100 Days Of Drawing Faces

I posted my 100th face on Instagram yesterday!  WHOOT!  😊 I accomplished my goal of drawing 100 faces in a little over 100 days… Phew!!

Maybe some of you recall my first face I posted on April 4th – it was a quick sketch in one continuous line:

100 days is A LOT especially when I am working full-time… (What was I thinking?!) and yet having limited time helped me to accomplish my goal because I didn’t have time to fuss over it.

I didn’t post everything I did like this one:

I would have liked to have more time to do more like this one, where I mixed collage and acrylics:

But I enjoyed trying a variety of art mediums:

Sprinkled with a little humor:

I think this one is one of my favorites – Picasso style:

And this one I did in watercolor with drips for hair:

I found I could draw more realistic looking faces and even my own – or at least my better half!  Lol! 🙂

I think the greatest lesson I learned is that it isn’t perfection that matters but PRACTICE!!  Daily practice does make a difference….

Especially in finding ones “style” in art!  I found I really liked creating “characters” rather than REAL people:

And yet, drawing a variety really is the best teacher!  Here is my 100th face:

I’m sure it won’t be my last…

Yet, let’s FACE it, I need a little break from drawing faces!

Cheers! 🙂

Sweet Peppers

Yesterday, I went to a potluck with some lake friends.  I decided to try a new recipe using my Spiralizer – so I made this Italian Pasta Salad – without pasta!  I used zucchini and I have to say, no one missed the pasta.  I will share my recipe next week.  Here is a photo of it:

Making this salad gave me the inspiration to paint sweet peppers for World Watercolor Month.

My subject matter – I was painting outdoors so my lighting changed but this gives you an idea:

My finished painting in my art journal:

I decided to splatter my background instead of adding the tablecloth.  I think it looks rather festive, don’t you?

Happy Painting!

Cheers! 🙂

 

Write And Draw

I used to spend hours writing my thoughts and ideas in a journal – not the journals you see now… mine were yellow note pads.  Nothing fancy…  Yet, writing helped me deal with life – the good times and the not so good.  Can you relate?!

Yesterday, I decided to try combining writing with DRAWING – my new love! ❤

First, I did some writing with a permanent black pen.  (I love “fine” black Sharpie pens and Amazon sells them really cheap).

Next, I found a face on Pinterest to use as a reference to sketch over my words with a pencil.  I added a little color with Tombow markers.  I softened them with a water brush.  Here is my result:

I will definitely try combining writing and drawing again.

Cheers! 🙂

Sasquatch Man?

I used the cross-hatch technique to create shadows in the drawing of a man I found in a magazine.  I had a little trouble with the shadows in his neck so he ended up looking much hairier than his photo! 😉

 

I called him, “cross-hatch man” on Instagram but I think he could pass for “Sasquatch Man!”  Lol!

“Sasquatch” also known as Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest is a large, hairy ape-like creature covered in hair.  It inhabits forests and is considered more of a folklore and hoax rather than a living animal due to lack of physical evidence.

Hope your Monday isn’t too “hairy!”

Cheers! 🙂

Collage Expressions

Yesterday, I decided to challenge myself with creating faces from pieces of collage paper in my sketchbook.  I used scrap pieces of my gelli-printed paper, text from old books such as a dictionary, scrapbook paper, sheet music and a postage stamp!  🙂

Here is my beginning:

And my finished piece:

I was having so much fun I had to add a couple more faces!  Do you have a favorite?

Perhaps I will inspire you to give it a try!  Happy Monday!

Cheers! 🙂

Colorful Faces

I made quick random marks in my mixed media sketchbook using watercolor and water soluble Tombow markers.  I only had a few minutes to create before I fixed dinner so I didn’t even let the page dry before I went onto the next one.  I did 10 pages in about 15 minutes.

Next, I decided to make quick one-liner sketches of faces from a magazine with ink without thinking about my backgrounds (paint had dried).  It was super fun!

Here are my 4 favorites:

Do you have a favorite?  I hope you share it with me!

Cheers!  🙂

One Sugar Lump Or Two?

I really like “Random Pick” drawing days in Carla Sonheim’s year long online class this year.  She chooses two words from a container and you get to draw, paint or write a poem with the prompts.

Yesterday, the words were mouse and cup.  So this is what I drew in pencil and then added black micron pen:

Next, I added color with my watercolor pencils from Faber-Castell:

I recommend you write your own prompts and put them in a jar.  It is a great way to generate creative ideas when you feel stuck in an art rut.

Cheers!  🙂

The Ballet Dancer

I’ve always admired the beauty and grace of ballet dancers.

When I saw that Ivy Newport was going to be teaching an online study of Degas called, The Lovely Dancer, I jumped at the chance!

I tried to capture some of the ballet dancer’s style in quick gesture drawings with charcoal:

It makes me want to get up and twirl!

How about you?  Do you like ballet?

Happy Friday!  Cheers!  🙂

Ginger

When I was growing up, my neighbor had a Spaniel dog named, Ginger.  Maybe this is what influenced my “blob” dog vase yesterday:

Or perhaps this piece of ginger root from the grocery store:

I hope your Monday’s “spot” on!

Cheers!!  🙂

A Flying Fish?

This strange fish is a member of the “Spring” flying fish family…

Its idea “sprang” from this book written by Carla Sonheim:

In her book, she gives the idea to draw images that join together on a page but then to cut the page in the middle so you can mix and match drawings.

I decided to take her idea a step further and create my own little booklet with computer paper:

And instead of drawing my imaginary animals, I decided to collage my gelli-printed papers and dictionary definitions or old recipes to create…(you guessed it), Weird Birds!!

The vertical lines I drew in the middle of my cutting line will help the shape of each body to match with my other pages.  Here are some other “preliminary” weird bird shapes:

I think it will be so fun to take this booklet to work with me and finish adding details with pencil!

And when I’m all done, I will cut the middle of my pages to create a whole flock of weird birds!!

Isn’t it wonderful when one idea sparks into a whole gaggle of ideas?!!

Happy Weird Bird Wednesday, Friends!!  🙂