sketching with misty mawn

i'm taking this online mixed media art workshop (stretching within) with the lovely misty mawn. and this week we're focusing on drawing. 

i'm loving it! i haven't pulled out my charcoal pencils and sharpener in ages! and i'm seriously learning/remembering a ton about lines and shading and feeling like i'm developing a whole new way of seeing again!

at first, i pulled out my sketchbook and drew this still life. it was what just so happened to be sitting right beside me. very safe. and very detached from me, so i felt confident in drawing again. 

i remembered my highschool art classes-how the giant still life was set up at the center of the classroom-always. our teacher had old boots hidden within there, a washboard and loads of fun things! but it didn't give you much of an opportunity to pull from within.

once i felt more comfortable with my sketching and my lines loosened up a bit, i drew this little fellow. he's definitely a weird guy and i wonder why he's looking over his shoulder, right past that beautiful blooming flower. 

that's one of the things i love about painting and drawing (and writing too)... there's always a bit of a subconscious quality that comes to life. and i find if you just go with it and don't think about what you're creating, then when you finally take a step back magic happens! and you often see you've told yourself a good little story.

eda and ana

i still haven't realized the entire story behind this sketch. as soon as i finished though, i knew they were eda and ana.

i began wanting to draw a couple walking hand in hand together. but the more i look at them, there seems to be two holding one another up or one protecting the other or perhaps leading the other along as though they were characters in a mystery novel.

i just love the stories that come out of creating and i cannot wait to keep on sketching!