sketched out on a canvas panel
darker lines are what I am keeping
anything outside those lines is erased
It will be a sillouhette. I want a sharp edge, so I am trying to refine the edges. I think I'll use a fine tip paint pen to outline the sketch before I fill it in with paint.
That took me a painfully long time to do. I used a small picture a friend took of a heron on her farm as my inspiration. I do not have the shoulders or the bulge in the jawline quite to my liking, but I am afraid if I try to make it better I will ruin it. The heron's body is facing away from the viewer at a slight angle. One shoulder should be more squared, and the other should drop off more.
I honestly do not draw that well. It takes me a long, long, long time to do a sketch and get it where I like it. I am a better at erasing than drawing. I darken the line that stays and erase the many that need to go. I've pretty much learned what to accept as it is and what to change. There's a life lesson in that last sentence.
I go through a lot of erasers because I like sharp corners on them. I grew up using gum erasers, and I guess that is why I still prefer them. My girls hate them. I don't care for their preferred kneadable erasers either. I tease them over their fondness for the weird, mushy, little grey globs.
Dear Reader, If it were not for my girls, I would have most likely never tried my hand at art again. I most definitely would not have began at this stage of life. It's a common middle aged pursuit I watched dozens of lifelong friends pick up in the last several years as their children moved out. I've been invited to many events they've hosted. I was interested, but I kept putting it off thinking "eh, someday."
Then, my girls gave me art supplies as a gift. I did not want to hurt their feelings, so I decided I'd use them a few times to let them know I appreciated them. Then, as I did it, I remembered how much I use to enjoy it. It's also brought back some much needed happy memories, so there is an internal benefit too.
It is also another valuable way for all of five of us Asbell women to relate to each other despite the age differences, life station, time constraints, and different personalities. God knew I needed this simple thing for myself and knew my girls were the perfect catalyst to get me to realize it.
Who has inspired you to pick up something old and try it again? Who has led you to try something new? Who have you inspired and how?
