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Friday, February 24, 2012

Crude Gestures - Lesson 3

Welcome to Lesson 3 of Carla Sonheim's Book, Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artisits.


In this Lesson, we are supposed to do super quick gesture drawings of a moving pet.  Using a charcoal pencil or other soft utensil and just seconds per drawing, the goal is to get the idea of the animal and it's position and/or movements.

But before I show you mine, I want to give a  Thank You to NatashaMay for nominating me for an award on her blog!

Part of the requirements is to share 7 things about yourself. The other part is to pass it on to 15 other Bloggers....and I just don't know how I'd choose....so I'm going to skip that part.  I always love finding out more about my Blog Friends, so feel free to consider yourself nominated and spill some juicy beans ;P

Anyhoo....back to the lesson!


I used a 6B pencil....otherwise, I'd be covered in charcoal!

1. I'm one of those left-handed people that has their hand all curled upside down....smearing everything in it's path.  I usually succeed in transferring it to other parts of me, clothes, surfaces, etc. when I use anything soft-leaded :)


I found this exercise to be difficult for me.  I like to take more time than the allotted 2 seconds Carla recommends.....and trying to draw a moving kitten (more spastic than an adult cat, I think,...haha!) was more than challenging.  I found myself more than once trying to "fill in" where I thought limbs and such to be after Sally had already changed positions.  I guess I don't follow directions very well :)

2. Which leads me to my cooking style, too. Some of my family's favorite recipes of mine are ones where I've just thrown stuff together.  I like to tweak ingredients and add more than the usual stuff....I put veggie puree in my meatballs, cilantro in my turkey chili and sour cream in my pancakes....I make Island Water (that's what we call it, anyway) for my daughter and myself with a splash of coconut milk, sliced ginger root and water over ice.  I love French Toast with a hint of orange zest in the egg mixture and I eat them with a layer of berry preserves instead of syrup...
I know, I'm zany....what can I say ;P

3.  I loathe washing dishes!!  I will scrub toilets all day long over hand washing a sink full of dishes.  I bring this up because our dishwasher is broken!  I never had one in the 13 years we rented.....and ever since having one here at the house, doing dishes has been fine....pleasurable, even!  But now, aaarrrgghh!  I never seem to catch up :(


This one is my least favorite of what I'm showing you today....but, trust me when I say there were others that were worse.  I just don't want to show them to you  ;P

4. I used to have a huge dark side.  Brooding and depressed, I'd entertain fantasies of running away, waste a lot of time feeling alienated from what "normal" people wanted and enjoyed, was convinced that no one understood me.  I always thought that this is where my creativity came from...that this darkness made me special.
But, once you have a child, this way of thinking can be detrimental.  It can cause resentment to build.  Motherhood has been the most wonderful experience I have ever undertaken, but it made my demons feel trapped and angry. A lot of things began to suffer....including my marriage.  Something had to change. I originally started Blogging because I was tired of feeling torn....
The name of my Blog was another attempt at me being clever....and was to elude to me "painting" myself in a better light....to put the best of me forward and focus on that....to paint myself pretty, rather than the ugliness I felt inside...
Had I known, though, that it was going to be such a great experience, and that I'd be opening a shop, too....I would've picked a shorter name....haha!

5.  I still love dark, brooding images and places.....all things forbidden, gothic, scary and macabre...I adore cemetaries, fairy tales with unhappy endings and blood and gore......but, I've learned to not dwell there.

6. Blogging really is better than therapy!  It allows me to connect with real artists....moms....women...who have taught me that I am not alone in my struggles....and who give me a reason to paint and laugh and share and rush to my computer every day!  I can't imagine my Life without it now ;)


This one is my favorite.  Sally had put her paws up on my lap and was watching my pencil as I sketched her.  Everything that moves is potential prey to a kitten....so it was time to stop.

7.  Trying to think of something you don't know....hmmmm....let's see.....
How about this.  I always knew I wanted to be an artist since the first time I could hold a pencil.  I decided I wanted to go to a prestigious art school  in Laguna Beach, jumped through the hoops to get in, took out the loans...and didn't even complete 1 semester.  And I am SO GLAD I didn't!!
As much as I feel foolish for being so flakey....I never, then, would have gone to Bartending School and gotten a job at Embassy Suites.  I would have never met the cute, polite, interesting Room Service guy who would later become my Husband.  I would not have my daughter....sure, I might have a daughter, but not this daughter, who is all the goodness I strive to be :)



Please link your gesture drawings here:


I am really so honored to have you here with me...on my little journey to become a better artist and all around happier person :D

I hope you paint yourself a wonderful weekend!!
Group Hug,
Cam

25 comments:

Joyce van der Lely said...

