I carried my pencils and large drawing pad into the newly-formed “Sketching Sessions” class five minutes late and was told to sit anywhere and draw something. I found my spot, opened my drawing pad and began sketching the girl across from me.
I thought she might wonder why I was staring at her. But she was looking at the large still life that had been set up in the center of the circle of sketchers, focused on her own work.
I had to laugh a few minutes into my sketch though, when the guy running the sessions walked behind me and whispered, “I meant draw something from the still life.” 
So I did. Big arm movements, he instructed. Hand and arm off the table, he said. Certainly nothing like what I was doing.
I ended up standing most of the two hours. (Have you ever tried to draw big arm movements sitting down?) 
We drew large circles, lines and shapes. Did one-and five-minute drawings. Scribbled, to be sure, but fast and big.
Maybe tomorrow — my next session — I’ll have a something worth sharing here. I doubt you’d want to see my scribbles.
Later, at home, I scanned my girl-drawing into Painter X. Used a separate layer to brush in the paints, adding color to the lips and eyes, light to the face, and then just a hodge-podge everywhere else. I didn’t use any texture other than basic paper in Painter.
If you’d like to see it larger, with detail, click here.
Thanks so much for stopping by. If you’d like to comment and leave a link to your work, I’d love to see it. Or maybe you’re taking a life-learning class of some kind. Please tell us about what you’re learning.
Barb
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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
For sure click on the bigger view, it’s wonderful Barb! Her eyes are gorgeous. Here, I’ll show you what I did this last session. Illustrator Intro. http://www.sliloh.com/lvsfiles/illustratorintro/week5/week5.html (picked week 5 for the flowers)
Anita
Oh I love what you’ve done in Illustrator! It’s a program I don’t have but have heard of. I especially like the textured, patterned puzzle piece and the poetry about the rain. (Hard to read in verticle position! Felt like I was back in first grade. Haha!
Are you teaching a class on Illustrator at LVS?
Thanks for taking a larger look at the drawing, and for your comment about her eyes.
Lol, no, I am a total beginner in Illustrator. A friend of mine who designed the website I made him has been nagging me a long while to learn vector art so I was happy to see a class finally offered at lvs.
Yeah, I didn’t care for any of the vertical text parts. I’m sure there could be uses for it but mostly I’d pass
Next session I signed up to retake the beginner Painter and also Corel Draw. Because I bought these suites a while ago and all I ever really use is Flash and Photoshop.
Anita, I think you will like Elaina as a teacher in the Intro to Painter. She covers the program in her two classes — pretty thoroughly. All the basics plus a few extras. I leave her notebook on my desk within easy reach. I began using Painter, just on the canvas, and gradually learned to use layers. I’m still not proficient with the program, but I love painting in it!
Vector art escapes me, though it is huge in the design industry, and getting more so.
Barb
Life-learning class – what a beautiful concept! Am I taking one? And what am I learning? Thank you for this idea to ponder upon, this way of looking at blessings.
And yes, truly her eyes are beautiful! Left a comment on pbase.
Ahhh, so you’re Sonya. Thanks so much for leaving a comment at PBase.
After you’ve pondered a bit, maybe you’ll share, or even write about it at HelloNetBaby? I’ll go check in…
Love the portrait and class description, and love the Illustrator examples. Laughed out loud at Started Life as a Polygon. This makes me want to do something in Painter today, but I have my car back, so I think I should go somewhere, just because I can. I signed up for beginner Painter last session, but fell way behind in lessons. I’ll catch-up in the next few weeks. Maybe start today!
Karol, I’m just glad you’ve got your car back in one piece, and that you’re in one piece after arguing with that telephone pole.
Your blog post about Old Friends — those stuffed dolls and pets we had as kids, whose memories linger — is worth sharing. We all had something to hug, a need we carry with us all our lives…
Found here: http://threedogstudio.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/old-friends/
This was soooooo beautiful. I love the way you interpreted the painting after the sketch and left the light in her face and let her eyes penetratingly awesome. very, very good. I’m so envious of your sketch sessions!!
Thank you… I was envious of others who had drawing sessions. Then one day the graphic artist on staff at our church — a fine arts major — elected to start such a group. I am indebted to him — I love to doodle and paint already. But he is teaching me to see.
Hi barbara…
It’s an old blogging friend:
teachertime@blogspot.com
I’ve been working on other projects and continue to write, but in different venues.
I was surfing lvs and saw your name…so I came by and saw your lovely portrait…how your deepened your vision with new media…enjoyed it all. Interesting that you chose a person drawing the still life rather than the still life.
