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Part One: Packing Art Supplies WITHOUT Taking The Whole Studio
Long years ago, I packed a BOX of Art Supplies to take on a seven day road trip to Tennessee with my husband. (Note the emphasis on box and art supplies.) The image above is NOT from that box, but it will give you an idea of what I took!

A BOX. As in the BOX was 12" W x 18" T x 6" D and I crammed it full of all the Art Supplies I thought I could possible need or want, things I didn't even normally use in my studio at home because you never know, right? I had extra paper and all kinds of markers, pens, watercolor pencils, traditional brushes, rubber stamps, glue, masking fluid, a mask remover, a special brush for applying the masking fluid AND soap for cleaning the special brush.

And do you know what happened?

I did not open the box the entire trip.

Not once.

I maybe sketched twice?

Colossal fail.

Fast forward a few years and we went back. This time, I managed to get it down to a bag of Art Supplies. The bag was bigger than my regular purse and I crammed it full of all kinds of Art Supplies that I could possibly imagine needing.

Mind you, we were going to Tennessee, not a third world country.

I did manage to sketch and paint that trip, but I didn't use anything but my normal kit the entire trip. No glue was needed, no masking fluid was applied or removed, no watercolor pencil applied, no stamps stamped. Nada.

Now go back and re-read these first few paragraphs substituting the word FEAR for Art Supplies.

Because that's what I packed—FEAR in the disguise of Art Supplies.

Entering The Unknown
When we don't know what we're doing (or we don't do an activity often enough to develop any confidence) and we're "expecting" to come home with a visual record of our travels, we tend to want to stack the outcome in our favor as much as possible and that translates to taking every possible Art Supply we could conceivably need because we're afraid of failing.

Because we wouldn't want anyone to know we didn't know what we were doing (gasp!) or that it was the first (or third or eighth) time we tried to sketch on location (gulp!) or the purpose of the entire trip we took just so we could sketch (eek!), would we?!

And if we came home without a sketchbook full of adorable pages of sketch after perfect sketch, then we would have failed, wouldn't we?

And if this happened because we didn't have the one exact art supply we needed because we left it in our studios, then the failure would be our fault, wouldn't it?

Can you see how slippery the slope becomes and how easily things can spiral out of control when fear is woven through our thought process?

I can remember being in my studio and looking at an item while thinking, "well, I haven't used this in six months (or ever) but you never know, I might need it. I want to be prepared!" and then I chucked it into the box.

I lugged approximately 20 pounds worth of art supplies (fear) that never saw the light of day the entire time we were gone.

Not once did I open the box.

Fear's job is to keep you "safe" and fear has become a master at disguising itself in clever ways (extra art supplies, anyone?) so it can do that job. Make no mistake, fear is determined and sneaky. It will hitch a ride any way it can to keep you "safe."

Your job is to recognize the fear before you drag it around the world with you!

To Truly Stack The Outcome In Your Favor...
If you really want to stack the outcome in favor of you coming home with that adorable sketchbook full of sketch after perfect sketch, I suggest the following:


I know, that's not a lot of fun. We all have dreams of creating these phenomenal pages using all these specialty supplies while on location and some artists do...those that draw, sketch, paint and create on location on a very regular basis.

They've honed their process so that they know what they need and they take very few "extras" because they know what they need to create.

There is something to be said for only having what you need as this bring a certain magic into play when we consciously choose to limit our choices. Remember, not only are you going to sketch, you're going to "see" a new location, to experience the culture and to take in as much as you can.

While making art is a top priority list while traveling, it's not the only priority on the list and if we make the art-making process too difficult by overwhelming ourselves with choices, then it is likely the process will suffer, if not break down all together.

