This drawing didn’t turn exactly as I expected, but I still like it. I am enjoying the series immensely and the opportunity to move the story forward every week is great.
Sketching 16: Sun
Tag: Creativity
Creative Prompt #17: Here to There
How do you get from Here to There?
Where is here and where is there?
Do you read the Here2There blog by Amy and Opal?
See the Creative Prompt page if you want to know how to participate in this project.
Post the specific URL or deep link where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It is an easy and good way to keep all the artwork together.
There is more information and inspiration on the Creative Prompt Page.
Creative Prompt #16: Sun
You are my sun.
Sunrise.
Sunset.
Apollo is the Sun god in Greek mythology.
Helios pulled the sun across the sky every day in Greek mythology.
See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.
Post the URL where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It is a good way to keep all the artwork together.
There is more information on the Creative Prompt Page.
Creative Prompt Response #15: Exploring Squares
Amy of Creative Mom Podcast posted a picture of one of her ATCs. It was the ATC response to the March ATC project she does. I think the prompt was Lucky, but am not sure. I kept thinking about that ATC and the squares and wasn’t able to get them out of my mind.
THEN I saw a piece of art that resembled the ATC in the CB2 catalog and knew something was happening. Last hursday night, in the midst of the complete chaos into which my life had devolved, I went upstairs, opened up a sketchbook, which is too big and thus intimidating, and drew some connected squares. Then I went, rummaged around in my scrap basket and got some of those blues of which I am so fond lately. I cut them up into squares and glued them over the drawn squares.
Then I closed the book, did my exercises and went to bed.
The whole experience was good. A little surreal, but good.
Update 5/30/2009 – After reading a magazine I was reminded of some quilts by Denyse Schmidt that also look like the above works. One is a quilt called What a Bunch of Squares and the other was called Mental Blocks.
Creative Prompt #15: Square
A cube.
A box.
A plane with 4 sides.
Are you square? Do you live on a square? Do you walk or gather on the town square?
There is more information and inspiration on the Creative Prompt Page, which I have been updating fairly frequently.
Post the specific URL or deep link where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It is an easy and good way to keep all the artwork together.
See the Creative Prompt page if you want to more information how to participate in this project. You can also click ‘Creative Prompt’ in the tag cloud and see more prompts and responses.
Sketching #14: Queen
I didn’t realize how hard this prompt would be until I posted it. I thought of the series of drawings (are they a series??) that I have going and my heart sank. How would I fit this word into the series?
Then, during my creative binge over the weekend, I had a glimmer of an idea. I let it roll around in my head until finally it jelled. Then, I thought about how I would draw it.
When I sat down to do it the drawing today, it was done except for putting pen to paper. I really had done the whole thing and knew exactly how I would put it on the paper.
I finished and found that it was too boring. It was the perfect time to look through some of my previous efforts. I took the opportunity to add some details from previous drawings and I hope the details will add continuity.
I have mentioned her several times, but as I listened to another Creative Mom Podcast, I have to thank Amy for inspiring me to draw by speaking so eloquently about it. Thanks for taking the time, and expending the energy on your podcast. I appreciate it.
Creative Prompt #14: Queen
Are you the queen of a mythical land?
Are you a queen in hiding?
Queen Bee?
Queen for a Day?
Quilt Queen?
Craft Queen?
Queen Mother?
Queen of Hearts? of Spades? of Clubs? of Diamonds?
See the Creative Prompt page if you want to know how to participate in this project.
Post the specific URL or deep link where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It is an easy and good way to keep all the artwork together.
There is more information and inspiration on the Creative Prompt Page, which has recently been updated.
Creative Response #13: Trees
This is a photo I took in 1981 or 1982 in the small town that I lived in Austria. I found it recently and thought it would be a great response to the Trees Creative Prompt.
Sketching #13
Color seems to be creeping into my work. I have been seeing these trees that that are completely bare except for lots of puffball pink flowers on them. Not cherries that I have seen before, but they are everywhere. How could I have missed them?
Creative Prompt #13: Trees
What do trees mean to you?
Are they sentinels of nature or something to provide shade? What is the creative inspiration that can be obtained from trees?
See the Creative Prompt page to learn more about this project.
Post the direct URL or deeplink where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It will keep all the artwork together.
There is more information and inspiration on the Creative Prompt Page, which I update frequently.
See * Draw * Quilt * Learn
Sarah Ann Smith of Art & Quilting in Camden has set up a new blog, soon to be a group blog, with the intent of encouraging people to learn to see so they can improve their drawing.
Sarah started the blog on May 5, so you are not too far behind. She mentions The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain book as one of the resources. You can add this to your list of drawing sites to review, in addition to Gabi Campanario (who now posts at the Seattle Times site) and Urban Sketchers.
