drawings Archives - Page 4 of 13

Capture some shadow shapes

drawings, inspiration, stencils / Linda Germain / May 10, 2022

I take a daily walk in the woods along the lake and often see things that I want to use in my art making practice. It can be anything from weeds, leaves and sticks or inspiration for landscapes.

Those tangible things can be directly used in the gelatin printmaking process. I thinned down a tiny sprig of pine needles to make the prints below.

I have been collecting more fleeting inspiration in the form of cast shadows. The sun needs to be strong and calm winds help.

The bright sun simplifies the plants into shapes, and then I can more easily draw the leafy image. I does help to try to take the photo in the same angle and orientation that you want to draw it. Flipping in a photo program seemed off balance or wonky.

It can be very satisfying to do a few of these cast shadow drawing and fill them in with black ink or paint.

Blurry pictures create room for interpretation. I notice that leaves are all different shapes and when a few group together they make even weirder shapes.

The great thing about capturing shadows is that they don’t take up any studio space. And I always leave a few images on my phone, so I always have something as a drawing reference.

I encourage you to start to notice cast shadows and bring them back to your studio.

One bright sunny day, in the studio, I tried casting some shadows and capturing them at the same time. I could have used another hand, but I love the shapes created. I may not have seen them by looking at the real branch.

Enjoy!

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What will you nourish in 2022?

collage, drawings, inspiration / Linda Germain / January 3, 2022

Some folks pick an inspirational word at the beginning of the new year. I have never really done it before, but for some reason the word nourish is in my head these past few days.

Nourish has a warm comforting feeling.

If you look it up in the dictionary, you will find it means:

to nurture, to rear
to promote the growth of
to furnish or sustain with nutriment
to feed, maintain or support

Whether we realize it or not we are most likely nourishing something. It might be kids, or health or our art practice.

I am encouraged to look more closely at what I am doing to nourish my body, mind and soul. Nourish seems to be compassionate, caring and wise.

Three ways I am planning to nourish my life:

Eat more whole clean food and listen to the feedback from my body.
Gently let go of stuff in my car, home and studio, so my space is comfort.
Give myself more time each day to play at making marks.

The caring and supportive sense I get from the word nourish makes me feel excited to “feed” myself and grow healthier and happier with these activities. I don’t feel burdened by these “goals.”

I encourage you to try on the idea of nourishing yourself. What small change could you make to feel stronger, safer, or more nurtured?

Maybe join us in Creating Habits, the online class that explores a bit of drawing, collage and sketchbooking. Class starts January 7, 2022. Read all the details on the workshop page.

What will you nourish in 2022? Read More »

Keep your hands and eyes moving

drawings, inspiration, mark making / Linda Germain / December 21, 2021

As I prepare for the upcoming class, Creating Habits I am beginning to realized that much of my art making is about getting my hands and eye to work together to create an image.

We often take these two functions for granted. That is until we start to lose the abilities of either one.

I am learning to appreciate what I can do and to realize it is a daily process to keep and build my seeing and drawing skills. I have to keep it fun.

3 ways to build my seeing skills

Look at things from a different perspective – like upside down
Pause and notice what is above or below
Take a lot of pictures of things I like from different angles

3 ways to build my hand coordination

Look closely and “draw” a new font
Do hand yoga – gently appreciate the movements
Play with loosely holding pens and brushes at a distance

I encourage you to notice and appreciate your hands and eyes and to celebrate your abilities.

If you are interested in exploring hand/eye skills more deeply, then check out the current workshops.

Enjoy!

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Do you look or SEE?

drawings, inspiration, mark making / Linda Germain / December 2, 2021

Making art is about seeing. We use the sense of sight all day, and yet do we really see much?

The more I practice drawing and art making the more I know that it all is based on:

slowing down
looking long and closely
and training my hand to translate what my eyes are really seeing.

I think that it helps to think of seeing as a muscle/athlete in training. It is a skill that can be honed, focused or shaped.

We are so fortunate to live in this world with its abundant feast for our eyes. The challenge for the artist is to edit and find unique focus.

Things that I have been SEEING lately:

Shapes on roof tops and steeples
Different fonts
Autumn berries and twigs

I have complied some of my SEEING practices into a class, Creating Habits. This online workshop will run January 7 to 13, 2022. Check out the details and join us.

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Making for the mind

artist book, collage, drawings, inspiration / Linda Germain / November 16, 2021

I have been playing with drawing and collage lately. I can do these activities while I watch a funny show or listen to upbeat music.

Printmaking is a bit more physical and takes more focus.

Am I tired? Hmmm? Am I looking for a more relaxing making activity?

I am not sure. I don’t think this was a conscious decision. But in the process I have embraced some processes that are relaxing and fun. And I think that these new practices are developing my seeing and design skills.

For more art making habits check out this post on Ways to motivate. Enjoy!

Making for the mind Read More »