Practice for Being Fearless

Here are my attempts at the class exercises. Some I love, some I hate, but I enjoyed the process of each. I plan to incorporate these techniques into my (hopefully) daily practice of art and illustration.

Experiment 1

I used colored pencil, charcoal, watercolor, black ink with a calligraphy nib and metallic ink with a brush.

I really liked how the metallic ink show through watercolor to catch light in a subtle. I also like the depth of charcoal, but it's really messy. I hated the calligraphy nib. I was too inconsistent with it.

Experiment 2

I really liked the term "Creative Research."

Experiment 3

This was my self-portait drawn with my eyes closed. I've drawn this way before and I really enjoy the results. I'll stare at something for a long time, trying to commit every detail to memory. Then I'll close my eyes and try to recreate that image based on what I'm able to remember. It's a surprise every time!

I'm considering adopting this process as the basis for future work.

This was drawn with my left (non-dominant) hand. This was an interesting way to work, but a little frustrating because I wanted more control of my hand.

This was my drawing to music - "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. I think it looks too happy for this song due to my color choices, but I enjoy most of the shapes.

Experiment 4

Because I live in the forest country of Texas, I find myself having to incorporate pine cones into branding often. After a while, originality becomes harder to achieve. I thought this might be a good exercise to draw from later. I'm not sure how much I transformed the object this time.

Experiment 5

Here's my initial drawing with my "mistake." I chose to draw a mushroom.

Here's the final drawing. I used the mistake to incorporate a tree shading my little mushroom and to inform the placement of texture/shading in the background. The original lines are completely covered, which feels a little like I cheated. This drawing continues to grow on me.

____________

Thanks for this class! I'm always interested in learning new ways to jump start creativity. I often talk myself out of drawing because I can't think of anything "meaningful" to draw. These techniques shift my focus to draw for my own enjoyment instead of trying to create something important.