Oh, Cam, what a wonderful and honest post, you are sooo good with words ! I was planning to try and do these excersizes with you and I just got stuck for time. My folks have just left to go back home and now we have a Japanese international student stay here in the house for 2 weeks. To tell you the truth, we needed the dough....;( But he's wonderful and it's a great experience also for the kids and takes their (and my) mind of missing my parents. I might....might....have found a little special spot that I can rent for peanuts and where I can try and make a little workshop/shop here in town. I'll talk about it more later. Just wanted to say that I am so fortunate to have met you and that we have become blog/art/buddies :) xoxox Go for it girl !xoxoxo

Treehugger_31 said...

I think I learned more about you in this one post then I knew in all the time I've been your follower! Thank you for sharing all that.
I just love how you look at your life...that all the paths you chose are what led you to the life/love/and family you now have. Sometimes I ponder my choices, wondering how I ended up alone and childless (gotta say I don't mind the alone part as much as the not getting to be a mommy part)! But maybe my journey isn't complete. Maybe that special someone is on the horizon. Maybe that baby, my baby, is out there just waiting for me. Who knows, right? A girl can dream...

Treehugger_31 said...

Oh...by the way...I have this lab completed too...just need to post the pics. I did my ferret Ingrid! Talk about a ball of crazy energy. Ferrets are non stop hopping fiends! Lol. But I got some cute drawings (even if I cheated a bit too)! Lol.

Paula - Buenos Aires said...

~waving Hello from cyber door~
May I come in? I have this book and sharing the journey might have me actually using the book and not only having it on the shelf. :)
I did it the other way round. I met my husband at my first choice of studies but then changed paths (keeping the boyfriend ;) ).

Jenny said...

Beautiful post Cam... so honest and heartfelt... I love your sketches... I have that book sitting up in the cupboard... I think I need to pull it down and take another look :))

Hugs
Jenny x

Carmen said...

I tell you Cam - it's scary how much alike we are. I have that dark and brooding Demon too - it sometimes gets the better of me but I wholeheartedly agree about blogging and art. Best therapy ever. And a whole lot cheaper.

I love the name of your blog - it's one of the few I remembered from my first visit!

I hate washing dishes too but have never had a dishwasher. We just never seem to stop doing it - where does it all come from?

Cooking - ditto. More is more ;)

Love you lots!

Å olanje na domu-Waldorf said...

Cam you're fabulous! :) Thanks for sharing your 7 things with us. Buy the darn dishwasher already. :))

brandi said...

~hhhmmm....where to start...ok so sally with her paws on your lap is drawn ever so sweet...this has been a fun journey seeing these sketches...

congrats on your award...which reminds me of something i should have done a week or so ago...thanks! so sour cream in your pancakes...did you steal my recipe book!?! too funny...that is my secret weapon in baking!!!

the raw real side of you...such a path you have walked...thank you for being so honest and true...i am beyond thankful you found your way here...powerful words you have written above...i honor you for such...a blessings in our day to day you always are...remember that...

and yes, littles bring some sort of magic that is quite unexplainable...the make our whole world a little bit brighter!!! she is ever so sweet...hey is she winking at us???

much love light and blessings shining brightly upon you and yours~

Daniele Valois said...

I have so much I want to say here. I don't know where to begin, but I feel so connected with your for sharing this. I also feel naturally very dark at times. Longing for freedom and other life...but I have to pull myself out of this, don't I. I have to mother my girls, and be the best person I can be, and still hold on to my natural darkness, because it is indeed me. I thin it is so interesting how I paint in so much color, yet I am drawn to darker things.

I freaking hate dishes, and my new dishwasher is broken. I am always doing dishes...

sketches are great btw...this is a good exercise and I should be doing this, but I'm not! :P

:)

Theresa MacNaughton said...