Sketching #12
When I think of what is the deepest source of things for me I always come back to water. I love looking out at the ocean and over other large bodies of water. I love looking at lakes and rivers from the air. I love the color of water. I tried to create one of those water statues to represent my source.
Creative Prompt #12: Source
Summary: new creative prompt for the week.
The word of the day the other day was ‘withdrawal’, which really spoke about going to a space where you can rejuvenate yourself. This reading made me think of a source of creativity and where that comes from. What is your source of creativity? How often do you draw on the source?
See the Creative Prompt page if you have questions about this project.
Post the specific URL or deep link where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted in the comments area of this post. It is an easy and good way to keep all the artwork together.
There is more creative goodness on the Creative Prompt Page.
Essay on Notebooks, Creativity and Podcast Influences
Summary: essay on art vs. craft and my rambling journey to find out my truth on this subject.
I have a notebook in my car. It is a spiralbound Strathmore sketchbook. I bought it about six months ago when I ran out of gas receipts on which to write directions, radio ad URLs and to do lists.
It is a bit of a sad sketchbook. Its promise isn’t really realized because it stays in the car. I don’t usually bring it into the house. It is a little bit bent from being jammed in the pocket of the driver’s side door. I don’t use colorful pens, pastels or pencils on the pages. I usually don’t sketch in it. I haven’t decorated the cover. It is utilitarian and serves a function
This sketchbook, by some strange twists in my mind, reminded me of an unsolicited “pep talk” someone gave me about being an artist at a recent art quilt gathering. The well intentioned person had just seen the Eye Spy quilt.
- Finished top with borders
Somehow, this quilt was seminal for me. This very plain (as in non-artquilty) and ordinary quilt for The Child jolted me back into art quiltmaking.
I think I started writing this blog do just that – to record the process, to give myself some accountability and to inspire myself at a time when I was trying to build creativity into the few nooks and corners of a very full life and overstuffed schedule. I realized, that day, in showing the Eye Spy quilt that it worked!!! It took some time, but it worked!!!! In recording my process, I was ready to come back to working on some of my half finished art quilts.
At that gathering, I was trying to explain these feelings to the group and mentioned something I heard Wayne Thiebaud say when asked if he was an artist. His response was that he was a painter and that he would let history judge his work while he went on and painted every day. I love the fact that he has chosen to do his work and worry about what people think later.
Perhaps it isn’t humility; I don’t know the man personally, after all, but success that allows him to think that way?
In any case, my well meaning co-attendee said that I should say I am an artist and think of myself as an artist and then I would be an artist. She related her experience of doing the same thing and how it had changed her life.
I certainly want success with my quilts, but I don’t believe that by making stuff and saying *I* am an artist automatically makes *me* an artist. I don’t think that other people have to say that I am an artist to be an artist either. For me, it just doesn’t seem that easy.
Regardless of what I do I want to be happy. I am happy:
- making my quilts
- discussing and learning about art, design, creativity and quilts
- making tote bags
- layering paper and photos to make scrapbooks
- responding to creative prompts
- being inspired by other creative people
- admiring the work of wonderful, creative podcasters and bloggers
- etc.
Is this enough? For now, yes. Forever? Probably not. I am very cognizant of not wanting to ruin what I have by moving into being a professional artist. This is at the same time I am aware of the desire to expand what I do and publicizing it.
This whole discussion was brought to mind by a couple of episodes of the Creative Mom Podcast, to which I listened this morning. Amy has a very intellectual way of looking at her creativity, which I admire and think I share in some ways. I admire, as I have probably said many times, I am sure, her calm and even, yet enthusiastic tone.Her tone in itself is inspiring because of its poetry. Not literal poetry, but a poetic sound.
Art vs. Craft
In one of the podcasts, a mom Amy knows from schoolo asked her ( December 17, 2008 episode) after seeing her gauntlets, “are you one of those crafters?”
When I hear the word ‘crafter’ I think of plastic canvas and hot glue guns. Every tool and supply certainly has it’s place, but that is not me. I don’t think of myself as a crafter even though I live with the quintessential definition of craft: I want to surround myself and my daily life with practical, simple and beautifully useful items.
When I think of artist, I think of Wayne Thiebaud, Georgia O’Keefe, Michaelangelo, and Dorothea Lange. That is not me either.
I wonder where I fit into this creative landscape of color and creativity? I don’t know so I guess I will continue what I am doing and follow in Wayne Thiebaud’s foosteps by letting history decide.
Sketching #10
Ok, girls and boys and I am finally caught up with all of the prompts and I have an idea for an upcoming prompt! Is it fair for me to do prompts ahead of time? Hhmm.. I think that if it gets done, it is all good.
There is an interesting contrast between white space and color in this drawing. I am wondering if the door needs some more detail. Not sure now, but can always go back and add it later. I’ll have to look at some doors and see what I think.
Please contribute. Summer is coming and it will be a great time to be creative.