Day 135

This portrait was obviously done while traveling. I was enthused about stream of consciousness drawings (the presenters referred to it as zen-like art) from a workshop at the conference I'm attending, so I sat down to draw.

First things first: it's beyond clear to me that this project has improved my drawing skills exponentially.  Of course, I predicted that this would be the case from the very beginning.  Art and art-making is really no different than anything else that is done on a regular basis, such as practicing a musical instrument.  In other words, the more you do it, the better you get. 

But something that has changed that I suppose I should have predicted, but I never actually put into words:  I now draw much faster.  I have always been a very meticulous art-maker, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but this would always translate into working very slowly.  And this, of course, would often make the process drag along.

Secondly, I love taking chances with my art, without worrying about possible failure.  I really liked the cartoonish image of myself.  But once I added the hand, I liked the drawing less.  Once I added the dragonfly, I liked it even less.  And when I added the bird...okay, you see where I'm going.  I can't say that this drawing is a failure, but I will readily admit that this is not my most successful either.  I am of the firm belief that an artist should never set such high expectations for themselves that they would suggest each subsequent artwork MUST be better than the previous one.  When a person establishes that kind of goal, they are only setting themselves up for failure.

#134 March 4, 2011,  Pen