WR #4
We had a pretty busy week with work/ social/ family stuff. I was proud that I still made time to draw something every day. One minute I’ll feel encouraged by my progress, the next minute I feel hopelessly discouraged by how bad most of my drawings are. 🙃 But I know the only only thing to do is keep making stuff anyways. So I just keep trying to remind myself of that!
Last week’s focus
Making marks every day. It was kind of a crazy week getting ready for our Cookeville planning trip, so this felt like an accomplishment!
Helpful inputs/ resources from the week
Impressionist Documentary by Perspective on YouTube - it’s so much more entertaining than I expected!! I thought it might be a little stuffy, but it’s totally not. I’m planning to rewatch it with Nick.
Reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - it’s been encouraging reading a novel about other people navigating the creative process.
Journeywoman interviews - Ruth Chou Simons, Andrew Peterson - it’s helpful for me to revisit these episodes every so often, especially when I’m feeling discouraged.
STUDIO TIME LOG
Monday | 02-05
My second in-person art store visit ever!! Got some acrylic paints after re-watching Sandi Hester’s acrylics class. Excited to try these out in my giant Moleskin sketchbook.
Tuesday | 02-06
Emma Carlisle’s Fast Frogs session (1st half)
Wednesday | 02-07
Emma Carlisle’s Fast Frogs session (2nd half)
Thursday | 02-08
Frog on a log drawing (following up all my fast frog practice)
Friday | 02-09
Quick sketch of my sketchbook (it was super late after getting to the RV park
Watched Sketchbook Share replay on E. Carlisle’s Patreon… very helpful and encouraging
Saturday | 02-10
Emily Powell Motivational Posters workshop (1st half)
Sunday | 02-11
Emily Powell Motivational Posters workshop (2nd half)
SKETCHBOOK REVIEW
February 06, 2024
What question did I ask my sketchbook with this spread?
How fast can I draw a frog? 😂
How do I feel about it overall?
I hated these in the moment. But when I came back the next day and looked at them, I actually liked their quirkiness. It’s fun to see what you make under time constraints… I never would have drawn these in this way if I had given myself more time. But only having 1-3 minutes really made me use different materials and think more innovatively about how to capture the likeness of a frog.
What am I curious about?
How can I think about composition ahead of time to make these types of spreads even more fun to look back on?
What do I want to carry forward?
Fast drawings. I have a lot of resistance when it comes to putting time constraints on myself… which probably proves just how important this practice is. Some of the drawings I end up liking the best are the ones I gave myself the least amount of time to do.
FINAL WRAP UP
What has God taught me this week about glorifying Him through my art?
Art has been a very tangible reminder of:
My need for patience
God is patient with us. He never gets in a hurry. Listening to Ruth Chou Simons’s Journeywomen podcast interview (on Creativity) reminded me that “what’s worth doing is worth doing slowly.” And…
My dependence on Christ
The fact that my art skills develop so slowly serves to remind me of my dependence on Christ. (It’s a painful reminder of just how slowly my faith progresses too! haha) I can’t even do something as simple as painting a picture to look the way I want it to. There’s always that pesky “gap” between what I want to make and what I’m capable of making. That’s how all of life is! There’s a gap between how I aspire to live and how I actually live… thank God for Christ! On an ordinary day filled with mundane tasks, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking we’ve got everything under control and we don’t need any help. As silly as it may sound, that panic of turning to a blank page in my sketchbook reminds me to thank God for what He’s done for me and acknowledge my constant need.
What am I excited about/ what’s my plan for next week? Any changes to my initial 2024 planning?
I’m excited for downtime in Cookeville to make art. I definitely want to break out my easel for some outdoor painting at the campground. And I want to take a few minutes to re-assess my education plan. I haven’t purchased PKR stuff yet. So if I want to “stay on track,” I need to make a move on those.
