Monday, May 7, 2012

29 Faces: Face #3 or "Oh my goodness! I drew that??"

Okay, well, technically, I erased it.  Weird, I know, but I saw it in a video.  Cover the entire page with graphite, smudge it around on the page with a paper towel, then erase all of the light spots (and add in a few darks).   About halfway into the first eye (which incidentally was my starting point) I started to think "oh, no...why did I think I could do this??"  Barely into it, I began to doubt that I have the skills to complete a decent drawing!  I mean why should I think that I can?  I have no formal training!  I'm a music teacher!!  Still, I kept going.  Lucky for her, I did, or she'd be a blob of graphite with one eye!  

A couple of things I picked up from the experience:

1.  Those insecure feelings will come.  They always do.  I've got a lot of unfinished projects that testify to this truth.  Today, however, I have one drawing that emphatically shouts:  "Keep drawing!  It's totally worth it!"  

2.  It's really quite amazing what  a little erasing can do.  This drawing started as a dark, scary blob of graphite on a piece of paper.  Perhaps a bit like my life...which often feels like a dark, scary blob of "what am I doing?"  But what if the Lord is in the business of erasing?  What if I can hang on just one more day, sit still, and let Him remove just one more bit of ugly?  As a serious perfectionist, hell-bent on being flawless in my own power (read: exhausted), that actually sounds quite lovely.  Man, am I glad I kept drawing!


29 Faces:  Face #3
Graphite on paper



5 comments:

  1. She's a beautiful teacher, eh? Yay for you trying something new and learning new technique!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm happy you kept going too. She is a real beauty. Keep drawing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great job and you really captured the shape of the face and her nose. Noses are so hard! Looking forward to seeing more.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Katie,
    Oh my gosh, how cool! Okay, this whole idea of drawing and then erasing gives me an idea about writing. How we should just get it all out and then smear and smudge, and hopefully what we have left is something beautiful.

    Thanks so much for the note at my place and checking in. Hope graduate school is going well!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very nice and what great exercise. I'll have to try it. She's beautiful! Jeanne

    ReplyDelete