Art Revival in 2017

In my previous post I mentioned I had gotten rid of all my art stuff and taken over a year out from everything.  In about October 2017 I started getting slightly into art once again.  I bought myself a Roald Dahl notebook from Haskins Garden centre and what I liked about it was that it was quite wide.

New Notebook

Before with my art I had become a little bit stressed with all the options for different mediums and the use of canvas, rag paper, watercolour paper, paper on boards, acrylic paper and I had  a lot of art materials.  I don't have very much space, firstly my room goes for music production and the running of our film production company, art is secondary to that.  With my new notebook I thought about ways I could still do art but save space and stress. 

Sketchbook Journaling

I have been in awe with people's different Sketch Journals available to view online.  Still not having really reached a point of drawing originally I found the samples breath-taking, beautiful paints, colours, drawings and all themed too.  I decided this would suit me with my new book.

Sketch Journal sample found online 1

Sketch Journal sample found online 2

I found that everybody's style was different.  I knew I did not yet have my own style so I thought that I would take some of the ideas and try to draw according to what is taking place that day.  One of the major spoilers and stresses I found before was wondering what on earth to draw!  This way, I would be guided by the daily events.

Keeping a Journal?

Still feeling raw from life's troubles I did not yet really wish to keep a diary form, I mean, what if something else traumatic happened I did not wish to have to draw another pet loss or something else traumatic, I just wanted to draw.  Some stamps arrived in the post on a letter from the USA and I found the pictures inspiring so I used these as my starting point with my first sketch journal entry:

First journal entry, sticking in images and information

 At this point I decided to leave off any dates and just mostly stick interesting things in, working with art and creativity in my layouts and colour choices and then drawing if and when I felt inspired.

We took a trip to Hobbycraft and I got myself some very basic supplies, cautious not to overindulge or overwhelm, not wanting too many things.  I got some basic coloured pencils and used them to draw on this page, drawing of the actual art materials themselves:

First drawings, feeling the way after a long break.

I was pleased with the result and I went along like this, page by page, trying to draw at least something per evening and I found that it gave me the opportunity to draw interesting things.  I stuck mainly to pencils and coloured pencils at this point. 

Drawing a Ranchu fish - copying from Google Images

Pencil drawing and shading

 In the above entry I started working on my shading again, I drew Patching church from a photograph.  I find it easier to draw from a drawing but drawing from a photograph was really good practise! 

 In the above I drew a pancake stack and the next day a burger.  It was great not having to wonder what to draw but to be guided.  I still felt my work was a long way off of other people's sketch journals but it was a least getting me to draw again.  I found that I would miss letters off and not notice which was weird, this has happened a few times.

With each day I tried to lay out the page more creatively.  If I did not know what to draw I would find it on Google Images and copy it but try to make it my own.  As with the wshing machine and the hoover and washing on the line, I copied those.  The Worthing Seafront picture I copied from a photo.

Creativity in my Sketch Journal

In the above entry I got really creative with the layout of the parking metres and the road. On the right hand page I felt an itch to do shading, I firstly love shading and pencil and am not too keen on coloured pencils but they did look nice.  Spontaneously I thought about what I would like to draw and what inspires me and I found a gorgeous fence pencil drawing so I copied it:

I incorporated the pencil fence into the journal entry.  Here is a close-up:

Feeling the itch to draw pencil drawings started to get me a little frustrated but I decided to try and incorporate pencil sketches in the sketch journal when I could.  All in all it was great to be back drawing but I was feeling the itch to do more.  I thought, I won't try acrylics as I got rid of them all and I don't want big canvases everywhere.  I won't use soft pastels as my lungs didn't like them.  I never used watercolours so perhaps I will give them a go.  

Watercolour

I followed a simple watercolour instruction book and drew a nice broody sky with watercolours and some dark crows and trees.  The good thing was - it fitted into my journal so still everything was contained!

Watercolour painting - trying out watercolour paints

In the sketchbook:

Sticking in the painting to the sketch journal

The good thing about sketch journaling is being able to add bits and pieces, kind of a mixed media but more adding things that you gather.  I try to focus more on drawing but occasionally I stick things in too such as these leaves/seeds and a funny email:

Sticking other things in the Journal around the drawings

 IN the next entry I was able to focus a bit on perspective with the bathroom drawing.  Although copied it looks 3D and before when I had tried to study perspective I had quit because it seemed to difficult.  Gary Gumble was right in saying that some artists start by copying, I find copying very helpful indeed and it is working to make me better!

