#101332J

Entry #9: Art
[Drawing of a violent skin youth with long white hair and pointy ears. He is looking at the viewer.]

After many years of practice and frustration, my artistic skills STILL annoy me. I've been at if off and on, and still have a lot to learn. But like most, I used to only be able to draw stick figures. And as much time as I have to practice, well, at least I am good enough to do my own work. And good enough to where the people I do it for seem to think it's nice.

This particular drawing is a character, Drizzt Do'Urden from the Forgotten Realms series. Those of you nerds might know who I'm talking about. :)

This is a mixed medium drawing. The base is watercolor, and the shading is colored pencil. There's some pencil in there too. Lately I've been using watercolor A LOT. I don't know why I'm so fascinated with it because it's so hard to control. Plus it warps the paper, making it an unreliable surface. But something about the color variations appeals to me. I'm still learning how to better blend the different mediums. Pencil being the easiest due to lead's smearing ability. And I can't draw images out of my mind. I have to see it then I can passably sketch it out.

Drawing isn't a passion of mine. It's not something I hope to do as either a source of income or as an artist. I mostly do it here for the purpose of having something, a skill, to work on and hone. It not only gives me something to keep my mind busy and pass the time, but more importantly, it gives me something to focus on and sharpen my will power and persistence. Giving me something tangible to work on makes me better.

I figure if I can go from a stick figure to a pretty decent looking drawing, then I can do so in life too. It's a good metaphor to describe my growth: I used to be a stick figure; now I'm a so-so drawing.