Drawing for fun

[MartinLFletcher]

I've been tapping back into my artistic hobbies lately after a long hiatus...

One of the neatest aspects of drawing as a hobby is that it really trains your mind to observe detail, and to see things the way they really are. I took drawing classes all through school; I know it made me a better engineer.

After what I've figured has been 17 years since I've done any visual art at all, I was determined to slowly "tap back into it," first by enrolling in a short charcoal drawing workshop here at our excellent Johnson County Art Center, conducted by a local artist whose work I admire.

Basic stuff for beginners and intermediate artists, but after two days of working with just charcoal, value, texture, etc., and elementary grid work, it was coming back to me -- that part you mention, Martin, about how visual art trains your mind to observe detail. Technical measuring tricks, intense hand/eye coordination, and such were coming back to me. It was like riding a bicycle after decades of being off one; bike riding comes back in short order.

After two two-hour sessions I was emboldened to dust off some old pastel boxes in storage and take a stab at a portrait. With a source photo of William Pierce when he was in his mid to late 30s. This is what I came up with:

It's not finished and I'm not satisfied with it, especially with the sort of shadow on his left cheek and a couple of other nuances that I see now can be worked on. The main thing gained, however, is that I put the everyday grind of work aside for a few hours and dove in. I found that elusive, creative burst of accomplishment that comes from concentrating on a piece of artwork, not altogether unlike when I get the monthly BULLETIN back from the printer and in the mail to our members.

Before I stopped painting I had developed my own style with mixed media, mostly pastels and quick drying, water-based acrylic paints. Those old paint brushes somehow disappeared over the years, and all those tubes of paint dried up, but who knows, if I can ever find my replacement as NA Chairman, all those tools can easily be replaced and I just may find time to get back into painting again.

[Will Williams]

I've been tapping back into my artistic hobbies lately after a long hiatus...

One of the neatest aspects of drawing as a hobby is that it really trains your mind to observe detail, and to see things the way they really are. I took drawing classes all through school; I know it made me a better engineer.

After what I've figured has been 17 years since I've done any visual art at all, I was determined to slowly "tap back into it," first by enrolling in a short charcoal drawing workshop here at our excellent Johnson County Art Center, conducted by a local artist whose work I admire.

Basic stuff for beginners and intermediate artists, but after two days of working with just charcoal, value, texture, etc., and elementary grid work, it was coming back to me -- that part you mention, Martin, about how visual art trains your mind to observe detail. Technical measuring tricks, intense hand/eye coordination, and such were coming back to me. It was like riding a bicycle after decades of being off one; bike riding comes back in short order.

After two two-hour sessions I was emboldened to dust off some old pastel boxes in storage and take a stab at a portrait. With a source photo of William Pierce when he was in his mid to late 30s. This is what I came up with:

It's not finished and I'm not satisfied with it, especially with the sort of shadow on his left cheek and a couple of other nuances that I see now can be worked on. The main thing gained, however, is that I put the everyday grind of work aside for a few hours and dove in. I found that elusive, creative burst of accomplishment that comes from concentrating on a piece of artwork, not altogether unlike when I get the monthly BULLETIN back from the printer and in the mail to our members.

Before I stopped painting I had developed my own style with mixed media, mostly pastels and quick drying, water-based acrylic paints. Those old paint brushes somehow disappeared over the years, and all those tubes of paint dried up, but who knows, if I can ever find my replacement as NA Chairman, all those tools can easily be replaced and I just may find time to get back into painting again.

[Will Williams]

I apologize, Martin. I see that I edited your comment instead of my own, so now have a duplicate and parts of yours and Freya's are gone.

[WhiteHealer]

FF,

Your drawing of WLP looks really good. Excellent work on that....maybe there will be a place for that drawing in the new WLP memorial?

WhiteHealer

[FolkishFreya]

FF,

Your drawing of WLP looks really good. Excellent work on that....maybe there will be a place for that drawing in the new WLP memorial?

WhiteHealer

I wish I could draw like that. My friend, this is the handiwork of our Chairman. Isn't it lovely though?

[Will Williams]

FF,

Your drawing of WLP looks really good. Excellent work on that....maybe there will be a place for that drawing in the new WLP memorial?

WhiteHealer

I wish I could draw like that. My friend, this is the handiwork of our Chairman. Isn't it lovely though?

You already draw like that, Freya. Thank you for the drawing of the raven that you mailed to me.

I was only able to attend three days of the four-day charcoal drawing workshop. But I finished the drawing of WLP that was done using the grid method. You can see where the grid lines were drawn on the drawing, then erased once everything is transferred.

Our instructor took a photo of me holding it. It's a pretty good likeness, but it looks like I just crawled out of bed. I have no idea why the image is attaching more than once?

[RCavallius]

Being creative is really important. Cultural creativity is in our blood and the art we produce is a reflection of our racial soul.

I'm glad you're getting back into art, Chairman. I wish I had more time to do the thing I love the most (write).

[Will Williams]

FF,

Your drawing of WLP looks really good. Excellent work on that....maybe there will be a place for that drawing in the new WLP memorial?

WhiteHealer

Maybe so, WH. This familiar portrait of Dr. Pierce with his buddy Hadley that I'd painted back in the 90s was snagged when I purchased his research library from Erich Gliebe. It's on the wall of our office building here in Tennessee at the top of the stairs:





A person unknown to me snagged the portrait below from Dr. Pierce's living room wall after he died. I painted it in 1991 and he had said it was his favorite. Perhaps it will show up some day and be donated to his Memorial Library:

[FolkishFreya]

Woodburning doodles, I had a reference for both. It most definitely helps to look at a reference. I like drawing skulls, they can be as simple or as intricate as you like. I haven't done much art lately, life gets busy and sometimes I'd rather rest.

[WhiteHealer]

FF,

Did you use a soldering iron to do that?

WH