Saturday 3rd Sept 2.5hours work.
This morning I set up my easel. I was resistant since I moved over a month ago thinking it’s not worth it, I won’t have time to do anything worthwhile. Well my lesson learned today is using this way of working – spending 1-3 hours making art first thing in the mornings – I get shit done!!!
My living room has double aspect Windows making a perfect light filled corner for working. I astounded myself with the quality of my drawing! Not sure I can express the transformation I experienced today. Despite making art and good drawings of many things, from a young age I convinced myself I was shit at drawing portraits. Not sure what happened for me to entrench this belief so deeply in my psyche but it runs DEEP! Maybe being constantly told ‘But it doesn’t look anything like person A’ or highly critical art tutors. Photo realistic drawings made me highly uncomfortable (sheer jealousy I think!), entrenching the belief in my own inabilities. Well something seems to have shifted in the past year. About a year ago I started nervously to draw selfies my friends had taken. I resumed this a few months ago by starting s painting of my son. It’s still unfinished but it revealed to me that I can push past my deeply entrenched lack of self belief. This morning watching the sketch of my baby daughter unfold, it took my breath away! I just couldn’t believe I’m the same person drawing this who spent decades believing that I could never draw a portrait to this standard.
The technique of scaling up I’m using and working from smaller studies, predates the invention of the camera. It’s used by countless portrait artists over the years whether using studies, photos or live models. Kehinde Whileys huge paintings are made from scaling up photos.
Technique, modern technology and quality materials produces nothing of any value if the hard work of ‘practice, practice, practice’ and endurance is missing.
atelierFB 