Wondrous magic wands of colour
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Wondrous magic wands of colour
Sure, I’ve used colour pencils before. They were a staple on the back-to-school list way back forever ago … but I am sure the pencils we had back in those days have absolutely no resemblance to the pencils I have recently discovered.
I went to a colour pencil class run by Peta Harvey (via Eckersleys at Milton) and I am a convert! Good quality colour pencils (Prismacolour) and good quality paper (I am currently working my way through a pad of Fabriano Toned Paper (Sand) just make it fun!
I am looking forward to seeing what adventures I can have with pencils and paper …
A cat, a crow and a penguin, oh my!
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A cat, a crow and a penguin, oh my!
Ok, I admit it. I love painting animals. Most recently, I have been trying to focus on animals other than dogs – not always easy though. I love the character and energy that dogs bring to a painting.
Still, I am pleased to have recently finished paintings of a cat, a penguin and a crow.
The penguin just demanded to be painted – I had no say in that one 😉
The crow was a gift to our office Moira (for all the Schitt’s Creek fans that will make sense).
The cat … ugh … like most cats this one had a mind of its own, not willing to come together until the time was just right. I may paint some more cats soon … but I may need to feel a bit braver first!
And another 100 is complete
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And another 100 is complete!
Hooray I did it! This is the second time I have completed the #100dayproject. The idea is to create (in my case artwork) every day for 100 days. It was huge undertaking and I didn’t manage to complete a piece every day but I did stick with it and finished all 100!
I found a list of “100 beautiful English words” on Pinterest and used that list to inspire each day’s drawing. Some of the words were completely new to me – so side bonus my vocabulary improved too 😉
Bluethumb art prize finalist - Well how exciting!
Wow - how exciting! One of my drawings has been listed as a finalist in the Bluethumb Art Prize 2021. So. very. cool.
The artwork that has been selected is called "Contemplation and Action". This is one of my hybrid drawings. I drew the poses in charcoal and then positioned them digitally to tell the story. I really enjoy working this way. Starting a piece using traditional techniques - painting, drawing, pastels, charcoal ... and then making the story come together digitally is my favourite way of creating art.
I have listed a few of my hybrid art pieces as limited editions on Bluethumb: https://bluethumb.com.au/danielle-lyons . (There are some amazing art works that have been nominated as finalists in the Bluethumb Art Prize this year).
There is no particular rhyme or reason to what I draw and paint ... animals, people, abstractions, houses ... whatever is best to tell the story I want to tell :-) .
A daily practice
Why is it that as kids when we were told to practice something, we''d roll our eyes and find a way of NOT practicing? Practice your flute ... yeah, nah. Practice your maths algebra, definitely nah. Practice your softball throws, hmmm maybe. But as an adult, I draw almost every day. I am more than happy to pick up my pencil and creates marks on the page.
I guess I'm doing something I love and that makes practice a lot more palatable. In reality I don't even see it as practice, I just really enjoy being creative. I really enjoy the problem solving, the mindfulness, the escapism that comes with drawing.
I also enjoy seeing where my daily practice takes me. What can I do next, how can I improve it, what am I inspired to try next. Here are my latest illustrations; results of daily practice :-)
Celebrating 100 hundred days!
Create something, learn something, be better at something for 100 days ... 100 day project challenge accepted. I am delighted to be able celebrate the completion of the challenge! 100 days done and dusted!
I started this project on January 31, 2021, setting myself the goal of drawing people for 100 days. Totally out of my comfort zone and with no idea of whether I would even complete the project, but I figured any drawing is better than no drawing.
I started with a simple sketch in an art journal ... probably the first time I had even thought about using a reference for a drawing. Incredibly obvious now ... but hey, I was 100 days less wise ;-)
Over the 100 days I experimented with pencil sketches, using coloured pencils, gouache, acrylic paints and eventually digital tools as well. The transition across to digital was actually a happy accident. I had been doing a sketch at a coffee shop and just couldn't get it to work. Came home, uploaded the sketch to Photoshop to see if I could do something with it and the fun began from there.