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Keep It Simple
1. Choose a sketchbook that is appropriate for your chosen medium. In this case, I'm going to use watercolor as an example.
2. Choose a lightweight palette* and fill the wells full. Give the pigments plenty of time to firm up by doing this a couple of weeks ahead of your departure date...nobody likes to open their palette and find their paint ran everywhere! If you already have a palette you use on location, top off the wells and use that. If you are setting up a brand new palette, be sure to set the pigments up in the same order as your usual palette so you are not scrambling to learn the new layout while on location.
*Do not, under any circumstances, take a palette or any art supply that has great sentimental value or cannot be easily replaced. It's not worth the grief if something happens to the item while you're traveling.
3. Two identical**, large-tipped waterbrushes (if you use them) as well as two identical**, small-tipped waterbrushes. I recommend taking them out for a spin BEFORE leaving to make sure they work properly and do not leak.
4. Choose two identical** mechanical pencils, two pens** with permanent ink in whatever colors you normally sketch with and or two most common nib sizes you use. Limit yourself to no more than eight pens in a variety of colors and nib sizes. Make sure the pencil has plenty of lead and a new or nearly full eraser. Make sure all of the pens work well on the paper in your sketchbook and that they are permanent on that paper.
**A plus of having identical waterbrushes is that if you run out of water in one brush, you can switch the tip to the full handle of water in another brush and continue sketching without having to find a water source. Also, if one tool breaks, becomes damaged or stop working, you have an identical item for backup.
5. A kneaded eraser or a white eraser that will not mar the paper.
6. A ruler that is no larger than six inches in length and there is a bonus if it's clear.
7. Two white gel pens with non-water resistant ink and two white "ink" or paint pens with permanent ink.
8. Paper towels or a wrist band to wipe your paint on and a pack of facial tissues.

And that's it. That is all you really need. Because these are the tools you are most familiar with, you will not be struggling to not only learn how to use a new tool but also create in the moment while you're on location. (Now, is that all you're going to take? Not likely, but that's another post!)

Make A Test Run
Before the trip arrives, pack your kit. Set out your "must-haves" (journal, pigments, pens, pencils, etc.) and fit them into the bag or pack you plan on using on your trip. Once everything is in there, including any extras like your phone, camera, keys, lip gloss, glasses, etc., lug it around with you for a day. Even better, take it out and use it a time or two.

If your neck and or shoulders begin to hurt, look for ways to lighten the pack by either carrying less or by finding lighter items.

Likely Culprits

• Leather bags and leather covered journals are beautiful, but they are heavy and they'll triple their weight by the end of the day! Only you can decide if it's worth it to lug those items around. The same could be said for large journals (8 x 10 inches and larger).
• Question every item in your pack and make sure you absolutely need it. Consolidate items where possible rather than taking two or three different organizational containers.
• Metal palettes are great, but they are much heavier than plastic. However, paints do behave differently on each surface. If you're used to and happy with metal, take the metal but see what else you can remove to make the kit lighter. 
• Check to see if there are any items you can take with you, but not haul around daily (like duplicate items—with the exception of waterbrushes, I leave the duplicates in my room). You likely will not need two black pens, two red pens and two blue pens for one day of sketching. Take only one size and color of each pen (the size/color you use most) and add any additional pen work when you get back to your stash. 
• If you're traveling with a partner, see if you can figure out a buddy system for those extra, nice-to-haves-but-not-need-to-have items. This can cut down the amount of weight you're both carrying. 
• If you already know you will have trouble with your neck and shoulders, pare down your kit to the most basic you can make it...one pencil and one pen along with loose pieces of paper cut down to the size of your sketchbook. Leave the palette and sketchbook back in your room. Add paint later. Glue the paper into your final sketchbook when you're done. It's not worth missing out on the trip because of the pain!

Those Special Extras
In the next "Prepping For Paris" post, I'll be discussing those "extra special items" to take with you and I'm going to leave you with a question to ponder...what item or items would you likely use on a trip that would make it worth hauling them (weight-wise and space-wise because they will be taking up space in your luggage!)?

When I'm out and about teaching classes and even in the online classes, it's not unusual to have an artist lament the fact that they only create when taking a class even though they want to create more, they don't feel like their work is any good, they never seem to have the time to create, or they're not satisfied with the work they are doing, it has drained their enthusiasm and they stop creating.

Sound familiar?

Then this series is for you.

We're going to start out with addressing one of the biggest underlying reasons we don't create unless we're taking a class, we don't make the time to create or we're not satisfied with our work and it usually comes down to one word:


And while this is a simple four-letter word, dealing with fear in its many forms is something else entirely.

For whatever reason (but it usually has roots in words spoken to us in our childhood), fear plays a huge role in our artistic pursuits...or maybe I should say our lack of creative efforts.  We're afraid of looking like we don't know what we're doing, of making a mistake, that our work will be found lacking, or the creativity police will revoke our "creative license."

