Friday, October 11, 2013

Billy of Balmoral (and drawing what you love).


What makes a good teacher? Obviously, each person can have many answers from their own experience be it a good or bad one. Right now I'm very grateful to have a teacher who provides clear guidance and knows to steer students towards the things they respond to best. 
 
We returned to Balmoral yesterday with Liz Steel's class and revisited the effectiveness of doing good setup and thumbnails. Liz put many ideas in place for us to build toward working faster but still with a pleasing result. So now with the knowledge, some familiarity with techniques and the required materials I should be off on my merry way to create sketches that please me. But there is still a gap to be filled. A pitfall. Choosing what's best for you to draw. I knew what I wanted to draw. I knew I wanted to draw the dog. I have always wanted to draw the sweet statue of Billy the dog at Balmoral. But I was avoiding it. Somehow drawing the rotunda which I was less connected with presented less of a challenge, less of a risk. Seems quite illogical when I think of all those lines on the rotunda.
 
 
Time to sketch under Liz's guidance is precious, and we didn't absolutely have to draw the rotunda. However, it still took me 2 messy thumbnail sketches of the rotunda with Billy looking back at me as tiny squiggles in the distance before I bothered to try sketching him.  Then with a little more courage I drew him again larger. Yet oddly, after all of that I was still lacking courage and considering my final sketch to be a straight view of the rotunda with the pretty beach in the background. At this point Liz outright said go and do a full page setup with pen lines of the dog. From my experience now I can say that when Liz suggests I draw something I'm resisting, then it's probably something I REALLY need to do. She was right. Go with what grabs you. I still managed to squeeze a little of the rotunda but I'm so pleased Liz guided me to go with my heart. 

4 comments:

  1. Yay for you. Yay for sketching what you love. Life is too short and unless someone is paying you, why do it? We so often think we have to take on the whole scene, do it accurately, do what others will love, what will gain a few likes. But really the adventure begins when you leave the sanctuary of the known, of what already works and start to see with your eyes, with your heart and it shows in your art. Shining through like this sketch does. Wonderful, Bravo!!! Love the little setup sketches too. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks Suzi - you've put into words much of where I was trying to get to - but you've done it more effectively and succinctly ; ) I'm very happy to read your view on this, I know it is a conversation we can have freely when we are sketching.

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  2. WOW, a fantastic sketch! I love it.
    Anne xx

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    1. Thank you Anne! So glad to finally have Billy in my sketchbook :)

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