Finding copying very helpful.

These are several examples of my sketch journal over several months.  Alongside this I got myself a Leuchtturm drawing book.  The Roald Dahl lined or spotted paper plus its thinness sometimes restricted me from things so I decided to try and draw randomly in another book too.  This was difficult for me as I am a bit of a control freak and found having 2 things on the go not as organized but with the Leuchtturm I decided it would be absolutely random and also enable me to try other mediums more freely as the paper is more thick and plain. 

Using Basic Drawing Instruction Books to Learn

Having found the exercises in "Learn to Draw in a Weekend" so helpful to grasp the fundamentals of shading and creating basic shapes on the page, I struggled to know exactly what to draw so I went through a nice phase of using several basic drawing instruction books to keep learning.  I was fascinated with the idea of being able to draw something, anything, and make a nice realistic shaded picture.  The idea of drawing something from life seemed impossible though.  I came across a book entitled "Draw What You See, not What you Think you See" and worked my way through loads of the exercises which really got the brain working.  They were all so helpful!

Great Instruction Book

Some of the exercises were very odd, drawing things in reverse or upside down and focusing on what is "not" there.  I think at the end of it I had made excellent progress!   Here are some of the interesting things I tried out:

Fascinating to draw this upside down ship:

and upside down guitar and chair:

These were great and I think it was this book that gave me my love of shading and drawing with a pencil.  Finally I was drawing things that made sense, were shaded and not ridiculous.  I was also learning to control the pencil more too as well as the different types of pencils.

I found at this point that I could not venture past being 'told what to draw'.  I was great doing exercises and following instructions but away from the book I drew a blank.  I used about three different books, always starting with the basic instructions of shading, trying out what they suggested.  Copying these exercises I got better and better!  "Anyone Can Draw" provided endless shapes to give experience and was really pleased with the results:

Grapefruit

Bookcase Unit

Having exhausted the exercises in several beginners books, I once again became frustrated.  I wanted to be able to draw original things, different things.  I wanted to take what I had learned so far and start drawing!  I gathered items from the home as suggested and drew them but without tutorials it was a lot more difficult.  I decided to ventured into a different area so I moved away from Tutorial books and got myself a Dorling Kindersley "Drawing Animals" book.  

As it was geared for kids it got me using things other than pencils.  It also got me drawing different things, like animals.  

Furry Mouse using Coloured Pencils

 

A seal on a rock with watercolour for the water:

I feel at this point I had gone on from tutorials from the very beginning, the absolute basics and now actually drawing interesting pictures.  I felt ready to try and use my own initiative! 

Continuing to Practise with Pencils and Shading

Having grasped finally the fundamentals of using a pencil and realizing how and why I had abandoned art so many times in the past, I decided to just plough on and keep practising.  I was curious about the different mediums of art but I kept on with using pencils and introducing coloured pencils too.  I copied these beach huts from the tin of my Derwent coloured pencils:
 

Coloured pencil sketch of beach huts copied.

 Then I used a great book called "Learn to Draw in a weekend" which is the book that helped me to suddenly "get it" about shading.  I practised with simple fruits and felt I got better and better:

These party hats below represent for me that "light bulb" moment when I produced a picture that actually looked like a picture and stood out of the page in almost 3D.  It was the edges and the shading and shadows that I finally understood.

Party Hats - shading and shadows and using colour.

At that moment I had a surge of confidence.  I remember that I would just draw things that inspired me and although I did not feel at this time that I was capable of producing any original art, it did not matter, I decided that it was okay to just copy and copy anything that inspired me so as to keep learning.  That Christmas our next door neighbour gave us a Christmas card which I loved so began to copy the picture on the front.  I never finished it but really enjoyed just using the pencils and getting familiar with them.  I love drawing little details with shading.

Copying a Christmas Card picture - copying to practise using pencils

All in all it was a good beginning from that first attempt of not even knowing how to make a line on a paper.  Compared to those very first marks on the paper from You Tube videos, I felt progress was being made: 

Very first attempts from You Tube, not understanding anything about drawing.

Although I find it a shame that over the years I have given up and gotten rid of all my art, I do see it was burst of growth and at the moment am still keeping going on this art journey.