It seems safer to create only when in a class environment because the teacher is there to help us work through any challenges and if we do get into trouble, they can help us get out of the fix we're in. Don't get me wrong—I think classes are a fantastic way to learn and a good place to start...but not as the only place to create.

Classes are also deadline driven (and thank goodness for deadlines!)—we must to create within the timeframe given or we lose out on an opportunity to learn from a particular teacher or a certain subject matter.

Rather than looking at the reasons why we don't create more, we often decide we just "don't have time." (Seriously? We'll be addressing this in more depth, but let me state here that I've yet to meet the person that didn't have time to put a few scribbles on the page!) 

Often, before I can even say anything to an artist asking for help, they're pointing out EVERY-SINGLE-THING that isn't right, did not turn out, could be better, or they don't like. I think most of us have the idea that if we point out these things and criticize our work FIRST, no one will/can say anything that will hurt our feelings. (And yes, there's more to say about this point too, but we'll come back to it later.)

Recognizing Fear
Fear, especially when it's dressed itself up with reason and a bit of truth, can be hard to recognize. We've learned not to touch a hot stove because we'll get hurt. And yet, most us use some form of heat to prepare food on a regular basis. If we had stopped at the lesson of "can't touch that," we'd all be eating nuts and fruit!

Instead of looking closely at our concerns to see if it's fear masquerading as reason, we accept these beliefs as the truth. After all, who among us wants to fail or look like we don't know what we're doing. By not dragging our reasons for not producing more creative efforts out into the light and giving them a thorough look, we allow them to stand as both the reason we can't possibly do more and the excuse why we don't have to try.

Chances are good that once those fears hit the light, you'll begin to see they are not as substantial as you once thought. In many cases, they're no longer accurate. We often continue to grow our skills, but our fears don't keep pace. You might still be harboring a concern that you can't draw worth a darn and yet you have a sketchbook at your elbow that says otherwise.

So let's examine some of those fears a little closer by taking serious look at those fears.

Making Mistakes
I don't know ANYONE who actually likes making mistakes. Mistakes can, on occasion, open doors we had not previously opted to see let alone open. They can lead to happy accidents. But most of the time, we allow them to frustrate us and steal our momentum.

Unfortunately, mistakes are as necessary to our growth as breathing.

How did you learn to walk as a child? How did you learn to write the alphabet when you started school? What about reading? Did you just decide to stand up and walk off one day? Did you never write a backwards "e" or "d" when you learned how to spell? Ever mispronounce a word?

While these are all "acceptable" mistakes, making a creative mistake is not. Why? Why is it okay to misspell a word but not okay to either not know how to draw something or draw an incorrect line?

And no, these are rhetorical questions.

Not Good Enough vs. Not Very Good
I have one of my first watercolor paintings from when I was in art school. The painting was a storm moving in on a beach scene of a house and palm tree. We were to use blue and black paint as well as the white of the paper.

When I was done, I was horrified...it looked like my painting had been left outside in the storm!

It really wasn't very good and there was no way to hide that fact. Never mind that it was my third or fourth effort to paint with watercolors, I was extremely disappointed and disheartened. I remember my teacher saying something along the lines of "you have a choice. Practice, try again and again until your efforts get better. Or quit. Find another medium."

And that was it—I had a choice: I could learn to do better by practicing or I could quit.

We all have that same choice with every. single. thing. we. attempt. You know the choice I made and while I'd like to tell you that several paintings later I had it mastered, I don't want to lie to you. What I can tell you is that when I finally got out of my own way, I could recognize a little bit of growth with each attempt.

But "Not Very Good" is an entirely different kettle of brew from "Not Good Enough."

It is all too easily tangle up the our own self worth with our artistic efforts...and somehow come up lacking.

Just like it helps to drag our fears into the light, it also helps to look closely to see if it's our efforts or ourselves that we're condemning as "not good enough." Learn to listen to the voice* you hear that's doing the accusing or belittling. Is it your own, a critical parent or teacher from childhood or possibly a spouse that is judging you rather than your efforts on the page?

The voice may be more than one person's past judgments that still have the power to hurt you. Just by recognizing where the voice and judgements are coming from can be helpful. Learning to move past the critic's harsh words is often a reoccurring struggle. Remember, you have a choice. Do it anyway and ignore the critic...or quit.

