drawing session

…a few sketches from a recent drawing session. Some good, some not but doing this is important to keep the hand in. This drawing wasn’t so bad but it is the little sketch in the corner I feel captured more of the feeling needed. After a few hours of drawing you can really feel your hand loosening up and ready to do good work.  Once you reach a certain level of drawing knowledge and practice it is all too easy to sit back on the proverbial laurels and do work that is ‘good enough’.  This is the surest way to gradually lose the edge.

What is that ‘edge’?  Well, good question.  It is that elusive feeling of being ‘on’ that artists, musicians, actors get when they are giving one of their peak performances.  It is part magic, or rather feels that way at times, but in truth it is a matter of being in top form.  Fully trained and in good practice form so that the action comes naturally.  When a dancer or violinist is not in top form most people can tell…with the visual arts it is not so easy for the lay person to tell when the edge is not there.  But we know and letting this edge slip is the quickest way to lazy work.