Keeping it real

Though I've transferred my blogging over to the new site, doesn't mean I can't still show a little love here.... Past 2 sketches, one from this weekend and the other from last night. Thanks for visiting!

What a hiatus!

Whew, been a hot minute since I've posted!  Lots of things going on currently, haven't been drawing sadly. Last night though, I sketched my dog. Something to break the silence, perhaps?

I may have made his eyes a tad small. Oh well, still good to get sketching again. I'm just enthused it looks kinda like him.

So, I have realized that I still have a habit of romanticizing my drawing, even though it's just going into my sketchbook. It seems that before I sketch I end up looking for the perfect thing to draw, and if I don't find a satisfactory subject, then I don't draw. I want to endeavor to sketch just anything, anywhere, with whatever I have with me. I can do that!

ADDITIONALLY, I am moving this blog to http://sketchcafeblog.wordpress.com. I haven't posted yet, as I'm running into technical issues. I'll likely start with this sketch of my dog, with a few thoughts.

It's getting better all the time...

I seem to slowly be coming out of my funk... not quite out yet, but I hit a really low point on #7, because it looks nothing like who it is... @*(#&%(@^,



 But today at lunch, I did a quick sketch of another stuffed animal in the cabinet.  The taxidermy pieces here are not great...  why would they bend the little guy's back like this? Red pencil.

6 of 15

So last night's sketch, though I don't totally hate it, isn't great, but isn't bad.. It's from a throwback photo, but it's not quite accurate. Insert excuse here. Hah.  I know I know.  Practice practice practice. 

My child has some wild hair....

Choo Choo

The challenge is just a moving along... these past three days were a bit inactive, but, I was wrapped up in a book, which my husband says is totally justifiable, because reading is still technically a hobby, just not one you can see..
That being said, I took a hot second away from the sketchpad because of pure frustration too!  The last three sketches have been awful!  The first two started out as something completely different to begin with, which I just ended up changing after erasing and re-drawing for 30 minutes... the third, THE THIRD was supposed to be a drawing of V while she was messing with her phone.  It looks NOTHING like her!! NOTHING!!!!!  UGH!!  So of course, I know I'm my worst critic, but I was wallowing in a pit of  OMGHAVEILOSTITWHATISWRONGWITHME!?!, and I wanted to finish this book anyway (if you get a chance, check out the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher!).

Begrudgingly, I post said 3 disasters... which I guess are what sketchbooks are for, aren't they?

 This first was going to be a sketch of Ben as a little kid (hopefully I'll be able to accomplish it in the future at some point) but I couldn't seem to manage it, so I erased it and sketched Henry's blocks all over the floor.  Mind you, it was like 11:30 at night, I was tired and grumpy.

 This one was a sketch at my lunchbreak of a taxidermy piece of a raccoon.  Not a great one, I might add, which is what I'll blame this one on.... Once I had gotten tired of trying to get the shading where I wanted it to be so it would correctly portray the shape of the head - not to mention the rapid approach of the end of my lunch hour - I just did a quick scribbly outline of the whole thing, which makes the little dude look more like some kind of kangaroo.



This one looks nothing like my subject. Poop.

On a side note... V has added a little bit of juicy fiction to her blog in a post from this weekend. Rawr.

CHALLENGES, LIKE IT'S MY JOB

So, yet again, I've started a challenge with a friend. We have both been discussing how we live a go go go life, and spend what little time we have to ourselves watching tv or surfing social media, yet still feel like we haven't enough time in the day to pursue the things we really want to pursue. We find excuses, when really, what we do is just waste time on sites like facebook, candy crush, and pinterest (I know its blasphemy but it just SUCKS TIME), not even really doing anything on there, just browsing, then at the end of the day, we complain that we get no 'us' time.  PFFFF. 