*This is known as an inner critic. Everyone has one, but some voices can be more critical than others.  This is another subject worth delving into at length. The best way I've found to deal with mine is to say something like, "I'm going to do ______________ (fill in the blank with appropriate activity) ANYWAY. If you do not have anything useful or helpful to add, please be quiet," and to do what I told the critic I was going to do.

Making The Choice
I have found that just recognizing the fear and the decision to "do it anyway" can be liberating. The problem comes up in that I often have to fight the fear, the inner critic, or the feelings of not being very good again and again and again. It helps to remember that I have a choice.

The other thing I've found that helps me greatly to overcome my fears is to make my efforts fun. Rather than being so serious about my efforts, I strive for fun, to play as a child would play. You don't see toddlers agonizing over smearing some paint around on a piece of paper and rest assured, every piece is a masterpiece in their own eyes even if you can't recognize the green blob as the family dog!

I have more paper, I have more paint and I will make time to begin again, so why stress? Why not have fun and play and explore? What is there to lose?

My Inner Medusa I created her back in 2010!

Your Assignment For This Week
Drag your fears out into the light and look closely at them. What do you see? What's true and what's an outdated belief? Which ones have become easy excuses to fall back on rather than making art?

Can you sketch your fears? If so, what would it be—a face, a monster, a fire-breathing dragon, a spider with a human face? Sketch it if you can. It doesn't have to be realistic or "good enough" as it's your fear that only you can see.

My inner Medusa came to be on a Sunday afternoon when I felt like I'd been going around and around with the same self-doubts and fears forever. I decided to see if putting them on paper would silence them. While they weren't completely silent, they were much quieter!

Can you make it fun? Can you step into a childlike mindset and just splash color on the page? Give it a whirl and see how you feel. Take note of those feelings as it will be important info to have later.

Share Your Thoughts, Your Efforts, Your Questions
We often feel isolated with our fears and concerns. I'd love to hear from you and what you think as well as what you've learned about yourself or your fears as you step through the exercises. If you've created some artwork, leave a link in a comment so we can cheer you on. Have a question? Feel free to ask in a comment or send me an email via the contact form at the top of the page.

Trust me when I tell you I've been there. I still visit that place of paralyzing fear...but I've found some tools that help me leave sooner and overcome that fear. That's the point of this series. To give you the tools to begin moving away from being unhappy with your efforts to being satisfied enough so that you want to do more.

Part Two of this series is here.
Part Three is here.

A-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n Spread, completed Stillman & Birn Zeta, 7 x 7 inches Ink & Wash

The idea of stepping out into the world where anyone might want to take a peek at the pages in our sketchbook can be daunting. Especially if we're new to the idea or at the beginning of developing our skills. Of course, this make an adventure like An Imaginary Trip Made Real To England seem huge, but it's not!

It boils down to performance anxiety. We're afraid of disappointing ourselves and others. What would we do if we went and then couldn't get anything worthwhile down on the page? Eeeek!

Let me ask this: if you were doing a speech in front of 150 people, would you wing it or would you write and practice your speech for days, if not weeks, in advance? If you decided to run a 5K race, would you wait until the day of the race to start building your endurance? Of course not!

My friends, sketching is no different! It takes practice, a willingness to leave our comfort zones and a sense of adventure. 

To begin conditioning yourself means starting to sketch NOW. Today. 

And that's where things like a-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n pages come into play. For me, anticipation pages began as a way to practice and psyche myself up for the "big event." Eventually, I realized that I kept creating them because they gave me a great deal of enjoyment. I like the build up of excitement before the actual trip.

By doing anticipation pages, I "knock the rust off" of my skills if I've been lazy about sketching on a regular basis. When I create pages in my home environment, I try to work from life, but sometimes that's not possible. Since I don't have any chickens, I went to the computer for inspiration. I worked from the screen rather than printing out a photo. Same goes for the soccer ball.

I had a champagne cork so I used that as my model, but I didn't have any cheese rolls lying around, so it was back to the computer. This time, I found out what cheese rolls looked like and then drew them in the composition I wanted for my page. The umbrella and tea cup were my own and I drew from life to strengthen my eye and hand coordination.

Taking It To The Next Step
While you're definitely in training when you're sitting in your kitchen sketching away, working outside of our normal work area, is an entirely different experience and one that should be practiced as well.

When I first decided to sketch on location, I waltzed out the door and went to a town about twenty minutes from me. The downtown area was full of interesting old buildings and mostly deserted on a Sunday morning. I was making sure there was no one about, but it didn't matter, I still failed spectacularly! I had not yet discovered a new mindset.

