For the past two years the Covid variants have behaved like those annoying guests who refuse to leave, long after the party's over. Even after we finally get angry, and push them out the door, they linger and lurk for an opportunity to mutate; then sneak back into our lives and go viral.
Category Archives: Inspiration
Frozen in Time: Cellphone Users as Models to Draw
With feet swollen tightly into Birkenstocks, he waited nervously for his name to be called. His rotund body was starkly juxtaposed with delicate fingers deftly scrolling a cellphone.
Except for a few empty chairs near this young man, … Continue Reading ››
Getting Out & Getting Real
We are drawing again. And loving it!
Since closing my studio a year and a half ago due to Covid, it is a joy to finally connect with students through on-location workshops and private sessions. We are escaping digital screens, getting outdoors, and getting real with our sketchbooks at … Continue Reading ››
Awakening from the Great Hibernation
The world changed dramatically and became increasingly restrictive during the Covid hibernation of 2020-21. I still had a desire to bust out, to live a creative and productive lifestyle. But paranoia quarantined my brain. I opted for perpetual indoor slumber.
My daily routine eventually drifted into the doldrums: hit the … Continue Reading ››
Drawing in Your Own Backyard
Not making this drawing would have been easy. For a couple of days I walked right past my friend's basket of ordinary garden tools and nearby potted plants, not even giving them a moment’s notice. But little by little, this random backyard arrangement began to capture my fascination. And then it found its way onto … Continue Reading ››
Medical Procedures Can Be Sketchy
Okay, it is true. I carry a sketchbook with me wherever I go—even to the hospital!
Recently, I took time off work to deal with a few minor medical issues that I had postponed for quite awhile. I booked them all in the span of two weeks—what I will call my Club Med vacation. Of course, … Continue Reading ››
Respecting Children’s Drawings
Children have tremendous respect for drawing. They are in awe of anyone who draws a picture for them. For example, they'll pay close attention when cartoons are sketched on a place mat at a restaurant. Children are equally impressed with simple drawings as they are with renderings of an accomplished artist. But do children get … Continue Reading ››
My Brief History of Sketching Trees
As a young child, you likely learned to draw a tree by using a few circular shapes to symbolize masses of leaves supported by a narrow rectangle to depict the tree’s trunk. And if you were in a creative mood that day, a few angled lines could be added to suggest its branches.
[caption id="attachment_11864" align="aligncenter" … Continue Reading ››