Result: It was fun!
Back in early July I began a project, drawing or painting everyday. I stopped mid-August when my brother died. Then, everything was put aside. But I'm here to say that I put in a good month and I learned a lot.
From the start it was hard. Even though I was just beginning, it was difficult to develop a daily discipline. Up until then, I looked upon my work as a casual process, doing stuff when I was in the mood. There was no such luxury on a daily basis.
Over time though, I started to enjoy my "art time." It usually lasted for a couple of hours and in the meantime, everything was dropped. It actually became my "me time." Whatever I would normally do with those two hours was now devoted to me and my art.
To keep things interesting, I tried a lot of subjects and a lot of different media. After teaching for over 15 years in person and suppling most of the materials, I have a large inventory here (although I gave away a massive amount to the local high school). So I have lots of choices from ink and watercolor to colored pencil and oil/soft pastel.
One important thing I learned from the outset was that I had to except that I would create some mediocre--common, everyday--art. I didn't expect to create an outstanding piece every day, but I would produce. This acceptance gave me license to just create. It was liberating.
Below you are going to see some pieces I did. Some are not so great; some I'm feeling good about. I certainly would recommend this process to everyone. It's a creative learning experience, super fun and challenging. I'll probably pick up the daily practice again soon.
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Just a note here, Fall classes are beginning again, so check out the listing at the end of this blog. I hope you can attend. We'll be covering domestic animals for the first five weeks and then wild animals for the last five weeks--using a variety of art media. We meet on Tuesday or Wednesday mornings from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. And it's only $90 per session (not per class, but for each five week session). Come join us, it's a fun group.
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All listed below © 2022 Jill Jeffers Goodell
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Quick online travel sketch
Cinque Terra, Italy; ink and watercolor |
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| Lighthouse in oil pastel |
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| Flamingo, oil pastel |
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| Rabbit, soft pastel |
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| Lily, soft pastel |
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| Pencil sketches |
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| Rabbit II, black and white charcoal |
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| Goats, soft pastel (1), charcoal (2) |
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| Peppers, oil pastel |
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| Peppers II, pen |
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| Pencil sketches of pigs |
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| Pencil sketch of pelican |
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| From Helen Carliss photo, Italy, oil pastel |
That's it, a sampling of my summer work. It is a good project and a great way to keep up your skills. Try it yourself!