Since working on location totally blew my mind, I decided to begin again with baby steps—I started in my kitchen. I would pull a chair away from the table and draw something with my sketchbook in my lap. I sketched and painted whatever was outside the window or I'd set a leaf or pot of flowers on the window sill and draw.

After a while, I became bored with this set up and went outside and drew in my backyard. My backyard's not all that exciting so it didn't take too terribly long before I decided to go to the park and sketch. Sure, I chose an area where I wasn't likely to run into anybody, but I was still getting out there. I eventually went into town to sketch and then a restaurant and so on until I conditioned myself to sketch anywhere. Not all sketches were successful, but the training was!

I would occasionally gather up my courage and go sketching around a bunch of people in a busy location. Sometimes it worked out and other times it looked like a rabid squirrel had scribbled all over the page. My nerves would get the best of me and I'd panic.

But you know, I survived. And with each attempt I became a little stronger, a little gutsier. I also realized that most people have no clue what I'm doing. They don't notice. They're too busy with their own dramas to be worried about me and my little sketchbook.

There's also something about interacting with people, by choice, that lends another layer of patina over the whole experience. Most folks that stop and talk to you, who want to see what your doing, want to be like you. They want to be brave enough to sketch "out in the wilds." They want to be creative. Just listen to them. You'll hear it in their voices when they speak.

Changing Your Mindset
When sketching in the wilds, it requires a different mindset than sketching in familiar [safe] surroundings. First and most obvious, is the amount of time we'll have. When we work in our homes, we can work as long as we want [in comfort] on something, usually while working from a photo.

When we're on location, we have a much more limited amount of time and we must adjust our expectations to match the amount of time we have as well as the current skill level we possess.

Rather than viewing the time limit as a bad thing, use it to challenge yourself to see just how much you can get done on location. If you're not getting much down on the page, start looking for ways to work quicker. This usually means leaving out details or suggesting them rather than meticulously recreating them.

Another big change to consider is this: if you don't get finished on location, you can always take a quick snap with your phone and use it for reference later. Knowing you can take a photo helps to reduce the amount of pressure we place on ourselves to get the page finished in one sitting. Sure, that's the long term goal, but we're in training and that goal will be met eventually.

Last, it's a sketch. It's not a mini-masterpiece! When we're on location, dealing with the elements, the light changing, people walking around and other distractions, sketching becomes a mini-adventure within the bigger trip! It takes on a life of its own that becomes an indelible memory that queues up every time you look back at your sketch. And I will share a secret with you...even lousy sketches still serve as a great portal back to the moment in time where it was created!

So instead of postponing a marvelous adventure like An Imaginary Trip Made Real To England until "you're ready," go ahead and sign up today! Then start training for an adventure unlike any other. Challenge yourself to sketch something each and every day. Even if it's for just 15 minutes a day, you'll have logged over 30 hours of practice before we leave for England!!

And remember, once we're in England, you'll be with likeminded people and I'll be there by your side to help you create a sketchbook full of great memories!

How do you prepare for a big art trip? Any "training tips" you'd like to share that help you move past fear?

Do you have a muse? A completely imaginary but totally real artistic influence that gives you courage and encouragement, tempts you to try new things and takes you to places you never would have gone on your own (either in life or in your artwork)?

I do! Her name is Sam and I've spoken about her on the blog before. She is as real to me as you are. I can describe how she looks, how she sounds, how she cuts her eyes at me when I say or think something limiting. 

There are those days...when it seems that despite the very best of efforts, mistakes happen.

And let's face it, mistakes are going to happen. They can no more be separated from the creative process than breathing can be separated from living.

We're stuck with them...and I dare say that's a good thing!

When Mistakes Happen
During the last class at Keeton's, I heard the telltale "gasp!" quickly followed by, "Oh no!!" from the artist sitting at the front table.

When I glanced up from helping another artist, Faith* was staring down at her work with a horrified look on her face.

"I painted the strawberry juice on the table instead of on the plate!" she said.

Sure enough, it looked as though someone had been very messy ladling out the strawberries for her shortcake. Of course, they hadn't gotten a drop on the plate!

