Emotions Harnessed
Tag: style
I’m Not Trying To Be Perfect, I Just Want To Be Me…
Last month, I purchased the book, ‘Watercolor 365 Daily Tips, Tricks & Techniques’ by Leslie Redhead. Already, I have seen the benefits of having this book to refer to.
One of the tips within the book is to, ‘stop using a pencil and eraser to draw with and instead use a marker instead.’
I wouldn’t call myself ‘naturally talented’ in drawing or sketching. It is a skill I am endeavouring to get better at and so, I have been practicing with ‘a pencil accompanied by a trusty eraser,’ though probably not as often as ought to have been. The thought of drawing/sketching with a non-erasable marker was quite daunting.
Apparently, using a marker instead of the pencil/eraser combination will result in gaining skills in drawing/sketching quicker and these are skills I can build my paintings on.
I took up this challenge this week, grabbing an A5 110gsm sketchbook and started sketching away. It is quite a refreshing experience, I must say. If I put a mark/line in the wrong place, I have to be creative and work out ‘how to save’ the sketch.
When I did a basic drawing course 11 years ago, the instructor looked at my drawings and said that, ‘I was a line drawer, not a tonal drawer and that my lines were so straight they looked like an architectural drawing.’
This is not necessarily bad, though. I guess its a style. One of my goals has been to try to ‘loosen up’ and not draw so many straight lines. I quite enjoy looking at the style of many Artists and hobbyists who draw/sketch/paint in a relaxed style.
We’ve all probably heard the line, ‘practice makes perfect.’ I’m not trying to be perfect I just want to be me’…and I am having fun exploring exactly what that means in terms of drawing, sketching and painting.
I’m practicing my sketching/drawing now more than ever and I am endeavouring to let go of the thought that the lines need to perfect.
It will take time and patience, but I’ll get there.
Written by David Johnson
February 2021
A Journey To Personal Style…
I love it when I see an Artist’s creations and they have that much of an impact on me that it changes the way I think about my own.
In this case I’m taking about the latest episode on Colour In Your Life, featuring Sydney Artist, Sandra Blackburne which was aired in Sydney last night, and which I have now watched for the second time.
I would class myself as a ‘Beginner’ in terms of painting as my creative background has been through Photography, over the past 35 years. It started as a bit of a hobby about 5 years ago, though and I only ‘painted when I could fit in it’ as I have had other full-time occupations in that time. In January this year I decided that I would allocate 2-4 hours per weekend to my Oil painting and so far I have only missed out once, and I made sure I doubled the amount the following weekend. 😃
As I watched the episode, taking notes (as I do with each one), quite a few things resonated with me and have given me food for thought, such as:
- Sandra does a few Plein-Air sketches of the subject she paints rather than photograph the scene. She mentioned that this allows herself to ‘put more of herself’ into the painting rather than be constrained by a photograph
- Sketching with Colour Gesso is a new technique to me and watching Sandra create, I can see the benefits of doing it
- The choice of colours which creatively evoke the Australian Landscape
- The concept of layering paint which helps give the image light and life
- The colours that were used and the way that they were applied. Sandra said that ‘tightening up when painting’ signals the death of a good painter
- Using Cobalt Blue on Gum trees to reflect the Blue of the rich Australian sky
My style (if indeed I have one yet) seems to be more to ’try to paint subjects in a pictorial way.’ I remember when I did a basic Drawing course 6 years ago, the teacher said that appeared more a ‘Line Drawer’ than a ’Tone Drawer.’
Part of the challenge for me I guess is that coming from a photographic background, I’m too used to seeing subjects in a pictorial presentation rather than a fluid, abstract way, i.e. when I paint a leaf, a tree, or a building I try to capture all the detail when I don’t need to…
Looking at Sandra Blackburne’s Art I see sheds, trees and other subjects as perhaps ‘how I would remember them after a period of time has elapsed’, rather than as if they are in front of me, right then.
Sometimes I paint from photographs, sometimes from my imagination. I know which is more fun! A bridge between the photograph and the imagination is perhaps a Plein-Air sketch or two, which will then allow me to ‘put more of myself’ into a painting.
Thank you, Sandra Blackburne for your Art and inspiration. I look forward to seeing your Art face-to-face. Thanks also to Graeme Stevenson and to the team from ‘Colour In You Life’ for bringing such Art and inspiration into our Lives!
The journey to find my personal style continues…
Written by David Johnson
21 May 2016
Links:
https://www.instagram.com/sandrablackburne/
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=colour+in+your+life+tv+show
Communicating Creatively 