Mike's art journey

Hi All,

I thought I would start a post to contain all the art that I post—keeping one in one place and documenting my journey.

As you may have seen in my introduction post, I have inherited my granddad’s pastels, which have inspired me to start creating art again. I haven’t drawn anything for about 20 years, and even then, I never finished a single piece. I remember enjoying drawing landscapes and buildings in my teenage years.

I am excited to try new mediums.

I started this new journey by finding the ‘Anyone can draw’ webinar. Here is my attempt at the trainer drawing at the end.

I am really pleased with how this turned out, considering I haven’t been drawing for so long.

Mike

5 Likes

Well done Mike. Thanks for sharing.

Terri

2 Likes

You should be. You did a great job

1 Like

Very well done. I love it.

1 Like

Hi Mike,

Thank you for sharing your journey, how special it is to be creating again with your granddad’s pastels. I love that you’re honoring his memory in such a creative and meaningful way.

Your drawing from the ‘Anyone Can Draw’ webinar is fantastic, especially after such a long break! It’s inspiring to see you dive back in and explore new mediums. I’m excited to follow along with your progress; keeping everything in one post is a great idea.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work as your journey unfolds!

Warm wishes,
Jessica

1 Like

Hi Mike, your sneaker is great and I love that you started with that. I think that was my first drawing from the virtual instructor as well. Welcome!

1 Like

Thank you all for your kind words.

I plan to go through the ‘25 to Better Drawing’, and then I am looking at the ‘The Secrets to Drawing’ course.

I already have an idea for my first project using my Granddad’s pastels, but I want to get to know and practice with them first. I am going to get my hands on a new set to practice with.

3 Likes

On Wednesday, I did Day 1 of the ‘25 Days to Better Drawing’. In my trainer drawing, I used only a 2B pencil and ended up with a shine on the darker areas. I also didn’t like how dark my initial shape outlines were, so in this one, I drew the shape outlines with an HB and then used HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B for the values.

Overall, I am happy with this, although the cap appears to be on a strange angle. And I am no good at letters and numbers.

3 Likes

Hello @Mike

You should be pleased, you did great!
I hope to keep seeing your work. Keep’em coming!

Sonia Alonzo

2 Likes

Hello @Meme5

Thank you. You are very kind

1 Like

Just a bit of an update.

I have been working through the 25 Days To Better Drawing. Not every day, but whenever I can.

I found day 4 challenging. I made several attempts. Here is my final result.

After I finished day 4, I still had some time to kill, so I decided to start practising recreating this image.

Here are my results (still need some practice before trying for real!!!)

Today I tackled Day 5. I decided to redo the shape, and here is the result.

I’m happy with my first attempt at using pens.

3 Likes

Hi Mike,

Great job on these! If you haven’t explored perspective before, I think once you reach the perspective lessons in “25 Days to Better Drawing”, things will start to click. It takes time and practice to build spatial awareness; after all, we’re trying to create the illusion of a 3D structure on a 2D surface, which can be tricky to grasp at first. But Matt explains it really well!

Jess

2 Likes

Hi Jessica

Thank you for your comments. The last time I explored perspective was back in school xx years ago!!! I’m looking forward to covering those sections of the course. At the moment, I am taking a pic of Matt’s advice, ‘be patient and take your time’

Michael

2 Likes

Hi Mike,

Thank you for inviting us to participate your artistic journey. I did the “25 days” and “sectrets for better drawing” courses 2 times with about 2-4 years apart. It made me very happy to easier see my journey this way.

Have fun, take your time and keep on posting,
Buddy

1 Like

I can imagine going over these causes an number of time periodically.

Over the past couple of days, I have been working on day 7 of ‘25 Days to Better Drawing’. I don’t recall ever doing shading with line. I enjoyed this lesson and will definitely be revisiting it. Here are the results


2 Likes

Like Jessica, I too find it very wonderful that you are using your grandfather’s materials. Years ago I went to a museum and touched a roman sculpture that was there on the foot. I am not given to these kinds of spiritual things but I found myself mesmerized with tears flowing down my cheeks. It felt as though I was touching the hand of the original artist in some cosmic way. I hope that you sense your artistic connection to your grandfather as well. For a fresh start you are doing very well. I like to draw and to sculpt but am exercising my painting skills at present. It takes quite a bit of effort to be outside your comfort zone. Keep going!

2 Likes