Art isn’t just being able to draw a circle that isn’t an egg. As this art class I’m taking is reminding me, there is a way of thinking to it. It’s the way you train your brain to break down what you see into shapes and colors. I’ve always had a problem thinking in terms of light in shadow when making art. This isn’t much of a problem for cartooning, but it’s still a shortcoming. This last class has got me working on that. The photo is of the still life we’re working on. I’ll post the finished artwork when it’s done.

photos/still_life

Just before the end of our 3rd art class, the teacher had us sit in a circle and draw each other. I’m surprised with how well it turned out with as long as it’s been since I last did this!

I sat with my legs crossed for a long time while I drew this. I sat so long in fact that I couldn’t feel my right leg AT ALL when I stood up. I almost twisted my ankle and fell on the spot. OOPS.

sketches/emily_sketch

Did you ever watch the Peanuts Christmas Special? If you’re here, I would guess you did. If not, you’ve been under a rock for the past 30 years! Anyway, in the credits, they listed the animators under “graphic blandishment”. That term popped into my head, hence the name of this entry.

Anyway, here is a badge for linking to this website. Please refrain from linking to it directly or you get one of these.

This is the first still life I’ve done in 13 years. It is about 90% done, a picture of the setup is in the photo gallery.

sketches/first_still_life