Knitting time!

Lately, I have really been into knitting. I taught myself about a year ago and I haven’t been able to stop since.

Below, is my mindless garter knit scarf in cotton. I LOVE the look of basic garter knit scarfs and I chose cotton because wool here in Arizona is a bit too thick and hot… I am loving how this one is turning out. It’s clean, basic, and fast. I have only been working on it for three days now and it’s just about done.

My other project is not even started yet… this is just my gauge swatch. I am going to knit a pair of socks in this beautiful bright yarn. My mother got it for me and it’s Ella Rae/Lace merino/fingering weight yarn. (I also received some Cherry Tree Hill in the Indian Summer color-way and it too is beautiful!)

I have never knit up socks before so I am very excited to get started! This will push my limits as a knitter as I have yet to become very adventures in what I have taken on. I love the look of the plain garter stitch so I haven’t really ventured fourth from there. Although, I do know how to purl and create different stitch patterns I find that I have yet to figure out a method of remembering exactly where I am in the pattern and counting out stitches and rows (both at the same time kills me!). I have learned but need practice on moves such as the yarn over or knitting thru the front. The sock pattern I have chosen is basic but it includes a little of all of these things. I did this so I can better my skills and be involved in the process instead of mindlessly knitting on and on and on.

I think everyone should chose a project that pushes the limits of their abilities! It doesn’t have to be in knitting either. It can be painting, drawing, collage, woodwork, clay-work, beading or jewelry making… anything!

I think that as long as we continue to challenge ourselves as artists our creative spirit will remain alive. Once I stopped pushing myself, I slowed down greatly in the amount of work I put out. Eventually, I was left so uninspired I stopped creating altogether. I know better now. There is nothing like a challenge to foster and breathe life into the creative spirit! Each person that reads this should stop, pick an area of interest and decide on something challenging to start on. Chances are, you already have something in mind but just haven’t convinced yourself that you can do it or that you even want to do it since it’s a bit out of your league. Start Now! You can only go up from here!

Gesture

Gesture drawing is one of the basic exercises that anyone who is trying to improve their drawing skills should do. This type of drawing helps you ‘see’ as an artist and to quickly record with the pencil what is in front of you. They are very loose, free drawings done in under three minutes. It doesn’t matter if what ends up on the paper does not look like the object, what matters is if the energy was captured in the lines on the page.

I’d like to take a moment and share my gesture drawing…

gesture drawing

This was an assignment I did for my drawing fundamentals class. It was the first time I worked with charcoal and the first ever gesture drawing I have done. After this assignment was completed I realized that I LOVE this quick, sketchy style. gesture can be done with any type of writing implement and it’s basically just a quick sketch of something that emphasizes movement by using quick instinctive lines. The drawing should be done in under three minutes and you should take your writing instrument, held under the palm (as opposed to over the hand style that is used when writing) and quickly sketch out the object using free, quick motions to create energy in your picture.

Here are a few links to gesture drawing 101 tutorials:

About.com – Gesture Drawingthe very basics of gesture drawing.

The Art Window-a series of pages showing examples and how-to articles of gesture drawings using different media such as charcoal, graphite pencils, pastels, paints, mixed media ect…

Gesture Video on YouTubea great video showing an example of a gesture drawing from start to finish.

I would love to see some drawings that others have created! If anybody feels like sharing please feel free to link to your drawing in the comments section!

The start of a blog and an Inspiration Board.

Hello World! Thank you for visiting my Brand New Blog! This place is going to become a wonderful retreat full of colors, art, visions, inspiration, creativeness and more… It will be developed  around my ‘journey’ to live an inspired life full of creative expression. I am also interested in self-development through art so I am sure that some of that will eek its way in here too.

This blog is a result of my basic unhappiness with a large portion of my life. Over the past few years I have lost the creative habit. I became busy with a full-time job, having two kids very early in my life and now, trying to attend college (almost) full-time. Thru all of this I stopped creating, drawing, collage work, painting, scrapbooking etc… I always felt that there was something more important to be done so I had forsaken my true nature in favor of just scraping by.

I HATE it. I have realized that I am NOT happy anymore… Sure, I love my life and my kids, it’s what I have worked very hard for and I am proud of what I have done. But I feel like I am missing a piece of me. Thinking back to when I had that elusive euphoria that I so crave now I realized that it was back in highschool, when I made art. Every. Single. Day.

I want that back. I will get that back. This blog will be a record of my new path 🙂

 

To start things out I have taken a photo of my basically blank vision board that is now above my desk. I have added a few bits and pieces but it is nowhere near what I know it will be in a month. As it is updated, I will share.

 

A work in process: Vision Board

 

I know, pretty boring so far. Starting in the bottom left hand corner and going clockwise:

1. I have a small framed collage that says ‘challange yourself’

2. Color Wheel and right above I have taken a bunch of paint cards ordered them according to the rainbow, punched a hole in the corner and attached them all to a jump-ring.

3. An anniversary card to me and my boyfriend that features the Beatles.

4. My very first charcoal and gesture drawing of a small bamboo plant.

5. An ‘Art’ article about Vladimir Nabokov, one of my favorite authors. Writing is a form of art and Vladimir was one amazing artist. He was a master at his craft and very few can match his lyrical style. The man really knew how to write a sentence!

6. (center) My acceptance letter to the Art Institute. I realize it’s not an Ivy League collage but I am still proud of myself. It’s always been a dream of mine to go to collage for a degree in either art or english. Art won. I put it up to celebrate and remind myself of what I am trying to do.