Life Drawing - Watercolour

Have I wittered on recently about the importance of life drawing recently? No?

Well, that may be because I haven't actually been to any for more than a couple of months. Ooops.

Having wee break has been actually quite useful - I suppose like how a weight lifter actually gets stronger on rest days. It has let me think about what advantages life drawing has for me.

The biggest thing has always been the people - the class members, for the connection, the chat, the knowing what is going on, the feedback, the standing stunned in front of a brilliant piece of work when during the same time you've just produced a smudge. The model, for their almost unfailing generosity, their tales from a different world, their creativity, their willingness to come and pose for me later.

The actual work has always been less important. At the start this is because it was really really bad. Gradually I improved (as everyone does who does something every week in the company of masters of the craft) but realised there is not much of a market for them and got disheartened a little. Then I improved more and thought of selling them on Etsy. This went well until USPS let me down a few times causing much stress.

Now I think it is back to going to practice and work out methods and to play around, without the expectation of commercial gain.

Possibly most artists need a "play zone" where it doesn't matter. I certainly do. So I will start going again, for that. And the cake.