Drawing vs. Writing--Which One is YOUR Thing?

As an author and artist I spend much of my day either imagining then sketching images, or thinking about a story and then writing it down before it fades into the ether.

Someone asked me recently which I prefer to do, and initially I was a bit befuddled. I've been doing both since I was a young child (like most authors and artists) and had to really think.

But I have an answer.

If I had to do ONLY one for the rest of my life, I would have to choose writing. 

My posts and pages on Facebook and my blog are filled with my art, but I get a more fulfilling buzz from words. The images are great attention getters, and I am happy to share them.

I find drawing satisfying, especially when the picture is done. I can hold a conversation while I draw, and funny enough even watch TV (something I rarely do anyway). But there is something missing.

When I write I am almost completely absorbed. Time flies, and I get the feeling I am a bit lost, which I love. I get to create worlds and people, and it feels like a special privilege. It is magic.

My stories are almost never exactly right on first draft, and I even like the rewrite part--it feels like a puzzle, and each fix feels like another reward.

I usually have ideas to go with the stories--what the people look like, the settings, and I am happy to sketch them out, but once that part is finished there is a pull, and it is usually another story clawing its way to the surface.

Creepy Carrots--I am in love with the illustrations by Peter Brown. Peter, if you are reading, boy do I have a book for you!

 It would be a wonderful thing to write a story and have a fantastic artist flesh it out and make it a thing of beauty. I recently did some sketches of one of my characters and a wonderful artist did them in digital, and I was amazed. I have every digital do-dad there is, but I can't recreate what she did.

That is not to say that I will never write a book and illustrate it myself, but from now on I will really think it over, and if my art fits, then it's off to the races, but if I think someone else could elevate my books and stories even more, then I will gratefully turn it over to another more suited talent, and anxiously wait for the stunning results.

We can't be and do everything--we have to pick OUR thing and run with it. Get better at it, then eventually get great.

This realization was freedom to me, and I have renewed energy about my work that I haven't had for some time.

Disney had it right when Elsa sang Let It Go.

xo

Coloring from the Past

I spent many hours coloring when I was a child and I loved every minute of it.

I loved Disney, and Cinderella was a favorite. I think I still have one of the coloring books. I loved the page where the mice made her dress. :)

Another Disney fave was Chip and Dale.

I also liked to color Scooby Do, The Munsters, Casper, and The Flinstones.

Now I loved The Beatles too--but this is one coloring book I can't say I remember. Is it my imagination or is this kinda creepy...

I am glad coloring is making such a comeback. If any of you remember any coloring books from the good old days please tell me!

xo

Be Yourself ~ Not As Easy As It Sounds in the ART World (And How to Draw a Grumpy Bunny)

The internet has made what Disney called a small world even smaller. We get information in the blink of an eye, and we are exposed to far more than any other time in history.

We can get news from the other side of the globe faster than if your neighbor ran over from next door. What was once underground and very hard to see can now be considered mainstream. 

The web has leveled the art playing field somewhat--what was once relegated to a very select group can now be viewed by millions with the right amount of retweets or shares.

We see hundreds if not thousands of images a day as visual artists. We are lucky enough to look at the work of our peers, and in a matter of seconds we can find millions of images to help as reference points for our work.

Looking at other beautiful artwork can certainly elevate our practice, but I feel it can't help but influence our style, too. When we see a color combination we love we get excited and want to try and incorporate it into our work too. A new medium can have us running to the store so we can try it at home.

It is hard enough to develop a style that is recognizable yet unique, and now we have to contend with the daily hyper-viewing of images.

I am not complaining! I love the web and I love that I can see all the lovely art I could I ever dream of. But I am just a tad more aware of the fact that I need to stay true to me and my style, and not get seduced by something bright and shiny.

Every Friday I will be sharing a video that is geared towards helping kids learn to draw. I will be demonstrating in a way I liked to learn as a child--with fun and fancy images that are easily repeated and not too complicated. This week it is the grumpy bunny from the image above.

Please feel free to share this post or video with any artistic little ones you may know.

This is an image from a book I illustrated a few years ago for author David Rowinski called The Open Pillow. Another style for PPF.

So get going! Draw draw draw with abandon--and help your kids do the same. Before you know it you will have your own amazing style.

xo

Drawn with the Kuretake brush pen.

