Thursday, April 23, 2009

Learn to Soar - Taking Flight

So, I started to work out of Kellie Rae Roberts book, Taking Flight with the ning group. Actually, I started a couple of weeks ago, with Chapter One, learning to Soar. What a great chapter! It really got me thinking, asking all the questions about buried dreams and unearthing them. Dreams we used to have, dream we gave up on, or maybe forgot about.



I started by taking one of my son's old hard-covered school books, front and back cover, and cutting them in 1/2, leaving me with four "boards". My problems....wait....my own insecurities...lol.... started in when I begin painting faces. I had a really hard time with the face on this one. I painted her eyes twice, then decided the whole face needed redone, started over again and this is where I stopped torturing myself.



We were given suggestions for the biding to use words like ART - WHISPERS - etc...

I decided to stick with the chapter theme, SOAR... since I have no idea where this is taking me and I will just sort of SOAR through the process.











Ok, so the eyes gave me a really hard time, that just means I will be better this time, right?

WRONG~!

The next girl I started on was waaayy off!!! The idea I had in my head was a wide open mouth. I wasn't sure why I was inclined this way, but the thought process evolved into her singing and maybe some sort of bird embellishments.
Oh my word.... the mouth was AWFUL! It was more like a big 'ole gaping hole! The "inside" of the mouth was painted black, and these tiny little lips surrounding this hole.. a bright red. She looked like she was screaming at the top of her lungs and yet had no tongue or teeth or uvula.

Ok, so I try to make the lips a little larger and the hole a little smaller. WRONG AGAIN~! This whole mouth was just not conducive of the entire face and her lips now looked like some sort of cartoon character with a bad saline injection. I think she was re-painted about six times. The constant rubbing and repainting and changing also took its toll on the background paper.
Anyway, she ended up like this. I decided to put an AC/DC T-shirt on her and make her a "rebel". I guess the journaling came from the original "screaming" girl, and my frustration. lol






My third girl.... just a sweet girl holding a flower. A little better, but boy do I have still have some practice to do. I hope my hips don't look like hers any time soon. I WILL be 40 this year. :(





And finally..... this girl. I think she's my favorite, but still not what I envision myself drawing.




I still have the back cover to finish and the journaling left, but overall, I actually enjoyed it. It's funny....thinking of all the tries, re-tries and frustration... how each girl evolved. I'll never be a prized artist, but I'm sure having a lot of fun~!

6 comments:

Anne said...

Hi, Sandy! Looks like you're having fun working from the Taking Flight book by Kelly Rae Roberts!

Please don't beat yourself up for trying to draw faces! Faces are hard! They take time! Instead, give yourself credit for trying, for practicing, and for honoring yourself by spending time making art! :-)

Anne said...

Geez. Leave it to me to stick my foot in my mouth! What I meant was, "don't beat yourself up for trying to draw faces and not getting them how you want!" You drew perfectly fine faces!

purplecat said...

Its a great book isn't it, gave me some ideas!

Anonymous said...

faces seem to be the hardest to draw, butr you have the right idea, who cares anyway??

Looks like you are enjoying the process and the pleasure that comes from it...

Jeanne said...

Wow these are really cool. My hats off to you for letting yourself soar and going where the process takes you. Thanks for the inspiration. Did some scrapping yesterday and hope to do more today and maybe I'll let myself flap my wings at least.

Cheeka said...

I haven't heard of this book, but I have a feeling it will be in my library pretty soon (LOL). Kelly Rae Roberts is not one of my favorites (I don't like the tilted heads, bugs me big time) but I am reevaluating my thoughts here.

I think you did a fine job on the faces, but I can see why you don't like the eyes. Try adding eyelashes and the pupils and the little white dot on them, then maybe you'll like them better.

This was a real inspiration for me, thanks for sharing!