Colorado Life in the Rockies

Hi everyone,

My name is Lille (lily). I have enjoyed your beautiful work and class, Elisa! I am a working artist, so my days are full of creating art in several mediums which I love more than I can express or you have time to listen to. Yet I still struggled with perfectionism which sometimes would stop me from creating anything. And that's no fun...

So I started a practice last September of carrying my sketchbook, a pen, a waterbrush and a tiny pallet of watercolors with me wherever I went--mostly to free myself up from perfectionism and agonizing over the small stuff when I sat down to create art. When I found your class here on Skillshare, I had to join! The timing was perfect! Thank you!

I live in a very rural area of Colorado and our lifestyle (which we LOVE) consists of weekly trips to town to shop or do our day-to-day business. So a part of my sketchbook practice happens when we go to town to shop for supplies. Our trips always includes a stop at a quaint, cozy coffee shop or restaurant in between shopping and it's in the restaurants I've found my most fun-inspiring subjects! I've made a game out of it.

I give myself the time it takes from when we first sit down until our food arrives to sketch in ink an intersting scene from my vantage point. I put my pen and sketchbook down while we eat. Then I allow myself about 5 minutes to wrap up any details while we're finishing our coffee or taking care of the guest check. Somes days I have time to add the paint before we leave, but if not, I take a quick picture on my phone to capture the color mostly to add in later at home.

It's really fun to let myself go and not be tethered to perfectionism like I am for other projects that need my detailed mind. It also requires working fast because people move a lot in a restaurant or get up and leave just as you started drawing their face. Also I have started watching more closely to see who just sat down like we did so I know I'll hopefully have enough time to gather the essence of their presence before they're gone. I might add I will have anxious moments when my quick sketch goes wonky and the ink has already been placed. Forever. 

What I've found most joyful about this experience joining "Sketch Your Life--Create Sketches in Pen and Watercolor" is how my wonky oopsies and ut-oh's turned into something far more amazing than I could have imagined when I give myself freedom to just do it and not agonize over every little mark I make. It's so dang liberating! 

Thank you, Elisa, for sharing your gifts with us and for each one of you here sharing yourself bravely with the world.

Below are a few more from my sketchbook.