(drawing) practice

yesterday i talked about writing in journals…but what about drawing?  i have been drawing + doodling in my journals for many, many moons.  but it’s only been this past summer that i’ve started drawing things i really like.  the tulip on the intuitive homeschool button for instance: very simple line drawings, no shadows, no cross hatching!

so what’s changed?  first, i found the book 20 Ways to Draw a Tree by Eloise Renouf. then i drew every day during June + July for the Index Card a Day Challenge…well, not every day, but many!  most of my drawings were influenced by the book.  then i took the line drawing class with Lisa Congdon over at Creativebug (free with a 2 week trial).  the class helped me to dissect the drawings in 20 Ways, to understand which ones i liked and why.  it also gave me ideas–like adding color on the computer–that i never would have thought of myself.

drawing together with our children is a terrific way to spend time together.  it’s a great way to build a family culture around making instead of only consuming.  things quiet down, space for conversation appears, time opens up.  of course, right about then the baby starts to choke on the crayon he’s been eating, but it’s sweet while it lasts!  here are a few other resources to get you started:

• Tammy at Daisy Yellow Art hosts ICAD every year…but she shares her art + ideas all year long.
• Jude Siegel has written a book called A Pacific Northwest Nature Sketchbook where she talks about a kind of blind contour drawing she calls spirit drawing.  fascinating!
• we often simply color as a spiritual practice as part of our saint day celebrations.