So we've decided to do a 15 day challenge with each other, to force ourselves to take no less than 15 minutes of each day during the challenge and dedicate it to a chosen hobby that we want to get back into. 15 days, to start small, so that this first attempt won't be seem overwhelming, and posting together on our respective blogs to keep each other accountable to the challenge.  No lie, we texted each other at, like, 10:45 PM last night to follow up on the day's progress.  Both of us were just then working on it...

Needless to say, my goal is to sketch every day, just like every other challenge attempt.  I have faith though. I will make it this time. My friend, V, has challenged herself to write on her blog every day for 15 days. Here is the link to her blog: http://ihshoes.wordpress.com/ . It's a fun blog to read for the everyday woman.

That being said... Today is day 3 of our challenge.  Below are sketches from days 1 and 2 of 15. Both in my 5x7ish moleskin sketchbook with pencil.

First Things First, MURAL IS COMPLETE!

That's right!! I have completed my son's mural in his room!!!  Apologies for this post being so late though... I finished it a little over a month ago...Whoops.

He has also been finally sleeping in his crib IN his room for the past three nights!! I have mixed emotions about it but let's be honest. It's awesome! 

almost there

Mural update!

Getting so close!

Boing!

Craziness for a while...been out of the loop of everything.  Now a couple of weeks off should give me just the jolt I need to sketch more and finish that friggin mural so the babe can move out of our room!
Did a sketch for a friend tonight...she's giving it as a gift to her gf.  Just need to add fixative and it'll be delivery-ready.  I think I spent maybe a total of 3-4 hours on it?  Charcoal pencil on tinted paper... 5x7.  She picked the paper... And I didn't think that graphite would show very well on the dark tint, which is why I went with charcoal..  It's been a hot minute since I've used charcoal, but I don't think it turned out too bad.

Also the only sb drawing I've done.. Blah. 

Also I finally started the outline for the mural.. It makes it look a tad more put together... But there are several touchups in the other colors I need to do before I can go back to the outline to complete it.  Such as Hobbes' hand for instance.  Heres to maybe possibly finishing this week? Maybe? 

Phew

So I did 2 sketches yesterday, one might have been while in training at work... WHAT? I didn't say that! 

More of the hub and munch, then the pooch. Still haven't gotten any black paint for the mural that will work... sigh.

Lil more here and there...

So between the seemingly endless layers of the mural, I've occasionally taken up to sketch.. Baby steps, right?  Then there was an incident at work involving a wookie in a 2piece... I do what I can.  Otherwise, beholden my recent sketches.

I start with some quick sketches of some coworkers in their webcams during training.  Admittedly enough.. I could have been paying better attention to what we were supposed to be learning... But Josh's beard was calling to me..

 And a few more of le munch.  Then le munch going after the dog.. Tee hee.

Until next time... No progress to be made on the mural right now anyway... Until I find a suitable black paint for the outline..

No sketches at the moment

This is actually quite frustrating... I've been working on my my sons mural...and of course you can't tell much of a difference in the pic.... I have added layers to many of the colors to make them flatter....tomorrow I'm going out to get black paint for the outline... Which I'm going to go ahead and complete, then finish the colors around it. Behold.

Not Part of a Sketchbook, Technically

But here is the progress thus far of the mural I am doing in the munch's room. It's Calvin&Hobbes sleeping in a tree... very simple. Unfortunately, because I did the initial outline in pencil, it's taking FOREVER to do the needed amount of layers in the yellow to cover the marks.. sigh. Once I get tired of layering, I add another color just so it feels like I'm making some kind of progress... then I go back to the yellow and layer some more...

Unbelievable!

Who's been actually opening up her sketchbook and drawing in it this year so far??!  I HAVE!! Woot for little victories.  It hasn't been every day, but I think I'm making progress...  Enough said, bear witness.  Needless to say, I draw my baby a LOT.

 And my dog...

 Creation of man pose..

 An associate at work, who shall remain nameless, since she hates pictures of herself.

 Close friend holding the babe

 And the babe passed out on the hub...

I have also been working on a mural in my son's room.  Process pics to follow.