That’s what I tell my students, and perhaps I need to specify that I am NOT speaking of a hummingbird egg.
But, sometimes my students test their skills while also testing mine. I warn, nag, deny, forbid, warn some more and finally capitulate, but with more warnings.
When someone insists on doing a drawing that I know from experience will be too hard, I just help them as much as possible, and moan the entire time. (Good thing I am not a parent.)
Susan is a classic case. She is determined, committed, focused, and perseverant. Look what she did! Yes, she erased the face multiple times, and there was one day where I almost shouted at every class, “LEAVE YOUR ERASERS BY THE FRONT DOOR TODAY!!” As she would leave class sometimes, I would tell her, “DON’T TOUCH THE FACE!”
Why she puts up with me, I’m not sure. She is a remarkable person doing a fantastic job of learning to draw. Congratulations, Susan, on a job well done!
P.S. To everyone else taking drawing lessons, NO FACE SMALLER THAN A GOOSE EGG! (At least I didn’t say an emu egg, although I felt like it.)
Better see what this looks like in black and white – sometimes that clarifies things.
Now I am ready to offer the customer some choices.
She chose B, my favorite. I love it when that happens. Makes me feel trusted. I got it laid out and began shading.
The redbud is still quite beautiful on the lower part of the road. Isn’t the color brilliant after all the browns up the road?
You can see that the customers chose neither A nor B. C was a result of a photo I took at the orchard, because they wanted something that distinguished theirs from every other walnut grove.
I don’t know why I started at the bottom of the page. Look – more blue! It makes the yellows and oranges look brighter.
This type of iris is my favorite. The colors are never quite as good in the photos as real life, but sometimes I have done okay with oil paint in capturing these. (It’s been a few years since I painted any.)
See that shadow through the lace? That is a Peeping Sam(son).
Making mosaic items –stepping stones, a few table-tops, a bowling ball, drinking fountain and light pole – is a striking change from drawing in pencil. These were done with tiles I found at garage sales and a few left-over pieces from when I was slamming these out by the dozens. The big box stores don’t carry bright colors or pretty designs any more, so I think the era of easy tile buying has ended.
We planted tomatoes and stepping stones. Trail Guy built this fortress against deer, gophers and birds. Guess we’ll still have to deal with the bugs.
The herb garden is my place of refuge. The various fence pieces are all salvaged. It won’t keep out the deer, but it will slow them down a bit. It looks a little hokey but I get satisfaction from using what we have available (or “upcycling” in the current vernacular).
And sometimes I just sit, read, knit, pick the catkins out of my hair from the mulberry branches overhead, and smell the lilacs.
