So, I made a good sale of photos the other day and used some of the money to buy a Wacom 4x6 tablet. It rocks!!!!
Did my first "drawing" with it tonight and although I'm not very good at drawing, it felt pretty good to just mess around with the tool and was happy with the result. The pen is a little heavy ended for me, it doesn't seem balanced well, but, it'll feel better with practice I'm sure.
Took me a while to figure out I didn't have to draw in black and then go back and color the picture in like a coloring book, that I could just draw with the color I wanted. Once I quit using the following madding method...drawing, magic tool, eye dropper, paint bucket and just switched swatches I was a happy camper.
For alot of people this "drawing" is no big deal, but for me, it is. I haven't even tried drawing anything for a couple decades. I loved drawing as a kid, but stopped doing it after giving my uncle a picture I'd drawn him of a horse when I was about 8. He made a comment about it, as adults often do, without thinking, but that critisism stung! I was humiliated and hurt, so I just stopped drawing after that.
Took it up again in college in a 2d class that was a pre-req for a photo class I wanted to take. Turned in my first drawing with trepidation, but got a B+ on it. I was pleasantly shocked! Gave it up again when I had to drop the class when my dad got sick.
I consider all this art stuff healing even if my drawings are rubbish to other people. I'm having a grand time and finding a part of me I'd thought long gone.
Doing the 9 faces exercise nearly every day has paid off. I'm much more comfortable with the idea of drawing and am getting better at some of the details. Last night I even drew face with a nose that almost looked like a nose!! Wooo Hoooo!
Hi Laura, it's just good to do something creative, isn't it? I like to dabble with a bit of paint myself occasionally, When I get the time. They may be infantile daubs to some but just engaging in the creative process is so enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteDon't you find it really weird using a graphics tablet? I always want to look at the tablet when I need to look at the screen. They are very good, though. I've got one on my 'wishlist'.
Carole
Hiya Carole!
ReplyDelete'Tis definately good to do something creative!! Been not doing it for far, far too long. Feel more grounded and calm now that I'm spending time being creative again!
What type of work do you do?
The tablet hasn't been too bad for me surprisingly enough. I occasionally feel the need to look down at the tablet instead of the screen, but usually not. I think it's because I don't really have much control over the pen yet anyway, so I'm staring at the screen completely surprised that anything is happening at all.
I do wish they could figure out how to project the same image on the tablet as the screen though. That would be fantastic wouldn't it?
Hoping Santa brings you one this Christmas!!
I am a mere beginner myself. I have dabbled with a bit of watercolour. I don't know if you find this but everybody I know who takes up art starts with watercolour. It is actually the most frustrating and hard to control medium, not a good place to start really. I have just had a go at acrylic which is much more forgiving. You can slop it on like oils but it dries quicker. Also, being opaque, you can go over your mistakes so I like that. But you can use it with water, like watercolour so I suppose I like the versatility of it. At the moment I am just experimenting, like a child. I love to watch more accomplished artists - I've learned a lot from doing that. The major difficulty I have is (a) mixing the right colour and (b) mixing enough to do what I want to do.
ReplyDeleteAs for Christmas, I think Santa will be bringing me an iPod!
Carole
This is how bad I am....I can' even force myself to pick up a paintbrush again. Too scary ;-)
ReplyDeleteActually, I'm at a place in my life where I just don't have the physical space in the house to have a room to paint.
I have been doing a bit of drawing though. I'm like you, a total beginner!
What really matters is not completely ignoring the creative parts of ourselves, no matter what our skill level is.
iPods are very, very cool!!!
I want to go to where my family lives for Christmas!! Will know if it's a go by Weds. I think...
Have a goal of taking 1 painting class next year.