Updates and Drawing Class

It's been a while since I've posted but .... here I am.

The Calendar Show is over and the two-week extension show we stayed on for is over, too. It was fun, it was great exposure but I'm glad it's over. Working a full time job, then putting in hours at the show on my day off on the weekend, and usually a night during the week gets to be a lot. But it was all a great success! We were at the mall for a total of three weeks.

My sunflower (which is the one I use as my avatar now) will be on the calendar! Over 2,200 people voted for the calendar paintings. Twelve were chosen - the twelve with the highest number of votes. Calendars will be available in the fall. All twelve of us were given a certificate and had to show our painting at the last meeting. That was traumatic, standing in front of the group. For me, anyways.

I've also started a Drawing Class. Sandra Taylor is the instructor and by the end of the session, if we all do our homework, we're going to be good drawers! She's making us work! And that's a great thing - to get a teacher like Sandra that pushes you.

In lieu of any painting progress shots, I'll attach some of the drawing exercises we did. Last class, we drew for the entire three hours with our non-dominant hand, which was in my case, my left hand. This is to get the creative part of the brain to kick in. So, all the eyes you see below are done with the left hand. The books / pencil were also done left handed, as well as the plain bottle. The fireplace mantle and the Bacardi cooler were done right handed.

Our homework was to draw every day for at least 1/2 hour, using the left hand for a lot of it. Also, find magazine pics of eyes, cut them out, paste them into our sketchbook / drawing journal and draw each with the left hand.

I'm finding that drawing with the right hand sure is easier after you've been labouring away with the left hand for a long while! Your right hand just seems to fly over the paper. I love to draw but when it's using the left hand, it's hard work.

I'm in the process of drawing out the waterlily on a sheet of hotpressed paper and plan on doing it the same way as the sunflower. Poured to begin with.

Anyways, here's the shots. (Bottom two are right handed, the rest are left handed.) Tomorrow night (Tuesday) is the second class.