Tag: November 2015

Permalink: http://www.static8.com/journal/2015/20151101.html
Entry #1 on this page (tagged: november, art)

I logged on to my drawing class website, all excited and looking forward to watching a video and reading the intro stuff... um? why isn't there anything new? *reading* oh. shoot. The class doesn't start until the 3rd! foo.

So I pulled out my new sketch book and a nice purple blending group of Copics and...

Yes, it's a Horse and Pony Drawing Class! I used to be a horse person. I rode horses as often as my parents would pay for. And I graduated college with an Equine Science BS.

And then I was not a horse person. I didn't have the cash to get regular lessons any more. and I had begun my vegan journey and understood in my heart that turning horses into slaves, forcing them with bits and whips, was wrong.

But horses are still my first love. Which is why I'm taking this drawing class!

Permalink: http://www.static8.com/journal/2015/20151115.html
Entry #2 on this page (tagged: november, art)

Well, I'm not doing a very good job of updating. But I am drawing most every day. (I've missed 2 days so far, and made up for one of those with a double drawing.) Not only that, but I'm also sending mail every day as well. (So far, no days missed and I send between 1 and 6 postcards every day!)

Last weekend, I just didn't have time to post an update... But more than that, I didn't want to show my drawings! I was embarassed. Yes, you can tell they are horses, but gah, so artless, so not pretty, so... beginner.

Sighs. Then I decided to just get over myself. Static8 is my home on the internets; if I can't be me here, it's kind of pointless.

And yes, I am allowed to be a beginner! So here I am with my beginning drawings of horses. As a kid I drew horses on my homework. But I've never taken a class specifically about drawing horses. I had no idea that there were grids you could use and proportions to measure things out to make them look right! well, not that mine "look right" yet. ;)

Beyond the obvious trouble of "not quite looking right", I am especially having trouble with the ears. So I took a day to draw a couple extra ears.

Then I got going on the next lessons.

So I am drawing most days! And since the class extends into december, I'm okay with skipping a day here and there. I know I'll have to put the class on pause at some point because december is busy and crazy for me. But I'll keep plugging along until that point.

Permalink: http://www.static8.com/journal/2015/20151122.html
Entry #3 on this page (tagged: november, art)

Permalink: http://www.static8.com/journal/2015/20151126.html
Entry #4 on this page (tagged: november, art)

As an ethical vegan, thanksgiving makes me incredibly sad. Millions of individuals have been tortured and murdered for this one day of gluttony which has nothing to do with being thankful.

In protest, I will not be eating today. I have been fasting on thanksgiving for the past few years, my own personal tradition.

I am also disappointed in myself for failing at the Art Every Day challenge. Always before, I have taken my november "every day" challenge very seriously. I don't know why I'm not demanding my best efforts this year.

Granted, I was not feeling well last week. And this week, I had to work overtime at the day job. Not fun. But I started skipping days well before all this, at the beginning of the 2nd week. And now that I'm acknowledging my lameness, I have also lost my motivation to continue!

I will keep going with my drawing lessons, and my occasional sketches. And I think I will try again, some month soon in 2016... Perhaps also making an effort to post here every day as well, to keep me motivated!

The day job has become rather oppressive to my spirit recently, and I am happy to have a couple days off. During this long weekend, I will be catching up with my GoodReads postcards (over 60 to send out this month!) and a few other letter writing projects. And a few other random projects!

Stuff I'm learning from drawing horses every other day... I haven't gotten bored of drawing horses yet! Charcoal (top two sketches) is fun, but messy. I hate sharpening pencils, so I dug out my good mechanical pencil for the second 23 nov sketch.

Lesson 3 is about drawing horses in motion... I printed the PDFs, and jumped right into sketches without watching the video lessons! I realized right away from my "Ugh #1" that I still need the square grid to help me with the body proportions.

Permalink: http://www.static8.com/journal/2015/20151127.html
Entry #5 on this page (tagged: november)

Our first frost of the season occurred on the morning of last saturday, 21 nov. Since then, it's stayed pretty cold, with below freezing temperatures most nights. brr! Especially since normal low temperatures for this time of year are around 37° (3°C).

When I headed out for my walk, mid-morning, it was right at freezing. There was still frost in the shadows. And when I got to the garden I saw all our borage had been frost killed in the past week.

On the way home, I discovered a hawk! He or she was just a little bit too far away to get a decent photo... but it's adequate for attempting a species identification! I'm pretty sure this is a California Red-Shouldered Hawk, just at the northern edge of their winter range. (NatGeo) (Audubon)

(Identifying hawks is hard!)

In the past month or so? there has also been a new Kingfisher patroling the creek. I've never seen one in our area before! No pics yet, other than a couple blurry ones. But if he sticks around, it's just a matter of time before I get his portrait! :)

Static8 > Journal > Tag: November

<< Oct 2015 --- Dec 2015 >>

Site Map