Friday, December 28, 2012

What Do Bird-Watching and Car-Sketching Have in Common?


12/28/12 fountain pen, Diamine Eclipse ink, Zig and Pitt markers, Hand Book sketchbook
It’s starting to feel like when I sketched 100 self-portraits or 100 hands. As long as I’ve assigned this task to myself of practicing drawing cars, I’ve got to find ways to make the exercise more interesting.
 
I have a few sketcher friends who are birdwatchers. Although I’m not a birder, I love sketching birds, and when I listen to the birders talk about small details – the angle of a tail, the shape of a wing, the “eclipse” plumage – that help them identify various species, it reinforces the obvious fact that the more I know and understand about what I’m sketching, the more informed my observation will be, and the better my sketch will turn out. Conversely, the more I observe and sketch birds, the more I’ll probably learn and understand about them, and the more I’m likely to appreciate them.
 
I don’t give a rat’s ass about this truck I sketched at Green Lake this morning. But I have to admit that I observed some lines and curves on it that I had never noticed before about this type of truck or any other. I don’t know enough about this “species” to identify it, but I think if I were to sketch another one just like it, I would probably remember that I had sketched it before.
 
Will this close observation of detail eventually lead me to better appreciate cars and trucks? Probably not. But I’ll settle for better sketches of them.

3 comments:

  1. I think when we so a series of sketches on the same topic we just become more aware. That's a good thing! Nice sketch!

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  2. Great post, Tina. Nice truck sketch too. Vehicles are just like most things in our world. Until we draw them we don't really see them. For myself, I can draw cars just fine. I just wish I could get someone else to draw the tires for me as I can't get them right to save my soul. Maybe I should draw 100 tires :-)

    Cheers --- Larry

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    Replies
    1. Drawing 100 tires... now THAT task would require creativity to keep it interesting! ;-) Thanks, Larry!

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