Pages

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Wait A Minute Wednesday

My knees are quite sore this morning after doing the slow jog for the entire hour on the treadmill yesterday. At first I as thinking of just taking the day off, but instead I think I will do today's session just walking at a leisurely pace (3 mph) and no incline. I think that will be enough of a change to give the old knees a bit of a respite.

While trying to think up an alliterative name for today's post, I suddenly had a bunch of phrases from my childhood clamoring for attention in my brain. Do any of these ring bells for you?

Don't get your shirt in a bundle
You don't know if you're afoot or on horseback
Were you born in a barn?
Don't make me come in there!
If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?
You remind me of your great aunt - she wasn't much (said fondly and as a joke)
Easy as falling off a horse


I know there are some real doozies that I am forgetting, but all the noise in my head while these were fighting for attention has made me forget them for now.

I made a couple of sketches in my SC journal yesterday for day 4 and they are quite different for me. They are definitely outside my comfort zone. I am horrible at perspective and what I think is called "shortening" when some part of the drawing is coming toward you. Mayhaps I have found a challenging kind of drawing to try to improve. While I find it very frustrating and am not at all pleased with it, I would really like to get better at it.





That is supposed to be an adirondack chair on the left and a barn on the right. The two buildings look like they are collapsing in the middle and are coming off the ground at their respective ends. I can't decide whether I should wait until I get better at the sketches to add color or if adding color might hide some of the awkwardness.

Other than walking the treadmill and making banana oatmeal muffins (I have two very ripe bananas to use), I don't have any firm plans for today. I can see trying another building sketch and I am wanting to make myself a travel journal for my trip in February. And I must get 2010 tax info ready for my tax lady before I go away. Each year I promise myself that I will keep up month by month and each year I end up with next to nothing done and a huge pile of receipts and notes to weed through and organize. Ugh!!

It snowed last night. We don't have much but there is a layer over the grass. It is pretty, but I think I can find lots of reasons to stay indoors today. What about you? Do you love the cold and want to go out in it? Or do you prefer to look at its prettiness from the warmth of your reading chair?

I'd better get a move on. I hope to see you tomorrow.

xoxo

10 comments:

  1. Perspective is tough - I may have a book that will help. I'll see if I can find it by Friday. One I remember is, "If you don't stop that I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!", said by my dad ... I don't remember him ever hitting us. As for your question .... definitely watch the snow from inside while eating "Monkey Muffins". lol hugs, nancy

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wish I could help you more with your sketch but I can barely see it -- still room for improvement with my eyesight. As far as liking or not liking the cold I don't really have a choice about going out in it over and over again every day. I have a big, floppy dog who dearly loves going "out", rain, snow, sleet or hail. I'm her personal dog walker and she knows which buttons to push when she wants to go for a run.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have done buildings like that for years... it gives them character, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those phrases from your childhood made me laugh, I swear everyone got at least one of those, but my fav. is the one about being like your aunt and not amounting to much; the playful tone is fun.

    You are being too hard on yourself when it comes to your picture. Why don't you look at the good things and see what you did great? That chair. Oh I want to sit in that chair and just put my head back, I think you did a great job making it look inviting.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good for you for getting back on the treadmill - I would have taken it as an opportunity to have a break :) Perspective is difficult but as with anything practice makes perfect. If you don't at first succeed, try, try again. xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think you are being far too hard on yourself - I could tell that was an Adirondack chair (for heaven sakes!) and the barn seems solid to me. It seems to me it is on a hill and I have an aerial perspective. I like that. So color it! (Why not?)

    ReplyDelete
  7. When I lived in Boise, I loved the winter because I didn't feel so bad for staying inside and sketching or reading. It was my built-in excuse for being lazy! In Houston, we don't get cold enough to use that as an excuse! :(

    Perspective isn't so difficult at all...once you know the rules!! I would go to the library and look for a book on it. 'Perspective Made Easy' is a good one for non-architects. It isn't bad though. Like Dan says, it is a bird's eye view! Or an isometric projection?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Perspective isn't so hard if you'll do some practice with the lines drawn on your paper for "perspective"!!! Get a book at the library that explains it and your worries will be over. As far as cold and winter? Hate it! Hate the shorter days. I want to move somewhere it is warm all year round.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Here is someone who gives a couple of EASY lessons on perspective drawing:

    http://www.youtube.com/user/SuzetsStudio#g/u

    ReplyDelete
  10. I recognized the chair and the barn right away. They look good.

    I appreciate the perspective advice, as I think it is hard too. Thanks for the helpful post.

    ReplyDelete