Here’s a recent poem–a word portrait, you could say…not about my own teaching, but about a teacher that touched my life (piano teacher). I think you’ll enjoy it.
Nice to touch base again.
Laura
Piano Astronomer
I remember sitting there outside the paperwhite door,
Hearing her soothing voice within
speaking over ill-played keys
while I dwelt on how little I practiced that week,
worried that she’d know
I did everything I could but
practice “Brisk Winds”
with its triplet phrases, sharps and flats.
I remember how she’d always opened the door, smiling,
letting the girl with the bouncing pony tail
out first,
under her human arm bridge,
with a shiny lilting reminder that
“with a little practice, she’d be a star!”
and then, turning to me, announcing,
“well, there she is…my next star, ready and waiting! Come in, come in!”
And I would,
and I’d play my wrong notes and wobbly chords
pretending sincerely it had to be the keys’ fault,
that somehow they didn’t know what to do for my fingers,
“it’s alright, just play that part again,”
she’d say, and I would,
knowing that the braces boy had probably arrived by now, and he
was sitting on that bench, listening to
me, while his nail-biting mind made up excuses for his
practice-free week,
knowing that any minute the redhead would walk out the door,
and he’d hear her call me a star,
and it would be the new star’s turn to enter
this celestial kingdom
of make believe behind the angelwing door,
where we would all become
astronomical virtuosos
just for her.
sorry–I formatted my blogsite address wrong.
It’s
http://friendinhand.blogspot.com/
I’m still offering my poetry class through LVS.
I’m working on my wordpress blog a bit; slowly getting the hang of it.
Laura – hi! I’ve missed your posts and your poetry. You’re still in my blog roll, just tucked away for a bit until your beautiful writing surfaces once again.
And it has. Here! Thank you.
I always cry a little when I read your work. There’s such tenderness and complete understanding of who we are in each piece. I’ll ask permission to reprint this in my own post, unless you do, in which case I’ll just link to you.
Thank you so much for coming by and leaving us your gift.
I didn’t know you taught the poetry class at LVS! But of course! And you know what? We can visit your blog right where it is. Please let me know when you post again? (You must have lots just waiting to be read…)
Just simply beautiful! The colours are so perfect for this piece, simplicity of line but with a big bang for colour. Gorgeous!!!
Kelsey, thank you!
Barb, your “sketches and doodles” are everyone else’s masterpieces…..this is absolutely breathtaking! I love your story about the instructor leaning over you and kindly whispering what he meant by “draw anything”! I’m still laughing at that vision….I know you so well, and the “sight” of you at that point is just too delicious!!
))) I’m so glad you kept on going…..as I knew you would, sis!!!
Laura, I just went back and read your poem….when I was finished I had to wipe away a tear or two. My old piano teacher, Mrs. Hughes, matched yours to a “t”….but in those days, I just didn’t appreciate her kindess and patience. It makes me sad that I’ve never been able to get back to her and tell her what a beautiful inspiration she was to my later-developed soul. Like I said, she was indeed old when I was seven years old, and she passed away before I matured enough to get back to her. Your poem is just delightful…..glad you were also blessed with a “kind soul” along the way!
Thanks Neets… heehee I finished it at home. Wanted to make a good impression — oops, too late — on my young instructor.
This is a big success, isn’t it! The colours are wonderful. Your tutor is so right about the big arm movements. I have the greatest of difficulty getting my students to paint standing up, but you really need to, to realise your full potential. Another way is to use a brush a couple of sizes or more bigger than your comfort zone. Would be interesting to try that in Painter, wouldn’t it?
Thanks Wendy. Yes, using a larger brush can be challenging. Actually, I like the bigger ones in Painter, but the program slows down if I get too large.
Do you stand then when you use your acrylics? Probably you do when you work on collage. I don’t think I could do a collage sitting down… Have to move and dance a little. Hahaha.
Thanks so much for your comments.
Hi Barb, Your portrait is beautiful! THe way you added color just makes her glow with life.
Being reminded to open up and use our whole body in the creation of our artwork can be so powerful! The energy changes completely…
Your story makes me smile – and I think I actually might enjoy seeing your ‘scribbles’, knowing how they were inspired
Thanks for your visit!
Karin
Hi Karin…
Thank you for your comment. Sometimes the scribbles and doodles have more life in them than the carefully-structured paintings. My scribbles here would do well in an altered-book-art-journal, like the one you’re making.
I’m really hoping folks here will click over to your blog and have a look at what you’re doing. You’ve inspired me to go find a book I’m willing to gesso-over.
Barb