K is for Paul Klee

“Drawing is taking a line for a walk” (Paul Klee) 

These words are a mantra to me as an artist, and especially as a teacher. 

In my work, they encourage the free flow of line, willingness to let the line take the lead, and surprise (or bewilderment) at the unexpected places it takes you. 

Then there's the fun part - using other type of line to complete the design that appears. And any colors I choose. Whether painting or drawing, starting my work by "taking a line for a walk" helps me to get out of my own way.

I've encouraged Klee's approach over and over again in my classes to encourage creativity in students of any age, with any medium and any color palette.

 The results are always not only beautiful, but a surprise and pleasure to the artist who created the work.

Today's face was another nice day for a (line) walk. 

J is for Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition: Noun - the fact of two things being seen or placed together for contrasting effect.

These faces  - warm and cold, right and left, male and female - are the result of ongoing experimentation with watercolor. 

I began learning to use this medium by taking a class last spring. Though it was never a favorite source of color, I am starting to appreciate the layered effects I can create - and learning too, to control the color on the page.  

I is for Irreverant

Or maybe irrelevant - after all, my mother always  told me that it is not polite to make faces. Yet here I am on a dreary Saturday, experimenting with special effects in a new digital editing program.






It is TOO much fun - so much fun that I could not stop at just one face.

 So, here they are … Three Faces of I -  
all based off a one-line face drawing I created last year - using Caran D'ache water-soluble crayons to achieve the vibrant color I love.

H is for Handicraft

I am aware that I find drawing these faces very pleasant. Today I figured out one reason why.

Drawing the lines and patterns within the shapes of the face and head feels like embroidery- one of my first and favorite handicrafts.  

I have always loved the process - sort through my rainbow collection of embroidery floss, tighten the hoop around a piece of cloth (any kind will do), and free form flowers or patterns with my needle. No cross stitch for me.

I like to fill shapes with thick threads of color, groups of dense knots, and long curving lines. Long ago my hippy friends liked to sew my embroidered patches onto their jeans and vests and hats and jackets. Drawing these faces feels like that. 

Stitch by stitch, line by line, angle by angle by curve.

G is for Grimace

One of the things I tend to struggle with, especially when drawing faces, is trying to make sure the faces are "pretty." I have a long history of drawing "fashion girls" and trying to look like  one myself.

Of course I well know that not all faces are symmetrical or perfect ovals, or  what is traditionally defined as visually pleasing.  And, I can easily see that  some of the most interesting faces are off-kilter or odd in some way.

So, I am pleased with the distortion of this face, which I find pleasing. She may look a little gloomy, but in my eyes, she looks great.

F is for Face

And F is for following my impulse to create these faces, and for FUN.

I feel like I am fully in the Art Every Day spirit as I experiment with this approach. It doesn't take long to do one of these (they are small), but each one remains a surprise and a challenge to discover who is waiting to appear.

I think Ms. F is fashionable and very professional.

E is for Expression

As I mentioned yesterday, one of the intriguing aspects of drawing these one line faces is discovering the expressions that appear. I see that all of my "ladies" are looking directly at the viewer, and none are smiling. And all are wearing serious, engaged expressions.

What does this mean? Is it a reflection of my style or of my inner life? Ms. E here looks quite pensive. I wonder what she is thinking about.

D is for Doubtful

This process of creating a one line face drawing is still holding my attention. Today's face seemed to flow onto the page and invited the use of lots of colors and also lots of white space.

One of the most interesting aspects of creating these faces is seeing how the expressions appear - its not as if I start out to draw a happy or sad or even, as she looks, doubtful face. I take what appears and go with it.

There is something intriguing about allowing the art to appear, without a plan beyond the rules I set for myself. I am enjoying this - no doubt about it.

C is for Calm

Working quietly with color pens on warm toned paper.

Sitting in a sunny window, listening to music. Warm and cozy, and making art ...

I am lucky to have the time to simply enjoy the process and the pleasure of making art for no other reason than that is what I feel like doing.

So - another face in my little notebook.

As I draw I am planning and thinking ahead to the classes I will teach this week, and the list of things I need to do - but the rhythm of drawing the lines, the focus on details, puts me into a state of  calm - and creativity - so the ideas flow for the other things that need doing.

Onward to next week and tomorrow.

B is for Blocked

Its been a strange year for me in several ways - one of which included a strong case of artist's block. I was unmotivated, lacked the energy or focus to work. My attempts at painting in acrylic all felt like fails. So, on following some good advice, I decided to PLAY, not work at my art.

I love pens - thick, thin, double sided. I have a great collection. So - to keep everything as simple and unpressured as possible, I found a small notebook and my thin colored sharpie box, took myself outdoors into the sunshine and began a series of continuous line faces. This was my only rule - draw a face without lifting my black pen. Then, use color markers in ANY way I liked. I've done many. This is the latest.

The process is relaxing, needs very little equipment, requires no clean-up, can be done anywhere, and has been instrumental in easing me back into other, more complex, projects.

One thing that became immediately apparent is the influence of my fashion art training and the classes I teach, on the faces I am drawing.

Aa is for Amusing (Animation) App

I always discover something new and inspiring in this challenge. I saw the Motion Portrait app mentioned and used a few times this month. I had to try it. It is great fun to animate faces.

First I tried a selfie - made myself talk and turned my hair back to long and dark. Fun. Then, wanting to continue playing I found this Picasso style abstract face drawing in my photo library where I record all my project samples. I was amazed that I could adjust the eyes and mouth to fit this stylized face -

I discovered that it does not always play in the blog - but it works on Facebook - . The image on this page is the base for the animation. Fun but tricky.

S is for Sharing Student Samples

S is for students - and sharing their work for a second time on a lazy Saturday.

I have been working hard all day on a birthday surprise that begins with S. I can't show it quite yet, but here is a clue. It is too long to photograph in its entirety, and bonus clue, it is something special for my favorite herpetologist who is turning four years old.

So, with kids and art in mind, I will share a video I made of student work from two summer workshops - one called Fabulous Faces, and the other The Art of Fashion.

The students in these classes were between 10 -12 years old. I am sure you will agree that their work is stunning. My favorite images though, are the ones of the kids at work.