A girl and her pencils.....The Secretary Bird part 4

Good morning world. A very happy Tuesday to you. This project is going to be a long one I can tell! Progress is slow and it is a large piece. 15x10 inches. I would never recommend anyone start with colored pencil on a piece this size. It does make it easier to get the detail, but it is daunting even when you are used to working in colored pencil and the slowness of the medium. I actually find blogging and taking the daily photo helpful, because to me it seems that I am getting nowhere! But then when I take the photo and compare it to the previous day I can see that I have accomplished quite a bit .... in coloured pencil terms that is!
One of the things I have found with drawing (and life in general really) is that it is easy to get discouraged when you compare your work to someone else's. I have had to learn to change the way that I think. Always in life there will be someone that is better at something than you are. That does not make what you have done bad. I was really apprehensive about showing my artwork to the world. I kept thinking, but I am not as good as....... (Endless list of artists here!). But the truth is that we all have to start somewhere. Those artists that I love, well, they have been doing it for many, many years, often with the advantages of great teachers or universities. So, I have come to realise that it us a journey. One that I will continue to make progress along for as long as I continue to draw. And rather than be discouraged by another's brilliant work, I try to think, if I keep practising, then one day I will be able to do that. And that is true, because drawing is a skill, not a god given gift. It is just practise. So now I look at those pieces and ask, 'what can I learn from this! What do I like better about what they have done than what I would have done? Have they captured the light better? Is there more contrast? Are the colours stronger/brighter/more subtle? Is it the composition? Can I improve my work by studying theirs?'

Very often, the only real difference between a better picture is time. The person who completed the better picture has taken the time to build the layers and finish the work properly. Every square inch, beautifully finished. They didn't relent and scribble the background or the fur under the chin or the feathers n the head. Just a little extra time and care can make a huge difference to your piece. As so often happens in life we can make great changes simply by changing our thinking. Each new picture to me is an opportunity to grow and progress over the last. This blog for me is a way of visually seeing that progress. I hope that you are enjoying the journey with me too.

Please feel free to add a comment, I always forget to say. Or ask a question or suggest a topic that you would like me to cover.
Have a wonderful Tuesday, whatever you may be doing. Never forget to enjoy the little things.

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