives me to add color…
A little bit at first. And then, as you can see in the first drawing…rich, dark color! Mind you, I don’t want to overpower the lines too much! The lines are the THING and I don’t want color to take over. I may have gone a bit too far in the end, but it pleases me and that’s the end of it. When you draw for the goodness, the benefit, and the experience of drawing, there need be no other criteria for your efforts other than whether it pleases you or not. It’s actually in the process of drawing, where it all happens.
What happens when I draw is this: My shoulders start to relax. I begin to hear better…listening to all the garden sounds. My heart rate slows. Thoughts become clearer, less jumbled. An inner strength arises to face the rest of day. I was so in need of this yesterday. I’m grateful for the two hour space I carved out to go to the Gardens and draw.
This week was a full one! My big box of books arrived! Etsy orders were filled! I read Genevieve and the Kite to a first grade class at my school! (More on this in another post!) And more preparations for an upcoming Craft and Artistry Bazaar here in Kernersville on Saturday, November 9th!! If you are able to come to this, it is sure to be a festive event, perfect for holiday shopping and picking up a copy or two of my new children’s book!:) I also spoke with a local gallery owner who has offered to do a book signing event for me! I’m thrilled about this possibility and I’ll let you know more details as they evolve!
With all the goodness abounding, mixed in with everyday family living, I’m in need of time to draw, to regroup, to think and hear better, to find strength for it all. I hope you’ll join me in drawing your life, your gardens, your back yard, anything! May your weekend find you with pen or pencil in hand, even if it’s only for a moment or two.
P.S. We Walk for a Cure (JDRF) in one week!!! Thank you to all who have so generously given to Maddie’s Mission!! If you would still like to donate to this amazing cause, CLICK HERE! And remember…your name goes in a hat for a drawing for a copy of Genevieve and the Kite! Merci!
Refreshing, uplifting and downright gamorgous.
:)))))
Love the drawing but I Love it most with the color added! Such gorgeous color too! Art is like breathing isn’t it? Every so often you just need a good, deep breath and sometimes you just need to draw. Both are vital for a creative person or else you’ll soon be feeling you are on life support!
Hope you have great weather for the walk you and Maddie are doing next week.
Thank you Timaree! Art is indeed like breathing! Have a lovely weekend,
Your sit and draw video worked for me. I enjoyed my time immensely. I will send a check to you for the walk. Thought that I had your address, but it’s hiding. Please end it to me at: scribe@surewest.net
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for your encouragement the other day after I posted. Just wanted to ask you, have you considered entering your book for the SCBWI Spark Award? If you’re not familiar with it, just google it. It’s an award given to independently published authors/illustrators, and I think it’s rather new. 🙂
You are so welcome Wendy! And thank you for this information about the Spark Award! I did not know anything about it and I just might go for it!