My Favorite Witches

I am getting old.

Not ancient, but old enough to remember some of the most wicked witches in books and movies.

Sure I watched the pretty witches in Charmed and Sabrina for five minutes like everyone, but I am talking about the witches of almost half a century ago.

The first witch that terrified me was on the back of the Disney book Sleeping Beauty. Look at her! Those eyes. Oh and she was a sneaky one trying to pass off that apple as a delicious snack. She was nothing to mess with and it is funny to remember that I would not go into the basement for about a year because she was on the back of the book that rested on top of the bookcase at the bottom of the cellar stairs.

Another Creepella of my childhood nightmares was The Wicked Witch of The West from the Wizard of Oz. If you crossed this one she would take you down. Unless of course you had just altered the space-time continuum in ruby slippers and you were trying to find your dog. She had an over sized hourglass of doom and a huge crystal ball that filled with garnet smoke when she wanted to divine the future.

Witch Hazel from the Bugs Bunny cartoons was pretty bad ass too. She would tie you up and start heating the pot she where you would be cooked, right in front of you--until you started talking about her pet tarantula, Paul. Then she lost it and got all sappy. She also had a wicked laugh and lost her hairpins when running quickly to ask her magic mirror if she was indeed, still the ugliest witch in town.

Endora, Samantha's wicked mother from Bewtiched, would be trouble even if she had no otherwordly powers. She did not like the mortal Derwood, and never had a problem telling him how she felt. As a mother I would be doing the same if my daughter's new husband was trying to make her into something she's not. Girl Power, Endora!

My idea and drawing of a good old fashioned scary witch. Trick or treat ;)

Bellatrix from Harry Potter, Nancy from The Craft, and Minnie from Rosemary's Baby deserve a runners up nod of excellence. They were all wicked and wonderful. 

To be honest, I love almost all the witches. Hermione for being smart, Aunt Clara for being adorable, and all the other ladies that cast a spell on me when I was young, and charmed me when I was older.

Happy Halloween all! I'd love to know your favorite witch.

xo

Kid Magic

When we are young almost everything we experience is touched with a bit of magic.

The first-ness of our moments adds wonder and beauty to the most simple things. Glimpses of our day, like a butterfly gliding through our wisteria, feel as if they are visited by a Disney fairy godmother when we are little.

A walk through grandpa's garden is Narnia to the preschool set, and more rich and poignant than any CGI filled movie you could pay for.

But the lives of our little ones are chock-full of busy-ness. From homework in kindergarten to pee wee sports practice, our kid's lives are hectic. 

Reading and art allow children to slow down, to do something calming and centering. Unbeknownst to them, while they are munching along with Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar or roaring with the terrible beasts in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, they are expanding their imaginations and increasing their literacy skills.

If they can't read yet themselves, they sit with a loved one, experiencing closeness and developing an ability for meaningful discussions.

When given a paint brush and a blank canvas, children are allowed to expand their consciousness and develop creative and open-minded thinking. It awakens their senses and helps with problem solving skills. You do not have to tell them art is timeless, they delve into the moment and are somehow connected with the self-expression that has been part of humanity since the dawn of time. 

Appreciation of art and literature starts young, and happily they have no idea they are learning. Children have the special ability to have nothing attached to what they are doing--they are creating art or reading simply because they love it. There is no agenda attached to their creativity. They go with the flow, a gift that Picasso spoke about when he said "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist as we grow up." The magic in their completely un-self-conscious creativity allows them to be wholly in the moment, something we as adults can have a hard time with.

Our kids grow up so fast. Our days are filled with bills, cleaning, cooking, and a whole lot of reality. We are focused on test-taking in school and a very one sided IQ score that is probably decent at grading one's general knowledge base.

But what about creativity? What about those kids who are notoriously considered square pegs simply because the current system disallows for square holes?

The magic of childhood is lovely, and it would be nice to stretch at least some of that Abracadabra into our adult lives. 

Reading and art are two examples of wizardry that seamlessly moves with us as we grow. Along with the obvious advantages of reading to kids when they are young and allowing them to create unguided art, these bewitching gifts stick--they are endless presents of love that happily never have to end.

I'd love to know of any books or forms of art you loved as a child, and what made them special to you.

xo Dea