Hi @Lucy -
I just want to let you know that I am proud of you and how well you are doing. You are an inspiration to many that are participating in this challenge. I love the photo of the size relationship between the pen and the drawing.
Terri
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Hi Brooke @alongsidemom
I just made up my mind that this was going to be a challenge, but that by taking my time I knew I could accomplish it. Then, I decided that I would not work on anything else until this was finished. By working on just one project non-stop I got into a rhythm and saved time that was often lost by starting and stopping. I have also found that when I stop working on something, I find it next to impossible to get started again.
Question: why 16 x 20? I would never do something that big in colored pencil. If you look at my drawing I cropped it a little differently (less trees on the left and some content off the bottom too). I found my 11x17 size to work just fine for obtaining the details as compared to Matt’s drawing size of 9 x 13-1/2.
I also kept focused on this because I plan to enter it in my own county fair in August. Having a special goal like that will help keep you motivated. And you feel SO GOOD when you do indeed finish. So it’s time to GET STARTED !!!
Terri
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Your sketch is super good! You captured all these details I never saw in the reference or lost in the process. Can’t wait to see your progress posts
Sonia
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You’re doing great. I’m so glad so many of us are working on this lessons. When I start to feel stuck I visit and see all our works it helps to get motivated and appreciate my own efforts 
Sonia
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My progress.
@alongsidemom as you can see my approach to pretty much all my art is that since I have a squirrel brain, I tend to work on random areas depending on my mood at the moment so my “mood” has kept me away from the church building. Besides I got lost a few times.
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Thank you Terri for such kind words! 
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Thanks Sonia. Yes, it is extra motivation to see others posts - so, you know, keep posting please. 
I like the style you are approaching this project with.
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Hi @alongsidemom ,
I can imagine how you feel, super excited about your project you would love to do, and at the same time kind of scared. It is the pressure that we can put on ourselves, even before we start, already having expectations and at the same time doubts, thinking we are not ready. It is a bit funny how we can be scared of something that can’t really hurt us.
Try to tell yourself, it is just a drawing, nobody needs to see it, nobody needs to be impressed, you are just trying things. Maybe you feel more pressure because you are already thinking about the judges at your local fair, or thinking if you are good enough to go for it. So take this pressure away because it can completely stop you, and you may not even try. Just make the painting for yourself first. (I may be wrong here and if the fair is a motivation for you, then you can keep in)
For me, the worst part is “to start”. But if I start, I can go for hours (until I stand up, and the next day I have to start again 
).
You can set up smaller goals for yourself if you like, anything that would make you actually sit and pick up the pencil.
You are speaking about a photo you want to approach with the grid method. So, just set the goal - first, draw a grid.
When that’s done, you can draw a pencil sketch/drawing. You don’t need to worry about all the steps at the beginning, just take them one by one.
Remember that the worst thing that can happen is that you don’t like it.
Well, so you will have options as well, you can throw it, you can hide it, you can do it again with a different medium, you can do it again with the same medium.. So many options. Most important is that, in the end, you will learn something.
And about the live lessons - I can highly recommend it.
It is great for so many different reasons; you will learn a lot, you can follow along so you don’t feel like you don’t know where to start and how to continue, and while you learn about the medium, you may learn something about yourself as well.
I wish you good luck, and I hope you will jump in. It’s just a paper 
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Wow Terri,
I knew it’d be great but this is just fabulous!
I can see why it took so many hours! GREAT JOB!
Just going to get some hot pressed paper tomorrow so have only sketched a bit…not sure the way he is doing the needles in the trees will be easier to do for me?
Going to be a real work of art if I get this done eventually!
Therese
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It’s looking great Meme…can’t wait to see it finished…You are an amazing artist like Terri!
Therese
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Wow Dave
You have so much detail….lots of hours for sure. I’m just so glad to see how much work you’ve put in already. Sure it is going to be worth it all when you finish!
Therese
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@theresebriggs thank you for the kindest of kind words! All I can say is I love art, I wish I had found out sooner in life, but I try to make the most of what I can, Terri on the other hand is a pro with everything she touches. She is also somebody I look up to, as well as many others here.
Sonia
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That’s good advice: one project! I already have plenty built in with homeschooling my kiddos. You know, my only reason for that size is because that’s what I did in high school for the fair/“rodeo art”…I doubled an 8x10 photo bc that was the assignment…the math was easy to make it 16x20 so I didn’t think to deviate…but it did take a few months to complete that in colored pencil… so maybe that is setting myself up for failure, or at best a grueling uphill climb… 
Terri, thank you for this advice and for the encouragement to get started!
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Your encouraging words here made me smile! Thank you, Lucy. Although a goal like the fair is motivating, I think that perspective of taking a deep breath and realizing that I can at least try, and the worst outcome is that I don’t like it, but that I learned something and try again! I really appreciate this shift in my perspective.
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Oh, I can totally relate to squirrel brain!! 
It’s nice to see a fellow squirrel accomplishing beautiful things; it’s definitely working for you! Thank you for sharing, Sonia.
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Hi Therese
Thanks so much for your kind words I greatly appreciate them
I’m so glad you are going on this journey with the rest of us. Time consuming but just take one area at a time and you will be surprised to see how good it feels to accomplish this one. I know you can do it.
Terri
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Hi Sonia. I know this was a reply to Therese, but I’m so touched by what you said about me in your comment that I had to let you know how special you are. Thanks from all of us on the forum for how you take the time to lift us all up on our shared artistic journey.
Terri
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Hi Brooke @alongsidemom
Please be sure to let us know what size and media you decide on, and of course show us your progress too.
Terri
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I meet with a group of men on Saturday mornings who work on creative projects including leatherwork, painting, digital art, writing, and a friend who is also a member of this art community. Today I started applying ink to my drawing (it took me a week to get up the nerve to ‘dive in’!). This is progress at 2.5 hours. I’m finding that the oil based ink pens are very forgiving and fun to work with, so that fear is overcome .
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Thanks, Sonia, this is a fun project to watch everyone’s progress!
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