And here's why I say mistakes are the gateway to creativity—because at this point, we have three options:

1. Start over. Give up, tear the page out, gesso over it, glue another piece of paper down, use acrylic paint to cover the offending gaff, or turn the page and ignore it like it never happened. Optional behaviors: wring hands, gnash teeth, wail inconsolably.
2. Quit. Quit painting, quit sketching, quit trying, quit being creative. Swear off all creative endeavors. Optional behaviors: Sulking, stewing, anger, temper tantrums. 
3. Play. Recognizing the opportunity that's just fallen into your lap and playing! That's right, play. After all, if your other two choices are either to hide or destroy the work and the other is to quit, why not play and see what happens. You will not have lost anything if you still cover up or tear the page out. Optional behaviors: laughing, learning, thinking, smiling, embracing, experimenting, shrugging, moving on.

Starting over can be creative, but what I'm talking about is embracing the mistake and finding a way to incorporate it without giving up and beginning anew. This takes Intelligent Creativity. It requires stepping back, taking an objective look at the work, consider the tools at hands and how best to create something new or different from the detour we took from our expected outcome.

This usually requires a bit of ingenuity and letting go of expectations as to how the page was suppose to turn out.

Are Mistakes Bad?
The foregone conclusion most of us operate under is that mistakes are bad...but are they?

It's worth our time to examine that statement to see if it's true. Have you ever gotten lost on the way to a destination only to discovered a newfound place you'd never have stumbled upon if you had not gotten lost?

When I looked over Faith's page, I saw a "fix" immediately to do away with the messy strawberry juice that marred her creative effort. I suggested painting the "table top" red as if there was a table cloth. And it worked. In fact, it gave her work a strong "pop" of color and a bold, graphic look.

I made a big mistake that day as well. Take a look at the page at the top of this post and you'll see three layers of white whip cream...there were only suppose to be two! This is the page I did for class.

What would have happened if I'd thrown up my hands and quit or gnashed my teeth and threw a temper tantrum because I had too much whip cream? (Is that even possible?!) They probably would have thought I needed some kind of intervention.

Realizing I had too many layers, I decided to incorporate the area to look like an extra layer of whip cream and no one, except for the folks in the class would ever know, unless I told them.

Stop To Think
When we make mistakes, we panic and it seems our default position is usually to start over.

Instead, why not take a deep breath, calm down and figure out a way to make the unexpected change work for us by using our gift of intelligent creativity? By making a conscious decision to let go of our expectations and fear so we can embrace the opportunity to play, we increase our chances of going somewhere new, maybe even better, exponentially.

This is the gateway to creativity and the key usually comes gift-wrapped as a mistake.

What will you do with your next "gift?"

*Faith gave her approval and blessing for me to share her story on the blog. 

An Imaginary Visit To Norway starts March 3rd!

Examining My Approach

Imaginary Traveler Stillman & Birn Zeta Ink and Watercolor

When I first created this sketch just after the first of the year, I was very unhappy with the way it turned out as it looked nothing like I hoped it would. It is based on imagination and just didn't feel fight, it didn't have that sketchy feel to it. In fact, I stopped working on it. I had intended to put a large advertisement poster in the background to push the woman forward, but decided not to waste more time on the sketch.

So I turned the page and ignored it.

Fast forward to this week and I realized I hadn't posted anything on the blog last week and I didn't have anything to post this week. I've been sketching and painting but on things I can't share—yet.

Looking through my sketchbook, I came across this page and decided since I didn't like it anyway, I was going to play with it. (I know I have a scan or photo of the page without the changes somewhere, but after two searches, I can't seem to find it—sorry!)

I went to get one of my juiciest black pens and sat down with my sketchbook and started to scribble in more lines. At first, I was still being careful. As I began to see improvement, I relaxed and just went with what felt right.

Once I was finished, I set the book aside so I could study the updated page. I saw a few places that needed a bit of refinement and then decided to call it "good enough."

More and More Ink Scribbles

Is this my most favorite sketch I've ever done? No, but by being willing to make a mess of it I managed to get it to where I considered it good enough to post.

If you've been reading the blog for very long, you may have guessed that my sketchbook is where I play, try out ideas and such. I try very hard not to let any sketch become too precious and it still happens on occasion. When it does, I find that time is a great equalizer. Time tends to help me gain distance from the work whether I consider it a great piece or garbage.

By allowing time to neutralize my stronger feelings towards this piece, I could see it still had potential. By adding more line work, by not being so careful, it gave the sketch a subtle change. It now feels less contrived and flows better.

