Company for dinner

I posted 4 more items to the Scavenger Hunt tonight. I got the drawings done just under the wire of midnight. I still am drawing something every day and almost let the day slip by.

It was said in another forum that you can't get better with practice. I totally disagree. I know for a fact that I have gotten better in the last 4 months. I am not interested in learning to draw "like" anyone else. The line drawings I do may not be what some call art. But they are what I tend to be drawn to, and I like the work I am doing. I plan to "get better" as time goes by. I can do more detailed drawings but I like getting a likeness with just a minimum of lines.

I haven't really taken many lessons. Most of the ones I did take were for oil painting. In those classes we traced the outline. Then learned to paint and blend our paint. I never really felt like an artist as I was just copying another picture. I had no problem giving those away. In fact I gave so many away that everyone got saturated. I still have many of the paintings on my walls and some stored in closets.

The oil painting I was doing then didn't really give me much satisfaction. When I started to draw, I felt like it was actually coming from inside me. Just like the poetry I write. It is more a part of me.

Most of what I did draw before I found WetCanvas was copies also. But a lot of people who saw my work said they liked my drawings better than the original pictures. The more I accepted that I was an artist, the more I was able to relax and enjoy what I do.

On WetCanvas I have gotten feedback and help from many artists. Each of them has their own way of doing their artwork. On the Sketch of the Week site, some 20 people may draw from the same reference picture. But not one looks alike. All are similar but each has its own unique qualities. And I don't believe any are more perfect than the others. I think each one is the way that person sees the ref. After I figured that out, it was easier for me to post my attempts.

If all you do is read books, study other artists, and wait for perfection, you will never do the actual work. I don't want to be perfect, I want my work to be mine. I want to learn and experiment with what others are doing, but only so that I can create my artwork and make it better.

That said it doesn't mean I don't think you should read books, etc. I think that is necessary and I love taking classes and learning. Just don't let that stop you from actually drawing. It doesn't matter if your stuff doesn't look like what it is supposed to be. At first mine didn't. And with practice, practice, practice most everything I sketch looks similar to what I am attempting. Maybe the perspective is off, maybe it is more line work than molded, but it is as someone said about my work "quirky" and a true representation of me. Look at artwork around you. Do you like it because the person painted a perfect picture? Or do you like it because you like the "style" of that person? I know my answer.

As for the company for dinner heading, the neighbor girls were here for dinner. I ran errands most of the day, and the girls helped me unload my purchases. Then hubby came home shortly after. We all had a nice visit and a good meal and some tv. Nice time had by all.

As Katherine T said in the Sketching from Life Class on WC. Sketch something every day. The more you do, the better you will get.