Julie
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Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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Gesture drawing helps me capture the essence of a subject which is oftentimes fresher and more “alive” than when I have more time. It forces me to focus on the most prominent aspects of a subject. However, I find I see even more if I just watch first and don’t try to draw at all to take it all in, then gesture draw. Surprisingly I also found contour drawing to be a great warm up before gesture drawing. It got me to focus more on my subject and less on the paper.
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Yes, I’m feeling more comfortable. The course encourages me to draw more frequently and, as with anything, the more I practice the more comfortable it becomes. I like the way the course offers a step-by-step progression. I’m familiar with some of the topics & techniques, but the way each builds on those that came before provides fresh perspective. Also, by focusing on technique and tools the results become secondary. This frees me up to experiment and learn more.
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I liked the fact that the bird didn’t move so I could really study it in one position and with constant light. I also could zoom in when I was unsure of the details of what I was seeing. Ironically, that also made it harder in some respects because it played to my tendency to be overly detail-oriented which took my attention away from the general proportions. I wouldn’t have notice the shape of the bill and the surprisingly rounded, low hanging belly if I hadn’t drawn it.
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I have wanted to keep a nature journal for some time because I derive great satisfaction from my natural surroundings; I’m a born chronicler and I love how sketching allows me to really experience a bird, a plant, an animal, etc. Yet, I’ve been intimidated by the empty page or a new journal. I don’t want to “ruin” them, as Cindy said, and my desire for perfection has kept me from jumping in. What I so appreciated about seeing the shared nature journals was realizing that it’s personal. It’s what the journal means to the one who keeps it, not what it means to anyone else. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Each journaler spoke of how their sketching captured the day, the observation, the experience for them in a rich way that a photo never could. It was so heartfelt.
Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)