Neutralizing Fear So You Can Play
If you have some sketches you're not crazy about in your sketchbook, but don't quite have the courage to jump in and take the chance of messing up the page, I would suggest scanning it or photographing it and then printing it out and practicing on it. If you're not any happy with the changes you can just ball up the paper and throw it away.

Consider printing out more than one copy to try out different ideas.

Staying stuck, especially out of fear, stops our artistic growth. Taking chances, trying different things, will almost always move you forward even if you don't like the end result because even then, we're learning.

So pull out your sketchbook and look for a page that just doesn't quite make you happy or that you downright dislike. Consider what you can do to make it better, more likable. Will more pen work help, will adding a different color or a background or more values or perhaps using stamps change it up? Will small changes do the trick or do you need something more drastic like gesso or a piece of ephemera? Is there an area you can cover up with another piece of paper, like craft brown paper that would help?

Finding the courage to make those changes is the first step.

Fried Corn Fritters

No, this is not becoming a food blog! However, I feel compelled to share that I have met and overcome a lifelong fear of...................hot grease!

Yeah, I know....not all that thrilling, but true, all the same. I have been afraid of hot grease since I will big enough to know what hot grease was and I wasn't even big enough to reach the stove yet!

My mother doesn't understand it nor does she know where the fear came from. She doesn't remember me ever getting close enough to the stove to get burnt by a pop of grease. Mom even wonders if she may have gotten burned while she was pregnant with me, if you believe those kinds of things.

Still, when my hubby asked me to make deep fried corn fritters for Valentine's Day, I knew my moment had come to face down my fear.

Failure was not an option.

After realizing I fully intended to try frying the fritters, my husband casually suggested that perhaps I should wait until he got home from work! I guess I should have been insulted, but it was actually a pretty funny comment at the time.

I carefully heated the grease in the kitchen kettle my mother had given us a few years ago and set about mixing up the fritter batter. When the grease reached 400º, I started dropping in the batter.

It took a several attempts and testing a few different tools before I had the nice round, puffy fritters you see in the photo.

But let me tell you, I was the domestic diva last night when Chris popped one in his mouth and pronounced it excellent! (Mind you, he hasn't had his mother's in 6 or 7 years, so I didn't have any real stiff competition.)

I had finally bested my fear of the hot grease. Yay me!!!

Corn Fritters
P.S. This is a "special occasion" food unless you're looking to fast-track yourself to a heart attack!

This past Saturday, my niece Amanda was married at an outdoor wedding.....in August.....in Florida. Yes, you read that correctly. In the photo, the flower girl is spraying Amanda's face with a water mister/fan thingie that helped to keep the girls cool before the ceremony.

I had started to put together a sketch of some of these images. I wanted to do a more personal representation of the day and I was struggling with my sketch to make it look like Amanda and her new husband, Dustin.

When Chris came in from work and saw the sketch, we started to talk about it. I was not happy with it at all. Since it was family, I definitely wanted the people in the sketch to look like who it was suppose to be and not the Asian folks that had shown up on the page.

Amanda & Dustin

I wasn't good enough.

Mind you, that's not what he said at all. It's what I heard. My insecurities were already raging, nipping at my heels and chewing on my toes. (I tend to think of my insecurities as piranhas...they move in at the first scent of insecurity and work into a feeding frenzy.)

I took my sketchbook back to the studio and erased the whole page......

I shouldn't have listened.

Not to my insecurities. Nor to my fears that I couldn't complete the sketch to my satisfaction. And I shouldn't have erased the damn thing.

Cheesecake and Cupcakes!

 What did I learn?

1. The next time my insecurities are that raw, it's probably best not to enter into a conversation about the art no matter how well-meaning the person may be.

2. Wait before erasing. Nothing would have changed if I would have waited until this morning and still decided to erase.

3. I shouldn't have listened to the fear. I know better. Fear is not a good leader.

4. I would have learned something if I had gone ahead with the sketch, even if I had not done the work satisfactorily or to my satisfaction (two different things).

5. Nobody but me would have seen it anyway. Especially if I didn't think it was good enough.

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Watkins!

