Janice in progress

This is my sister, Janice. I have painted her before but yesterday I wanted to do a perfect lovely pencil drawing. I had a wonderful afternoon, taking my time and thinking it was going very well.


This morning I notice that everything was 'out' because her face was too long, and several times I sat, eraser poised...but I couldn't do it. It certainly brought home to me how important it is to keep drawing, hand-eye co-ordination sure suffers if you don't.

Not to be beaten I took her to the WA this afternoon and, so far, it's better. I find oil paint is far more forgiving than graphite, but because I forget to erase before correcting and I hate that shiny thing that happens! Her features are better proportioned anyway, and her face not too long, but there is some work still to do. I vow to get back to the pencil....one day.

Next week at the WA the brief is ' Bare Necessities', which no one will own up to suggesting, and which caused a lively discussion. Judith said she expected me to do one of my nudes and perhaps she could draw a statue, and everyone else confessed to being stumped for ideas. Of course 'Bare Necessities' can be interpreted in many ways, bread and water, anything you couldn't live without (like painting), etc, and Judith thanked me for broadening her thinking, and breathed a sigh of relief that she didn't HAVE to do a nude! It should be interesting to see what they all come up with.