an art-related post

If you really want to know how my cleaning is going you can check out my other blog Decidedly Nikkie to read about it.  It is my 'everything' blog- and I want to get this one back on track to art.

So I'm going to share in more detail one of my goals this summer.

If you remember I have a ridiculous amount of sketchbook pages that I want to fill by the end of August- and to keep myself from just drawing random things in my sketchbooks I've actually got a plan.

One of the first things I'm going to dive into is 'Keys to Drawing' by Bert Dodson,  I've started this book before and done the first few exercises in it; but I've never really gotten through the whole thing before.  I don't know why- and for whatever reason I've been really dragging my feet on starting it again.  I know it will help improve my abilities; I don't question this.  But for whatever reason Mr Dodson, who is a fantastic artist chose to fill the book with what appears to be half done scribbles with no regard to the finished product.  I'm not sure why he made that choice.  I suppose so we can see the rough sketch that eventually becomes a finished piece?  But that really doesn't make sense for all of the examples he has in the book.  I don't know.  In any case my point is this: I find the book hard to look through because judging by the art alone- it will not help me grow.  HOWEVER I've spoken with multiple people and professors who have all recommended the book- and I have no doubt that reading it and going through the exercises will help me.  I just need to do it.

That was a long paragraph to pretty much say- I'm going to be starting with this book to fill up sketchbook pages.  I'm excited to tackle this project- because I know by the end I will have grown as an artist- and that is exciting.

~Alicia