This is a short notice for my German readers that the book of Urban sketchers is finally available in German. What a wonderful movement this is and that it has brought together so many artist from all over the world. This book is so inspering to start sketching.
Posts Tagged »Creativity«:
Be patience with yourself
17th, June 2012 - 07:35 PM
Pier Teufelsbrueck, Sketchbook, 2012
© Astrid Volquardsen
There are many people out there who have a deep desire to express themselves with a sketchbook but lack the courage to do so. In our fast moving world there doesn’t seem to be any time left for a slow continually grow of a skill. Besides the fear of failure, impatience with oneself seems to be the biggest enemy when it comes to learn sketching. You would like to learn fast and please, if possible without any setbacks. Well, it doesn’t work this way. There are times when you learn very quickly and improve fast and there will be times when your progress is very slow.
Be patience with yourself and don’t emphasise your imperfections. In the beginning sketches might look horrible, but with every line you draw you will improve and there will be a point when you can let go of your fears and start actually enjoying to explore and capture the surrounding world with your pen.
Paris – Academie de Grand Chaumiere
24th, May 2012 - 08:02 AM
In Paris there still are open art academies like the Academie de Grand Chaumiere. You can enroll for a couple of weeks, days or just for a couple of hours. All you have do to is to show up and pay a fee. We took part in a nude drawing class which lastet four hours and it was a pure joy to take part. Besides the very good model I enjoyed the the quiet and concentrated working atmosphere very much. No chatting, no rummaging around in ones bags. That is probably one of the reasons why the work most of the students is of high quality. If you happen to be in Paris and would like to participate show up 40 minutes in advance or the best seats are already taken.
© Astrid Volquardsen
© Astrid Volquardsen
© Astrid Volquardsen
Sketch!
14th, March 2012 - 08:25 PM
During my last two workshops I could see the wish in many eyes to draw perfectly, but something kept my students from even trying to sketch. Most of the time it’s fear of failure. During sketching very often the dominant left side of the brain constantly comments with words like »Oh I can’t do that, it looks wrong, it’s bad, I am never going to learn this… (Sound familiar?)«
Well, a sketch is not about the perfect drawing but about being a vehicle for exploration and understanding, a way to learn to »see« the world and not just look at it. Degas already knew that there is no beauty in absolute perfection.
Sketchbook, 14×20 cm, 2012
© Astrid Volquardsen
Jonathan Ive from Apple said in an interview: »What I enjoy about being here is there is a remarkable optimism, and an attitude to try out and explore ideas without the fear of failure. … It is so important to be light on your feet, inquisitive and interested in being wrong.«
Ice Drift
7th, February 2012 - 10:22 PM
Last weekend we went to the harbour of Hamburg to watch the ice drift. Because of the Sibirien cold front the ice growth on the river is increasing day by day. This part of the river is still under the influence of the tides of the North Sea and the icebraekers and the containerships keep the ice sheet still loose. I don’t know what came to my mind when I decided to start the plein air season this weekend in this biting cold. At 23°F (but it certainly felt like 14°F, because of the cold wind) I could get done two color studies. After about an hour my fingertips were complaining and longed for a warm place… If you are interested to do plein air studies in a cold place like this: keep it small, keep it simple.
© Marc Volquardsen, 2012
© Marc Volquardsen, 2012
Meanwhile my husband made a timelapse video in which he captured the beauty of my hometown harbour.
Fingerpainting on iPad Art by David Kassan
7th, January 2012 - 11:19 PM
Yesterday a friend of mine send me this link with the remark: » I think we are getting old…« I still prefer pastel as a painting medium, but it’s good to know that there is an alternative if I might develop a pastel dust alergy in future. Otherwise I am extremely impressed by the artistic skills of the American artist David Kassan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OLP4nbAVA4
