drawings

Gift of Repetition

drawings, inspiration / /

What do we gain by drawing the same thing again and again?

  • skills
  • muscle memory
  • a series of cohesive drawings

tree sketch

I can get bored with drawing the same type of images, but I see value in the process. It might even lead to mastery of a skill or subject matter.

Sometimes I get stalled by thinking that I need to vary the drawing. But I have noticed that when I give myself the space to repeat a drawing my skills improve.

tree drawing

Lately I have been drawing horses, flowers and trees. I have plenty of “bad” or less than pleasing drawings, but the value is in the process of getting the marks on the paper.

mixed media sketchbook page

For example, often the horses I draw have legs that are too short. So instead of running out of room for the legs, I  can now draw the legs first or exaggerate the length of the legs.

I like to combine a little observation and a little abstraction. I do this a lot when drawing trees. During my daily walks, I notice how branches grow off the trunk.

loose watercolor trees

Reminder, this month of April, the Monochromatic Mountains class is on sale for $50. Read all the details on the workshop page.

monochromatic mountains

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Easy is fun – make marks

combined techniques, drawings, mark making / /

I think of the freedom that some children have when making art. They seem to be so intensely in the moment and making marks with ease.

charcoal drawing

I think of ways that I could have that type of presence in my art making.

  • Easy repetitive marks
  • Using “kids” supplies like crayons
  • Call it done after just a few marks
  • And then get another piece of paper

use crayons like kids

How do you get into a kid like flow?

repetitive marks

One kid like tool that I have been exploring is the bingo dauber. I can make lots of dots really fast. And I can use it to make primitive drawings with broad lines.

bingo dauber a mark making tool

Can you think of ways to make art with the presence and joy of a child? I offer you that challenge.

dauber drawings

If you love the woods and use the forest as inspiration consider taking the mixed media class, Torn TREES- It is on sale this March for only $50.USD.

sketchbook spread

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Make FREE events fit your style

book arts, drawings, inspiration, mark making, sketchbook ideas / /

I am a speaker in this years Sketchbook Revival hosted by Karen Abend. The event is packed with:

  • artist teachers
  • topics and materials and
  • Bonus resources

working in multiple sketchbooks

For me it can be a little overwhelming. But I have found a few ways to make the information manageable and to fit my learning style.

  1. I sign up for the FREE subscription
  2. I skim the daily videos
  3. Do only the lessons that inspire me
  4. Tweak the technique to my process

These approaches take the pressure off and let me experiment with new skills that I might want to incorporate into my sketchbook practice.

upside down thumbnail practice. And be sure to adjust the event to your learning style.

I am teaching my upside down thumbnails technique on October 1st. Hope to “see” you in class.

upside down thumbnail practice by linda germain

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Letting sketchbooks evolve

combined techniques, drawings, mark making, sketchbook ideas / /

I have been working in 6 sketchbooks at once for the last few weeks. I started working this way so I could let wet marks  dry and still be in the flow.

working in multiple sketchbooks

I  do like having multiple books going at once but it can get a bit scattered too. So I started using a theme and that seemed to help the mark making flow.

letting sketches dry

Some of the “themes” that I have used:

  • draw 30 trees
  • add 20 flowers
  • fill in with birds

loose watercolor flowers

This gave me a goal that I could work across several sketchbooks at once. These 3 subjects were easy to add to my existing marks.

stylized horse drawing

Most recently I have been playing with stylized horses. These drawings are a work in progress. It is a challenge to work through ugly renderings. I find I like the simple loose line drawings best. A horse sketch needs more of a whole page compared to birds, flowers and trees.

fill in with bird drawings

If you are looking for a little sketchbook inspiration and instruction then check out the self-study online classes available now.

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Get the most from your drawings

drawings / /

Lately I have been using my older sketchbooks as reference for drawings in my current sketchbooks. This works well for me since I don’t love to draw and often I am searching for a subject.

photocopy drawings and add to sketchbook

In the example above I simply glued in a photocopy of the original sketch. I printed it on cream colored paper.

copy your own drawings into your current sketchbook

I this second example I drew a fresh copy of the original sketchbook entries. I am not aiming for exact duplicates, just inspired replicas.

tea bag and sharpie drawingsBut I am most excited to share with you the tea bag and sharpie process that I used above. I get 2 new “originals” for the effort of one.

  • My reference drawing is then in the middle with pink cheeks.
  • I layered and taped the tea bag to the small piece of white drawing paper.
  • Then drew the face with a black sharpie.
  • The sharpie bleeds through, with varies intensity to the white paper and
  • I get the second copy for free!

A couple of tips:

  • Use an ultra fine tip sharpie or a fine tip for bolder marks
  • Don’t pause or you will get heavy spots of ink
  • Add color after
  • Use fresh tea bag for a white drawing

Check out the current classes available online.

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