Rose

I really like this. Simple, but the eye gives it life.

@Janice And I can see improvement in the shape, nice!

@Coral Thanks, to be honest I want to do it all over again and go for more detail. I needed something to get me drawing/ painting again and I am loving this course so far, it is great to see what everyone is doing!

@Rose I put this in the wrong darn place and don’t know how to move it 🙁

Did you use pencil first and then outline with pen? I love the look of that, you get the idea of the subject in a quick glance.

Don’t despair, this is just the beginning! I sure understand the sentiment though.

Beautiful detail! Is this all done in pencil? And what sort of pencil if so?

Hi! 1. So I’ve always like to draw, took art in high school but didn’t do much with it while I was raising kids. So, about the past twenty years or so I’ve been dabbling in watercolor, my favorite medium. Growing up on a farm, I’ve always been a nature lover, with a particular interest in birds. Makes sense to put the two together, and here I am. Could have used this course several months ago as I got back a few weeks ago from a wilderness trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. I did pack in a journal with some carefully selected ink/ watercolor pens, but as most of my time was spent paddling, I didn’t get to sketch /paint a whole lot. So I took notes and pictures and left space to add some drawings later. 2. I particularly love the last journaler. How I’d love to do a sketch every day! But my main issue is discipline. I have lots of paintings in my head that are still there. Part of the problem is that I am detail oriented and so I am really fussy about what I do. So my main hope with this course (and I was trying for this in the BW) is to learn to let go of that and be able to simplify things. I can always add detail later if I want, yes? I think doing a month of sketches on one page is a great idea. I am thinking that I will get a block of Arches watercolor paper and try for the same thing. I was also thinking it could be taken a step further and placed in a frame, changing it every month. You could also follow the same subject through the seasons, a certain tree, your garden, the options are only limited by what is around you. I’m really excited! Now if I can do and not just think.. 3. I know some will find this weird or disgusting, but after finding a dead bird I had thought it would be interesting to document the decay in a photo a day - which could be done as a drawing instead, if one had the discipline to do so. There are other less gruesome subjects that could be followed daily though, a mushroom or a flower for instance. Happy journaling!