Be Like Mike

Earlier this month, my friend Mike posted on faceboook that he wanted to challenge himself to try new things outside his comfort zone and asked friends to suggest things for him to do. Right away, a mutual friend suggested that he come help her with her bee hive. He said yes!

I asked Mike if sketching and drawing were outside his comfort zone, and he said "definitely." I suggested a lesson in drawing faces, and he agreed.  This morning we met for coffee, and I taught him some of the basics of drawing a face. We discussed the importance of creativity, of overcoming embarrassment and silencing the inner critic. I left the cafe with this pencil sketch, which I later turned in to the art journal page up top.

It's the first time in a while that I've sat down and done anything creative, and it felt really good! Once again, I was reminded that when I offer to do something to help a friend,  I usually receive more than I give. 

More Faces and Lessons

I'm participating in Shimelle's Learn Something New Everyday class, creating a journal with a daily lesson learned. I'm also using the journal as a way to practice drawing and painting faces.  My lesson for Sept. 5 was "Follow your muse, even if she doesn't follow your original plan." The lesson came about as I was creating this face.  I actually started with the following Richard Avedon photograph of Audrey Hepburn as my reference:

I started by drawing the constrained face in a circle, and she immediately made me think of images I have seen of women wearing head scarves. So, I went with that. And I really like what I created, which led me to my lesson!
I have on other lesson to share, which I'm posting even though I don't like the face much because I like they story that goes with it.

I painted this face back on September 2, and I can already see how much better my faces have become since then! Anyway, the lesson is "Don't judge too fast . . . people (and dogs) are not always the way the first appear." I learned the lesson while volunteering at the Humane Society.  Clara and I walked one of the new dogs, and he seemed perfectly nice, but nothing special. But when we took him into the play yard, he blossomed.  He loved to play fetch and run about. Then we tested him to see if he knew any commands.  When we said, "sit," he dropped, rolled over, and waited in down position! He did this over and over again! He had clearly been taught this trick, and it totally melted our hearts. Thus, my lesson for the day.
Have you learned anything new lately? Do either of these lessons resonate with you?

Faces and Lessons: Pairing Photos and AJ Pages

I'm making an art journal featuring faces for the Shimelle class Learn Something New Everyday.  For most lessons, I'm also taking an instagram photo.  Here's a couple of the pages from my journal and the accompanying instagram photo.  The lesson for Sept. 7 was "Sometimes you can accomplish something in just a few minutes." I parked in this limited time spot and still had plenty of time to get the photo of City Hall I needed for the Scavenger Hunt.

The lesson for Sept. 3  was "Don't be afraid to take a chance. Sometimes you get lucky!" The lesson was learned when I decided to try to grab lunch at my favorite burger spot between two meetings, even though I wasn't sure I would have enough time. I was lucky; there was a parking spot out front and no line! I really enjoyed my burger from 5 Guys (instagram of a bag of their potatoes).  

I don't always have a photo to pair with my art journal page, but I am finding that snapping photos throughout the day gives me a variety of lessons to choose from when I do sit down to make my journal page. It does feel a little bit like I'm doing the class twice, but it seems to work okay. Is anyone else doing instagram and something else?

September Art Plans: LSNE, 29 Faces and Facing the Facts Class

It's September, and I'm starting a new art project, which brings together several different online classes and memes. I'm making an art journal featuring faces and journaling about things I am learning each day in September.  The journal is for the Shimelle class "Learn Something New Everyday." I'm learning how to draw and paint a certain style of face from the Dina Wakley class "Facing the Facts." As an extra bit of serendipity, Ayala Art is hosting 29 Faces in September, so I'll be linking up there as well!
Although I'm making this art journal for LSNE, I'm also snapping pictures on instagram as I go through the day of things that might be the basis for the lesson I incorporate in my journal.  For September 1, I took this picture off my deck the first thing in the morning:

The lesson I jotted down was "A breath of fresh air is a great way to start the day." Although there were other possible contenders, I really liked the feel of this lesson to start September. If you want to follow my LSNE posts on instagram, my user name is rinda1961, and I'm using #lsned to flag the posts. Although I'm "private," on instagram, just ask and I'll approve our follow request.  I'll probably also feature my instagram photos here on my blog as well, when appropriate.
Are you doing Learn Something New Everyday? If so, what format are you using? Anyone else doing 29 faces? If so, let me know in the comments, and I'll follow you. Also, let me know if you're posting in instagram, and I'll add you to my feed.
Happy September everyone!