I spent my time, last night, after my summer solstice celebration, sketching.
Even the next day, I can feel the energy from the circle tingling along my palms, leaking into everything I put my mind to. I type with new ease. I sketch easily and happily. I feel excited to create all day long, and instead of feeling stress, as I normally do at the end of the week, when I put together the package that will become Journaling Deep, I’m calm and centered. The video’s already filmed and the raw footage has been loaded onto my laptop. I can spend the afternoon editing in my favorite coffee shop instead of scrambling.
You’d think after nearly 30 weeks of tutorials, I’d run out of ideas. And I did, for awhile, but am throwing myself at it with renewed vigor, material pouring out of me with the same excitement I remember from the first weeks of the project.
Last night's sketch! Gotta fix those eyes!
That’s not what I sat down to write about, though!
Back to my sketch. This morning (or afternoon, as I’ve been sleeping 12 hour nights to recover from my flare-up), I snapped a photo to share it on Instagram, as I usually do. And I thought, perhaps, I’d share with you why I do this with many, if not all of my sketches.
Because it helps make them better.
An early version of my Sunshine piece. I went back and re-did the neck and shoulders.
I’ve found that, when you take a photo and look at it, you can find all the things you need to fix. For example, in my latest photo, I noticed that, despite my measuring and ruler-using, her eyes seem to be uneven in size and placement, so I should go back in and fix ‘em up before I start applying paint.
But if I just look at the sketch, on the page, it doesn’t look like anything is wrong!
I’ve used this practice with paintings, too! I take photos along the way, stepping back to see the whole thing from a distance — something you simply must do when working on a piece of art! Seeing things from a distance helps you switch from focusing on the details, on the close-up as you paint or sculpt or draw, to seeing the BIG PICTURE!
What I'm currently working on. I haven't transfered her to the piece, yet, so the print-out is a placeholder.
Photos also let me see how I’m progressing, and creates a record for me to look back on when I feel the piece finished. They can also help you figure out where to place certain items — for me, I’m transferring my sketches to larger canvases, and I can place the print-out around the piece, snap a photo, and then look at all of them, side-by-side, feeling better equipped to make a decision on final placement.
(I should sooo do a video on how I transfer my sketches to my pieces. Tomorrow, or Monday, for sure!)
So the next time you’re working on something, take the time to step back and snap a photo. Share it with us on Instagram, your blog, Facebook, or even the Studio! You might just get some helpful feedback that’ll snap you back into the flow!
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