Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. It is also an excellent source of practice. For this week’s Old Masters drawing project, I looked up famous Italian sculptures. Michelangelo’s David – the famous pensive subject above – popped up. Immediately, I thought of this book I had read as a child called the From the … More Sketching Michelangelo’s David
Every weekend, I’ve been working on one pencil drawing, usually at a local cafe. Recently, I discovered an art group that draws together on the weekends. I decided to go. It was fun! We all drew different subjects and babbled about movies and art. For a moment, it felt like art class: a space carved … More Imitating Art’s Old Masters
The book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain talks about the concept of negative space. Our brains tend to focus on objects – positive space – rather than the edges surrounding them – negative space. One example the book used was Bugs Bunny running through a door and leaving his imprint behind. Emptiness … More Negative Space
One of my goals this year is to sketch one drawing every weekend. This was my first graphite piece in a long time. Nothing fancy – just shapes and values. But it felt nice, getting back into art. I drew beside an old friend as she studied for a certification test. The hours flew by. … More Gradients in Graphite
I have been reading the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. It’s like Drawing 101, but now I’m putting theory to practice. I would find myself using these art tactics without fully understanding why. Instead of doing all the activities at once, I’m taking my time, absorbing the concepts and following the … More Sketchbook Challenge
And that’s a wrap for Inktober 2022! For the past three years, I have been participating, alongside hundreds of other artists, in the daily art challenge. Similar to my past entries, this year’s drawings were all horror-themed. Daily art projects are difficult. For every image, I cobble together reference photos, sit down, sketch, shade, share, … More Inktober 2022
Another month, another daily challenge. This June, I painted a portrait a day on the iPad Procreate app. Although the challenge was difficult, I was excited to learn about the expansive capabilities available in Procreate. And ’twas thanks to le beau, too – after completing my first horror-themed Inktober 2020, le beau gifted me an iPad. … More Daily Portrait Challenge
Over the past few months, I’ve been learning how to make Lofi drawings. Drawn to its pastely hues, I have mostly admired the vibey aesthetic from afar. Recently inspired, I’ve started experimenting with Lofi, funneling hours into lines and lights and shadows. Here are some recent drawings:
On a whim, I returned home and decorated my childhood room. I added heaps of pillows, pots of plants. I dusted an old leafy rug to place beneath the cherrygloss side table. I added decorative books, vases, flowers. I’m not sure why I felt compelled to decorate a bed I no longer sleep on – … More Empty Nest
It’s Christmas Eve. It’s quiet and unseasonably warm. Tonight, I set up the tree, lit up several candles, positioned the Santa projector, and put on fairy lights. In the morning, I visited family. This year, as a marker of good health, we were out and about in fresh air, chatty and active and happy. I … More Christmas Eve
We were at the bookstore yesterday, in the corner by the back of the tables, where I read Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri. I was surprised by how drawn I was to the story, situated in Boston, and I was surprised by how vivid the scenes were. They reminded me of Pennsylvania, the suburbs on … More Vivid
Figments from my figure drawing sketchbook. Five years ago, wanting to draw more from life, I, totally not creepy at all, started sketching people and figures around me. This included professors and students and strangers; some references were from the Internet, while others were people sitting directly across from me, probably trying to figure out … More Sketchbook Tour: Faces & Figures
And just like that, the month is almost over, and so is Inktober! This year, based on the prompts, I drew one horror-themed drawing every single day. It was, as expected, difficult to slough through the end, but I managed to finish. Over the years, I had watched artists join the challenge, while I remained … More Inktober 2021
Lately, we’ve been on the same wavelength in slightly eerie, but mostly sweet, ways. Like how he’ll dream of a specific situation that I wake up in the morning drawn to. Or how we’ll both blurt out “thanks for cleaning the apartment” and “thank you for putting your stuff up” at the same time. Or … More Like Fish in Water
We’re all the same type of people, loners who love and lone together, and there is no other relationship more fulfilling than knowing that you’re someone else’s person (not even in a romantic context) and they’re yours. … More Stream
(Because why not stay up until 3 AM drawing comics?)
I wish I could do better by you ‘Cause that’s what you deserve You sacrifice so much of your life In order for this to work – The Girl, City and Color
Inspired by Inktober, I created a set of December Drawing prompts, which skyrocketed on Reddit. Eventually, someone made a subreddit dedicated to the prompts! Every day of December, I – and other Redditors – shared one holiday-themed piece of artwork. Although the 2020 holiday season looked different from others, I was excited to share a … More December Art Challenge 2020
It’s official. I’ve committed to–and completed–the Inktober 2020 Challenges! Based on the daily prompt above, I drew a spooky pen and ink piece every day of October. Drawing one piece a day was just as hard as I had remembered. I had embarked on the 365 Drawing Project in both 2017 and 2018, giving up … More Inktober 2020
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.”
I heard them calling in the distance So I packed my things and ran Far away from all the trouble I had caused with my two hands Alone we travelled armed with nothing but a shadow We fled far away Hold your horses now Sleep until the sun goes down Through the woods we ran … More Mountain Sound
Spent last Nov/December holed up into digital art, the one thing I derived a sense of stability from. With protests going on outside my room–constantly, it seemed–and wishy-washy people fluttering around and tests looming ahead, art was an escape. So I drew. A lot. Mostly on the computer using Wacom tablets–the library had them. They … More A Year of Digital Painting
(Still deciding whether I like gouache paint or not)
coolpeppermint 