Toothpaste pingpong

I'm a Crest kid!

Diving into a new sketchbook without worrying about committing to that perfect first mark on that pristine first page.

I like the format that Karen Blados uses for her daily sketches. And Jane's sketch journals are really nice snippets of her days. Illustrated lives, indeed.

Maybe this way I can get away with spending less time typing, documenting the little daily stories. The blank white block for entering text with the blinking cursor is like that brand new white sheet of drawing paper. I try to find those perfect words for that perfect, pristing new (digital) page... As much as I enjoy the crafting of words, I also need to streamline my days a little bit, when I can.

And besides, some of these daily drawings seem so naked all by themselves on the pages of my sketch book, hanging out there all by their lonesome.

Thursday already? Wuf! Heading into the stretch towards the weekend.. have a good one out there. -w

Twists and turns

Last night we had meetings at school rather than classes. It was a nice break, to meet colleagues, learn about what’s going on w/the school, be re-energized about teaching and learning. There’s a lot of focus on Student Learning Outcomes at both the schools I teach at: What do we want our students to do, feel, know – at the end of our classes? The focus is less on providing instruction (ie, data dump), and more on encouraging learning. Wouldn't it be great to motivate self-teaching?

I got there early and got to eat dinner and sketch for a little bit along the reflecting pool and added color when I got home. Arty note: Since I have two mini paint sets, I decided to fill one with tube watercolor paint and try working with that, rather than the solid pans. I fight with the pans, I’ll admit. They normally win, not me. So the tube paint in the little wells will dry out enough that you can take the kit with you with little or less fear that it’ll spill out and goop up your art bag and all the precious arty materials in it. The w/c paints will soften with even just a little bit of water. I had heard this and went, “Really? I can use the tube paint? And still be neat?”. Yes, it really does work that way. Cool.


Tube paint in what used to hold solid pans of paint.

I have to say, though, that I was *so* excited by all this pigment that I could finally use so easily, that the intensity of colors here isn’t really what I had envisioned in my mind.


Reflecting pool at PCC

"Ick. Too much.

The blue. It bothers me."

I flipped through my sketchbook, which I finished off this morning. Most of the early sketches from about the past year were in just ink, or graphite pencil. Lots of gnarly trees. Not so much color. So that’s a new thing to play with more and fine-tune.

I wanted to loosen up for some work I need to do today and went out on the patio to sketch the row of plants that J has. I enjoy using this continuous-line quilting approach to drawing; sort of like drawing in script. My intent was to scan this then print out pages and work with the color – lots of nice gradations from green, yellow and red in the broad leaves. I grabbed my brush pen, and went back in for, what? I’m not sure, maybe emphasis. The much thicker lines really changed the character of the line work in a way I’m not sure I wanted. So, realizing this, I did a couple more quick sketches to capture gesture and to try to discern what I thought about the different pen weights, independently and/or used together. I’m going to work on this more, linework, in my work and my ‘play’.

"blah blah blah!" Is anyone still reading? Or are you just watching the sketches go by?

I added blocks of color in photoshop to a scan of the first two-page sketch and the sketch bothers me, well, ... less. [impish shrug]



I’m going to print up some of the b&w line drawings and play with color (paint) more, too. Later.
Because... in the middle of finishing off my sketchbook and quick sketching, I started sneezing. Fall is in the air, and something in that air, on the patio, makes me sneeze and sniffle!
Achoo!!

I wouldn’t say that it’s been a discontented last 24 hrs of art, though (well, aside from the itchy nose. That’s pretty distracting). It’s amazing that you can always come back to working with the basics: Lines, color. The journey, like the art, has gesture, twists, stops and starts, splashes of color that you didn’t expect. Working through the process, I have to say, is what makes it really fun for me. And, of course, for me, the play - - very happily - - inspires the work part, too.

So ... dow, I hab to go blow by dose and ged to worg. Have a good one. -w

Or maybe a

spot of tea?

I was doing some study sketches for a personal project I'm working on and ended up taking some reference photos to make life easier. Then, I found myself taking more photos that I didn't quite think of taking when I started. And then, I found myself playing with Photoshop ...

This falls into the "Oh, I wonder what that does (click!)" method of learning software. Kind of hunt-and-peck; not very efficient, but fun, all the same:


teacup from J's really pretty china set

You're wondering, aren't you, where this project is going? I've been thinking about this for a while. Let me finish and I'll get back to you. Might take a bit. It'll be fun. Promise.

Anyway, and then I sort of got really distracted from the immediate task at hand ...


in the heat of the desert...

And so it goes..

Two cups of coffee

one of the Starbucks variety


and one of the cheaper, mix-from-the-tin variety.

from over the weekend.

This quote search inspired by Karen:

BILL MOYERS: Do you ever have the sense of... being helped by hidden hands?

JOSEPH CAMPBELL: All the time. It is miraculous. I even have a superstition that has grown on me as a result of invisible hands coming all the time - namely, that if you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.

HB2Me!

... to me!

When was the last time you saw a 4" diameter birthday cake?
Isn't that just the cutest?
Weren't you wondering why I was coming into all this good stuff?

Just back from a weekend up in the Owens Valley and beyond. We stopped for an afternoon meandering through Tuolumne Meadows (Yosemite), where I discovered ...


... where Blind Contour Sheep come from.

We stopped by Lake Sabrina, outside of Bishop.

See the photos:


here!

Secret hopes

What do you secretly hope for?

- a portable/table easel
- sushi
- a new wallet
- great, funky/designer-y black leather shoes
- a completely guilt-free afternoon at Burke Williams spa
- getting my car cd player fixed
- ginger blossoms
- some time with Jack
- something really purple to wear. Stylish, but purple.

And then, sometimes, well, gosh, just lookit!


A paintbox (Karen claps, “Yay! Finally!”)
and some really, *really* cute shoes.

There are deeper wishes, indeed, (balance, affordable healthcare, quiet, strength, financial security...)
but for today, I’m going to keep it light here, and just share some of the fun stuff that’s come my way.

Here's a really nice read about even better secret hopes that come true.

xox, -w