Creating digital drawings from initial hand drawn sketches is such fun. I can have a total "mixed media" moment and incorporate painted backgrounds or even drawings into each piece ... oh yep, sky is the limit!
I also got braver and had more fun with my painted people. It is a totally different approach when I paint instead of draw so that was fun.
Another benefit of the project was the push it gave me to explore drawing in ways I hadn't before. The timing of the project aligned beautifully with a life model drawing class that was being offered at BIA. And so, without no experience in drawing with charcoal and ink and absolutely no experience at all working with a model, I started the class. Wow. once again I was out of my comfort zone and once again I was all the better for the experience.
It took me about 2 more weeks longer than the actually 100 days to get the 100 days of drawing and painting complete (life just gets in the way sometimes) but I am so pleased to have stuck with the project. It was great fun and I think 100 days of deliberate practice has gone a long way towards making me more confident in drawing and painting people!
pencil, paper and an ipad
For the last 59 days I have been participating in the 100 day project. The idea is to commit to choose a creative project and do it every day for 100 days.
The project started on 31 January 2021 and (because I've missed a day or two) today is my day 60! Wow - time is flying by!
There is definitely something to be said for committing to a project and following through with daily practice. My project was to learn how to draw people ... I've drawn plenty of faces and animals in recent years but I have never really felt confident enough to tackle people. I am so glad I did. My drawing style and approach has evolved over the last 59 days. As I've gone along I've found a style I particularly like (a hybrid pencil, paper and iPad approach).
I am looking forward to another 40 days of practice and experimentation!
These are some of my drawings from the last week ...
Just walk with me
Walk with me on my journey. I am continuing to push myself out of my comfort zone. I am driven to create, I am driven to learn and I am very thankful for it.
My journey into incorporating people into my artwork continues. What started as basic pencil sketches back in late January has definitely evolved into a very definite look and style. I am enjoying creating my people as hybrid art - starting with initial pencil sketches on paper and then using Fresco and Photoshop to bring them to life. It is a new process for me and I am enjoying it. I am very curious to see where the journey takes me ...
I haven't really begun to explore how I might add people to my paintings but I am looking forward to that journey too ...
Ah, so many possibilites!
Out of my comfort zone, oh my!
There are two quotes floating around in my mind at the moment. They have both been "pinned" on my Pinterest board for a long time; like old friends I come back and share their wisdom from time to time.
The first is a quote by Vincent Van Gogh: "I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it". The second is attributed to Karen Lamb: "A year from now you will wish you had started today".
So with those thoughts in mind, I have finally challenged myself to learn how to draw and paint people. I'm not yet sure where exactly I am heading with that challenge. I have a vague idea of the type of paintings I like and for the moment that vague idea gives me the incentive to learn and practice and persist.
Ugh. I am quietly hoping that in a year from now I will be better than I am now because in reality I find drawing and painting people is extraordinarily difficult. Actually, extraordinarily humbling too. It is not easy to share work that I've created when it is not how I imagine it. Still, despite my reservations, I have been sharing on Instagram my journey so far ... hopefully it will serve as a reminder of how practice and persistence pays off ... at least I hopes so ;-)
This is my journey so far (I began this project in mid-January) ...
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It begins (mid January) -
Sketching basics -
Hello art journal -
Adding some colour -
Adding more colour -
Getting more complex -
Working with paint -
Paint and collage -
Experimenting with design
It's been a long time
Wow, it has been a long time since I've posted any updates of my art work. It has also been a while since I finished a large-scale paining so I guess that would have something to do with it! I have been creating - but more in a digital space and more client work than art work for pure pleasure. Finishing my painting on Monday reminded me of why I paint, and why I should keep coming back to my easel. It is my form of meditation - I give the process my complete attention and in return I feel mentally well. What an awesome trade off!
I'm not sure what these two fellows are saying to each other - I'm not even sure if the conversation is even between them - it looks like it might be a bit one-sided. Anyway, meet Duke and Buddy.