This last week I've been trying to get back in touch with what I love the most about drawing and being an artist. Once you start making work professionally, it can be easy to forget those things. Whenever I have a break between projects, or I am waiting hear about a few projects (like I am, right now!) I try to take that time to just have fun with my gift because it makes up for the rest of the time when being an artist just means you don't quite fit in--except for with other artists, of course!! :-)
My favorite thing to draw has always been movement--which is why I was initially interested in animation, as opposed to comics, but then I changed my mind b/c I like the challenge of story-telling much, much more. At MCAD I took a really awesome class about drawing the figure in motion--there's a whole technique to it, did you know??-- It was one of my favorite classes and so, this week, I decided to do just this--draw the figure in motion--and lucky me!--in Minneapolis we had the May Day Festival which is this weird Pagan/Native American mish-mash ceremony to welcome the Sun every Spring. It is so fun--a HUGE pageant with puppetry and costumes and a parade and lots of street performers, arts-and-crafters and, of course $5 cups of lemonade!! So I decided to head out there and focus on drawing people, specifically, because I'm often distracted by cute, aquatic birds--I'm sure you know what I mean! :-P
Here are some drawings from The May Day:
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| The first thing I came across were these two girls swinging on swings--their scarves and skirts were so pretty , fluttering in the wind. So I drew them. Because that's what you do when you see something beautiful and you can draw. |
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| Then I really lucked out! This lovely lady was dancing with a hula hoop and check this out--even though she was dancing right there, a photographer wanted to take a picture of me drawing her, instead of her actually dancing--how flattering is that? I think drawing in public is probably the best thing for my ego! :-P |
These next drawings are of the actual pageant--mostly I watched it so I didn't draw a TON of it but I like what I got. I loved the design of animal costumes! I could get into a whole thing about the Art-Historical influences on the designs but I won't here--if you really want to know how obsessive I can be about Art History you can always just ask me but I won't force it on you..... But, really--you must learn your history or you are doomed to repeat it!!! And there are some really ugly "works of art" out there.
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| I love, not only the design of the masks, but the way the fabric of the feathers, wings, and fur moved with the performers. |
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| This sketch needed a little color! This was the last part of the ceremony when the final gigantic puppet was raised out of Powderhorn Lake and the crowd screams "Welcome, Sun!!" So fun and colorful and since then--nothing but sunshine--it SO worked!! |
So....I promised you ducks last week and here you are:
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| Also two Penguins! |
I love aquatic birds. Ducks and Albatrosses are my favorites! We don't get any Albatrosses around here but I've seen at least three different kinds of ducks so far this year. Mallards are a sentimental favorite--I love their emerald heads. Also, ducklings? The Cutest of the Cute!! I would LOVE to be a duck. SIGH....maybe someday... :-P
I will close today's post with some sketches I made inspired by art from the book "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Expury. This was one of my favorite books growing up and also one of my favorite cartoons! I love the simple, sweet message. Everyone should read this book. Also the art is charming, which is why I decided to have some fun with it:
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| I love the colors and the simplistic design. Sometimes the very simple things carry the most meaning--which is something I learned from reading this book! |
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| Here is what happens when I get too focused on details. you may not see the subtle differences in these poses but it's all I can see...sometimes I have to just stop myself before I fill several pages of the same drawings with only slight differences. It can and has driven me crazy!!! |
Thanks for the visit to my studio--I hope you've enjoyed the fruits of my boredom this week! (I do!!) :-D
Be well and stop by whenever...but let me know first--I hate pop-ins!!
:-)
Love, Beckarooo!!
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