Resolutions 2007

I'm still working on my drawing 'Resolutions' for the last EDM challenge 2006. I have a rather complex idea, so this will take time...and it's OK for me when it will be finished before the 8th of January, the end of my vacation.

I've got quite a lot of ideas and goals for next year, and I'm a little bit worried I overload my schedule (with plans for work, for my activities in a non-profit organisation, with reading & writing, taking care of the kids,...AND DRAWING).

I started this year with drawing, bought a lot of materials and a lot of books.

So, my first overall goal will be to actually use the different materials and do the excercises in the book. The most inspiring at this moment for me are 'Draw like Da Vinci' (sounds very ambitious) and 'Rendering in pen & ink' (a birthday gift).

Then I will commit to do the weekly challenges of EDM and IF , and also try to catch up with the previous EDM challenges, which should be done by the end of 2007.

I do not dare to commit to drawing every day...it doesn't sound realistic when I see my schedule, but with all these challenges I come quite close.

Inspired by Laura (Lauralines) I've also made a monthly list...and somehow I will try to combine this list with the EDM challenges. I don't know how yet, but I feel this list could be a usefull guide for next year. We'll see.

Januari:experimenting with pen & ink /washes and work on Kate's drawing lessons
February: play with the artist’s dummy - try water color pencils
March: everyday objects around the house
April: Vacation/ Spring
May: Self portraits
June: Exteriors, Plants, flowers
July:Water
August:animals
September:everyday objects around the house
October: Food, fruits, vegetables
November: Interiors
December: holliday cards

Well, that's it.
Most of all I commit to drawing next year, and as a beginner I'm motivated by seeing the big improvements as a result of daily work. Thanks Laura, Karen, Teri, Lin and others whose name I don't recall at the moment...for showing the daily work.

IF- Peace

IF- Peace
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Two years ago I was invited to a small place up north Estonia...
in the middle of nowhere.
That night,
in the snow
was the most peaceful experience in my life.
Hardly any light,
only the sound of our shoes in the fresh snow.

EDM #93 Egg carton

Wow...this wasn't an easy challenge.
It was much harder I thought when I started...
My children are my critics. And although they hav a quite good view on what's wrong, they hardly draw themselves... I can't seduce them to do the challenges with me...

EDM #92 Brown bag

Click on picture for better view

The only brown bag I could find was a bag from a clothes shop...a rather expensive one. This made me think about shopping addiction, compulsive shopping. And as I like these artist's dummies...and idea was born.

Noodlers ink and Graphitint in watercolor Moleskine

EDM #92 Apple (4)

EDM #92 Apple (4)

KOI watercolors
directly on paper

Last of this series.
I'm not sure which one I like most.

I enjoyed most working with the Karisma Pencils (apple 2) and Inktense (apple 3)

EDM #92 Apple (3)

EDM #92 Apple (3)

with Derwent Inktense...
amazed how intense these colors...
have to learn to be very careful with these

EDM #92 Apple (2)

EDM #92 Apple (2)

with Karisma color pencils

EDM #92 Apple (1)

EDM #92 Apple (1)

I combined this week challenge with the first assigment of Kate's drawing class. So, this became apple drawing on friday evening and apple drawing on saturday ...
This is the first one...and the scanner makes it much harder/darker than the actual drawing.

EDM #88 Breezy

EDM #88 Breezy
Originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

sunset
beach
grasses

no more words needed

IF- Trouble

I hope I didn't miss an important message.
I'm I in trouble now?

Another grid

Well, I'm behind with the challenges...
Want to know why?
This grid will give some answers...

Spider in web

First I took a picture ( a lot of these in our garden now) and then the drawing on black paper.

I didn't manage to get in on time for the IF-challenge Fear. Anyway, I wanted to post this.

GRID - a meeting

I had to attend a meeting on monday. This seemed to be a good place to try this grid drawing.
I added the colors later when I came home. I had to be carefull, I didn't find any waterproof ink for fountain pens yet. Noodlers ink is not available over here.

This way of drawing is fun. There will be more of these...

IF-Change

Change please

Change for dreams...
dreams of change.


Still working on last week's challenge (took more time than I thouht it would to make the idea work). So, this week is a quickie.

EDM #84

Why Toast/ Bread Falls Butter Side Down...

EDM #83 Body of water

Memories from summer.

EDM #82 Workspace / artspace

EDM #82, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

This is mine...I try to declutter regulary. My desk is empty when I'm not busy with a project. Bookshelves, and there are a lot ( I should also draw the other side of the room), are more messy...books, magazines, materials,...
Hope you like it...
for me, this could also be an entry for the 'safe'-challenge.

IF-Safe

IF-Safe, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Are you feeling safe enough to...

La Bocca della Verità (English, The Mouth of Truth) is a famous sculpted image of a human face in Rome, Italy. The sculpture is thought to be part of an ancient Roman fountain or perhaps a "manhole" cover, portraying a river god.
The most famous characteristic of the Mouth, however, is its capability of act as lie detector. Starting from the Middle Ages, it was believed that if one told a lie with his hand in the mouth of the sculpture then it would be bitten off.
(from Wikipedia)

You can also have a look at the real one. And yes, I did put my hand in it's mouth !

IF-Run

IF-Run, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Run from paper
Run away
Run away from shadow
Running out of time...

EDM #81 Streetlights

EDM #81, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

This was a rather fascinating challenge. First I saw only boring, plain grey lights in a row. Not very inviting to draw, later on I saw each town as a different style of lights, a kind of identty...I like the one on the left.