Chris and Booger No Name Fountain Pen with Unknown Black Ink In Junk Journal

A comment from Monday's post by Cris from Cris, Artist In Oregon fame started me thinking about why we draw, why we draw in a journal...and why it can be so difficult. She wrote the following in response to my question at the end of the post, do you draw regularly:

No, I dont draw regularly Laure. I was in the garden this weekend trying to draw something and what a mess. I NEED to do this regularly. But I find excuses not to. Groan. Number one excuse is WHAT to draw and TWO how to put it on the paper. Should I do it in an order etc. I am so looking forward to my new Northlight Artist journal workshop book coming that deals with these things

Pondering what Cris had written, I realized that many artists (and on occasion, myself) get hung up on what to draw, should it be in order, should it be pencil, pen and ink, watercolor, colored pencil, some combination of mixed media, and then we wonder if it should be a vertical format, maybe square, or horizontal maybe! Oh, wait! We remember we just got that new journal with the handmade paper and we can use our Cray Pas crayons in it! No, wait, the new walnut ink, or maybe we ought to just stick with something simple like pencil......

Sound familiar?!

And so, we draw nothing. Held captive by the overwhelm of choices and possibilities. My response to Cris was simple:

Cris, this is going to sound odd, but it really doesn't matter what you draw if you're drawing for practice. It's more important that you simply draw!

Like most things, it helps to have a clear idea of why we're undertaking a task in the first place.

Are we drawing to improve a certain skill set? How to draw with a certain media type? Or how to draw roses? Or watercolor or pen and ink? Or just plain, old practice?

For me, drawing is the foundation element of all art. To be good at drawing only increases my ability to put something on the page I'm going to really like. I want to be able to draw anything, anywhere, any time. Am I there yet? Heavens, no! But the fun is in the trying and you can bet I'll keep trying!

The sketch above is poor with regard to the perspective, shading and so on. That's okay. It records a moment in our lives of our 20 year-old cat curled up on Chris' pillow. She does this every night. I sketched this in under 5 minutes because Chris was waiting for me to get in the bed and turn the lights out!

I couldn't have done this if I wasn't willing to fail. I couldn't have done this if I hadn't been practicing quick sketching in a hurry. Since Booger's health has begun to fail, I can't wait until I'm good enough. I have to do it now or the chance will be gone forever.

Failing is as much a part of learning as success and what I've learned is that it's okay to fail. In fact, fail gloriously! It means we're learning something! How else can we learn if we don't fail?! Success is not nearly the teacher that failure is.

Cris wrote back, saying:

Thank you, Laure...What you said in your comment to me seemed to free me. I have been drawing something every day. They aren't the greatest drawings and it's in an old torn sketch book, but I am drawing. It feels good to just do something that means nothing but practice.

Sometimes, it really is just that simple. It's practice. It's making a mark on the page. It doesn't matter how,  the paper, the book, the order....it's about the practice.

So I ask, what's holding you back from practicing your drawing skills?

Farm Fresh 3.5 x 8.5 inches Watercolor and Ink Handbook Watercolor Sketchbook

Detail of Texture from Autumn Tree, Watercolor Painting

The kids go back to school in our county today. The football season has begun and the voter booths are open today, and even though it doesn't feel like it.....it's gotta be Fall! And it's shaping up to be a busy Autumn with lots of new classes on the schedule! Please visit September's i•Trav•e•logue for all the details!

Detail of Texture from Autumn Tree, Watercolor Painting

The two images above are details from a recent painting exploration we did in the Artful Journaling: Explorations class. As I was talking with my husband about this painting, I found myself calling it a failure.....and I knew that wasn't right. I stopped to examine what I was saying. I was a bit disappointed that once again the need to be perfect had slid back in.

You see, I had judged this painting a failure because the end result, the "product," is not destined to be a show piece, a gallery piece or even a display piece. When I looked at the process and what I learned, this painting was a tremendous success! Once again, I found myself needing to redefine "failure" as well as reminding myself of what my goals for the piece were to begin with!

A failure, to me, would be when I didn't learn anything, when my goals are not clear, or when I repeated an action from a past experience that had already taught me it would not work. I did not set out to create a show piece with this painting. My goal was to learn a simple technique and how I could push it and do different things with it. That goal was accomplished. So where did this word "failure" come from?

It came from fear. Fear that I would be judged as a bad watercolorist at the very least and a complete idiot at the worst. Because it wasn't a "perfect" painting. Fear of not being "good enough" is an insidious thing....and it requires vigilance to keep it out of our thoughts!