Drawing Lab Intro and Week One

I grew up with two sisters and was the middle child, so doing something on my own without them was always a big deal now of course I wish I could do much more with them than I can!  My parents were really kind to allow me to pursue many of my whims including gymnastics and dancing, guitar lessons, and playing in the mud for hours on end.  One year they even arranged for me to take one-on-one painting lessons from a professional painter, sans siblings I think my dad must have fixed her roof and let her pay him partially in painting :)  

Letty taught my third grade self all about brush care, the proper way to open a watercolor tube hold it at the top while you twist the cap so as not to risk tearing the tube and spoiling your paint.  I looked forward to our weekly meetings that would start off with a glass of milk and some cookies and then the good stuff.   Unfortunately after that school year ended, I didn't continue with the classes it probably had something to do with my lack of ability to focus on any one thing for longer than a few months.  Marriage and motherhood have both helped to remedy that!  I did however continue to paint, color, draw, and a whole host of other creative outlets, and that basis has not left me.  

I am convinced that had I continued longer than that year I might actually know something about painting and drawing and could even be famous. (OK, maybe not famous, but I can dream right?)  

Last week I decided it was high time to get back to drawing and possibly even painting; I needed some new challenge, and this would be just that!  I found the Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists (book) and decided it was just what I needed.  Thanks to Amazon Prime I had it here the next day, and a quick trip to the craft store (armed with a 50% off coupon) gave me a drawing notebook and a few other supplies. 


While this is no painting lesson with Letty, I'm slowly getting back into thinking in terms of how to creatively use my hands beyond the sewing machine or keyboard.  


Week One's assignment (there are 52!) has to do with drawing cats.  The first thing that came to my mind wasn't very nice (I'm not always a fan), but I did it anyways, and I enjoyed it.  I even enjoyed scouring the internet for cat photos that did not include enlarged cat faces or cats in tutus.  

Page One looked a little like this (please remember I haven't done this in a very long time!)

Some of my favorites from the week:

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy some creativity!  Hopefully I'll have more to show you next week for Drawing Lab Week Two (and maybe even a more interesting title!)