Lessons learned

Another snow day gave me a little time after teaching to add some more details to this baby drawing. I'm not pleased with it as the features are skewed so it will be abandoned to the 'experiment' drawer and I will have learned to step back from my drawing to review it from time to time. The drawing is salvageable, but I don't think I'll pursue it. It started more as a doodle then grew.

In my last spending spree in the USA I stocked up on all the art goodies that I can't obtain in Canada. One of those things is Bristol 500 plate paper. I haven't been able to access this smooth surfaced paper in Canada. I can get Bristol smooth or vellum - the 300 series, but not the 400 or 500. I tucked it away in my cupboard and it slipped my mind til I rediscovered it when putting the unfinished baby to rest.

its about time that I started a new portrait in earnest. My grand daughter will be a year old in a week and I'd like to create a portrait of her to celebrate. (Provided my daughter comes up with a more recent photo to work from...hint, hint...) This plate finish Bristol should be the perfect surface to do a baby portrait. Plate (Hot Press) is unsurpassed for fine pen and pencil work, allowing flat and even washes.

A lot of my time is spent creating drawing lessons, but finally I have got enough under my belt to start to recycle some of them so it means less prep time for when I do teach. My time teaching goes fairly quickly, depending on what we're doing and I always learn something new from the kids.