Learning curve 2

Hof ter Duinen kleur, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

I wanted to add some color to the drawing (see previous post) - experimenting with watercolor pencils. Messed it up. I will have to wait for another chance to draw her sleeping.
Meanwhile I got some experience on how this WC pencils behave...

Learning curve

Hof ter Duinen, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Quck sketch in almost dark hotelroom. DD sleeping.

IF-match(2)

IF-match concept, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

About matching and mismatching
About being right and about having more options...

An other idea for this challenge is posted here:

http://if-kunya.blogspot.com/2006/08/if-match.html

IF-match

IF-match, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

A sketchy tribute to the famous Belgian tennis players

EDM #80 - Draw something you love

EDM 80 - Draw something you like, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Lots of things to draw...for this challenge I choose these colorful ducks. The small one, the keyring, was a gift from my DD. The bigger one, who is actually one-eyed and and somehow formless, I've got by mail from a participant in one of my workshops (Thanks Linda!)
Th duckstory started some years ago, in my rebelious teenage years. When I saw a lot of people in my environment collecting things, I shouted: I will collect ducks! Since then I got wooden decoration ducks a a present. And last year someone bought me a small 'talking' duck, which made noises when you pushed a button. I used it in a workshop to give a sign there was too much talking (or the participants could use it if the leaders were talking too much :-)) The last day the duck got lost (stolen?) and some days after I received this surprise in my mailbox.... And now it's watching all my creative efforts...

IF-Play

I can not remember ever learing to play chess. And I do not think I will ever learn it, I'm too impatient for this game. While I was a kid I used the pieces for setting up whole imaginary scenes...I remember playing for hours on rainy days...

First I wanted to make this drawing for the 'capture'-theme. But I started something else, which is not finished yet. The idea fits nicely into this week's challenge. I wanted to make a quick drawing, didn't realise how much time it would take. When I came to the black one, I was tired...and you can see it ;-).

More EDM 79 - Ears

"I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again. Simple, honest, human conversation. Not mediation, negotiation, problem solving, debate, or public meetings. Simple, truthful conversation where we each feel heard, and we each listen well. This is how great changes begin, when people begin talking to each other about their experiences, hopes, and fears.
Margaret J. Wheatley - Turning to One Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future

I wasn't quite happy with the result of the challenge...so, I tried again keepingin mind the suggestions I've got from someone in the EDM Yahoo-group (Thanks!!!) .I'm not totaly satisfied...but, by working on it I thougt about the quote and a very interesting poem (Dutch) about listening. I added the texts in the journal, so they will come more alive...

EDM 79 - EAR

EDM 79 - EAR, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Would someone recognise this if the challenge hadn't a title?
Looks like a map from undiscovered territory.
And maybe it is...
how much more can we learn if we listen better!

EDM Challenge 78 - Souvenir

Last year I was invited to a conference in Iran. I have a lot of memories from this 'out of ordinary' trip. At the end I received a nice gift: this presse-papier is still on my desk. It's based on Archimedes' quote:
"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."

This is a very inspiring quote. I was not quite happy with the drawing, so I did another quick sketch to get the perspective more likely. (The money is just added in my Moleskine as a part of the memory, I didn't draw this) Now I consider it done and I will work on the new challenges...it's already wednesday and I have to finish my IF-challenge, which is more time consuming than planned, but I'm having fun!

Don't think pink

Don't think pink, originally uploaded by Sparks2005.

Sometimes it's hard not to think of...

I had the same ideas coming back again and again. It made me think of prompt ' do not think of pink elephants' ...and there they were ;-)

journal entry in Moleskine with Derwent Graphitint & waterbrush

IF-Clean

Sometimes I dream of my mister Magic...
When will he appear in my home?
And when he's here, how should I call him? MrClean? MrProper?
I'm sure I will say 'thank you' ;-)

Watercolor with iridescent medium, so it looks realy sparkling.
I enjoyed working with the masking fluid and the medium.

Icebear & ice cream

More ice cream...
and wish I could be on the Northpole

Lyrics from a German song
"Ich möchte ein eisbär sein im kalten polar..."

inspiration for a refreshing page in my Moleskine.

Button box

While reading some blogs I saw 'not being the brightest of the button box'. I didn't know this expression. It inspired me to make this journal entry.

EDM #77 Draw something cold

Nice challenge.
I think I'm going to draw some more...if the weather stays as hot as it is now.

IF- Opposites

It's a thin line between love and hate


Just playing with cheap watercolors and cheap paper...

Old lady

I'm reading 'In the name of friendship', the newest book from Marylin French. The writer pictures the friendship of four women and chapter by chapter she reveals the history of these women. Somehow the theme 'sacrifice' is popping up again. And I made another attempt picturing the old lady.

Sacrifice

She sacrificed a lot...

Skyline

It's early evening. The cloudless sky is transmuting from royal blue to a deep violet, with some fire-orange. Memories from a stunning skyline in the Bekaa-valley near Beirut.

Sticky

Sticky
The well known sticky notes came immediatly to my mind...
I was thinking about other sticky things, feelings. The coloured noteblocks, the brainstorming tool, stayed top of mind.
And it's now the subject of this quick sketch in my Moleskine.
I used some new tools: watercolouting cayons Aquash from Pentel.
It's quite fun to work this way.

Rain

Reflections & raindrops on asphalt
Strange feeling to work on 'rain' when it's hot and the sun is shining.

Jungle

My first IF- challenge.

Jungle as an explosion of colors