Congrats on your award - it is well deserved. I love how you interspersed your secrets along with your sketches. It was fun to learn more about you!!!! :)

WrightStuff said...

Nice to delve a bit deeper into what makes you tick. I know what you mean about the journey that takes us to our children - it might have a few bumps along the way but it led to the treasure in the end.

Your puddy cat sketches are rather good!! One of my cats is sitting next to the keyboard. We keep rubbing noses.

Kathy said...

It's a difficult thing to pull oneself away from the curiously dangerous dark abyss that you are staring into. That's quite a story. So it's true. Art does save. Gutsy of you to put that out there. Motherhood changes everything. That's for sure. Best thing ever. Love the cat drawings. You can see your progression. Nice. Thanks for sharing, Cam. Happy Sunday! - Kathy

Jennifer Michelle said...

I love cemeteries too! I have a VERY dark side, but I suppose with all of the witchy stuff that can be easily guessed. I think it's very important to find the light though. Especially with Maggie. Kids need that positivity and anchor in the world. You are such a lovely mum :) And I think your post titles have been very witty.

Fallingladies said...

Great to hear more about the real you, i love cemetaries too but i never thought of myself as having a dark side.... Totally have a moody, crazy or as my husband believes: flighty side, but the scary stuff i have to live without,..... ok well i really am enjoying watching the walking dead so maybe i'm wrong about that too. I have been having trouble with this lesson in the book, not sure i'll be able to play along this week. Love your cats though, you really capture their spirit!

manomij said...

So lovely to get to know you better! What a great and honest post, you paint yourself pretty girl you can do it and you will continue to grow all the time. Art is one of the best things you can do to get rid of whatever you need to. If you can't say it draw it I say.
I am sorry I have not been doing the lessons, I have totally over commited myself, too many challenges and work is totally mad. I am off home to Holland during this coming week when I am back I will be skyping you if you are up for it?
Hugs
ManonX

Getrealmommy said...

I love the name of your blog, and why you selected it, keep blogging lady!

Daniele Valois said...

oh, I have a swap thought. I thought it would be fun to add a map or globe to represent friends over distance. I love the new friendships coming into my life, and the artistic mothers everywhere. Thoughts?

Kristin said...

What a wonderful post my sweet mama friend! AND what a cute baby picture!!!! I love your sketches and learning more about you - isn't it crazy how life works out? You are where you are meant to be and thank you for sharing your art and heart with us here, xoxox

Karen Isaacson said...

Hi Cam - I loved reading more about you! and I finally got my book and actually TRIED the exercises and even blogged about them - yay! thanks for the kick in the pants. -Karen

JessiVille said...

Hi Cam! What a wonderful post! You are so not alone in your love of goth and some of the darker things. I've been known to hang in cemeteries and do witchy things now and again. FYI, I will take doing the dishes over toilets any day of the week! I don't use a dishwasher. By the time I rinse
'em I can wash 'em. They are good for hiding stuff in a pinch tho, ha! Thanks for sharing yourself and your art!

Jessi xox

Victoria said...

Yay Cameron..beautiful post and so fun to read about you..we are such kindreds...gorgeous pics and beautiful art!
Hugs and sparkles my creative spirit and magical friend!
victoria

Unknown said...

Loved this post. Thank you for being so honest. I can relate to much of what you said. AND.....I'm left handed too! I never tire of your art. It is so beautiful.

PiaRom said...

Ohh Cameron so heartwarming to read your blog this time and I wish It would be in german, because my english is so bad, it often felt so difficult to read and and then answer the things I really feel! Anyways so I will learn eachtime a little more...
because I don´t have the book I don´t know what to do this week. Read something about 2 seconds and moving pets... oh no, this is to much for me this time ;-) so I skip it and jump in next week... I love the fifth scetch so much xoxox

Lizzy Love said...

gesture drawings are so important for an artist just to keep practicing. I remember in College how much I hated it for some reason who'd a thought that I would still be doing them 8 long years after college! lol Looking good, keep up the great work!!!

Lisa Richards said...

Wow! I sure feel like I know you better! Thanks for sharing some of your life.

I did the blind contour and gesture drawings one right after the other, so I may have been confused and forgot to look at my paper while doing the horse drawings, lol!

Off to look at everyone's drawings! Have a great day with your darling daughter and cute Room Service guy! Hee, hee!

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