If a Professional Artist approaches a picture with her old Student's Attitude, her work will still look Unprofessional. Even though she's already drawn thousands of Professional pictures.

Tonight I did just that. In my time off. To stay out of a rut of always drawing something the same way just because it works.

I chose a random photo online, and I tried to draw it with what I call 'worm-hair'. Something that does work for me at Parties and Events, but I felt like I wanted to do it Better. This one? Nope. Try again? I did the same thing. Again? Nothing different. Then I decided to approach the different Parts of the hair differently. Came out Looking a lot better, but I was still Feeling studious.

So I decided to do a Rough Value Study. To clarify to myself what I'm seeing.

Got tired of doing that, and I finally came out with This! (the 2nd picture posted here) What I learned from tonight's exercise is to avoid the 'worm hair' until After I have the Picture. From This point I probably could have gone back into this Successful hair to make those individual 'ropes' that I started tonight's exercise with. I might have tried that if I wasn't tired of studying already. Or more likely, I would have continued studying the next and the next and the next aspect of creating this Caricature. Shading, Coloring, Neck....... But I studied enough for tonight.

Or I could have tried a completely Different Attitude ~ to take off from the Student Attitude in a different direction. Perhaps to Simplify a Simple Drawing. Instead of the Successful one that I love here. Because there are as many different approaches to drawing as there are to anything else we do. There's not just One answer.

Of course I could have gone right into a good Caricature ~ with good Line Quality. Or a good Portrait ~ perfectly copying the Shading. I always do that when I'm working. But why would I do that now? This is my Study Time. My Slow Down Time. To check on what it is that I already know. To solidify it from different angles of my brain.

I did go into one of them for a Caricature. It was just too tempting. And I was positively affected by the Studies I had just done. So satisfying.

Quick Cacs ~ That's what I call'm when I'm asked to skip details, and just draw.

Never can tell what's going to come out. Look at how much fun we were having

Once again, I forgot that I can't use my IPad like Oil Paints.

I felt like I would be able to use Colors and Transparencies and just one Brush to hone in on the picture. But that's Not how it works.

By the time I loosened up and started using it Only like the IPad that it is, I was getting tired of this activity for tonight.

I had a Great Time! And next time, I'll either go back to the Quicker Party Caricature Style that I worked so hard to develop. Or I'll try this semi-oil-painting style in a Monochrome.

The life of an Artist. The Quest never ends