Happy New Year
New Year’s resolutions and my determination to learn new skills.
At the end of 2022 many New Year’s resolutions were planned and, as we know, many are not kept! This is not unusual – we fall into patterns throughout the year and as humans we struggle with change, especially the bigger ones.
However, when thinking about resolutions the changes we intend to make are usually lifestyle related, such as eating healthier, stopping smoking or any other addictions or even changes in relationships or friendships if they have become toxic. These changes can fundamentally change our lives for the better and we know it, but somehow we continue with our old patterns and suffer the consequences down the line.
When involved in art it is the same. We tend to want to draw more, sketch every day, and start that epic painting, learning to work with a new medium or just learning a new skill. This can be daunting and seem like an uphill struggle and gets pushed further and further into the future without much further thought. Until the day you want to pick it up again and find that the learning curve makes you wish you had started earlier.
Some artists are sufficiently contented to keep doing what they have been doing for a long time, especially if it is financially beneficial. However there are many who dabble (?) in more than one medium. William Kentridge, for example, does painting, sculpture, print and movies and is one of the foremost artists in this country.
Trying new mediums can only improve your skillset, allow you to see colour, light and value in a totally different way as well as help you to create better visual art.
A few years ago and after favouring oil painting for a long time, I decided that I was going to tackle a new skill every year. This ranged from pottery, sculpture to metalsmithing and stained glass work – and even needle felting and polymer clay work!
However I never thought to change the medium I was painting in until I was ill for a long time and could not stand in front of the easel. I had a set of cheap coloured pencils and some adult colouring books as well as a set of graphite and charcoal pencils that I had bought on a whim some years previously. Being bed-ridden but still eager to be creative, I gathered all these materials around me and started drawing.
I could always paint and put colour together and was quite good at it but when it came to drawing it was my weakness and I was frustrated. But I had all the time in the world at that time and decided to take a course in drawing. I was amazed to see my skills improve and couldn’t stop drawing.
However after practicing drawing for a while I would get bored, pull out my colouring book and colour in just to not have to think and just to relax. I was horrified at how terrible I was with a colouring book and how much I struggled with laying down the colours to be what I wanted them to be.
Granted, the coloured pencils were a cheap brand, but I thought one could do amazing things with any medium if you were good at it. I had to concede that I was rubbish at it but didn’t want to give up. So, having the time, I browsed for videos on how to properly colour in adult colouring books. And suddenly a whole new world of colour exploded into my life!
There were YouTubers (see: https://www.youtube.com/@ColorMyWorld , https://www.youtube.com/@KirstyPartridgeArt , https://www.youtube.com/@SarahRenaeClark ) who did amazing things with coloured pencils in their colouring books. However, I learned that the type of pencil you use and the type of paper you work on can make all the difference.
There were also links to artists who use coloured pencils professionally, and that is where my interest was piqued even more. Once I was better and able to shop, I tried to find the best, cheapest brand available to give this new medium a proper attempt. I also learned that the paper can matter and bought a few to try out.
a proper attempt. I also learned that the paper can matter and bought a few to try out.
It wasn’t long before I was hooked. The very first portrait I did was of my son, and, though it wasn’t very good I was very proud of what I did. I showed it to a friend and she was impressed and asked me to do some portraits of her cats. I asked her if she would mind if I did them in coloured pencils and she agreed. So I got my first commission and decided to take it to the next level. (see https://estellelaubscherart.com/testimonials )
I invested in a high end set of coloured pencils, better paper and a good sharpener and eraser. I enjoyed the process so much that I couldn’t wait to do the next commission. In the meantime I had to practice but didn’t want to ‘use up’ my precious coloured pencils.
About two years prior I had bought a few pastel pencils always with the intention of seeing how they work. I’m a sucker for art materials and usually stow something I bought away until the whim to try it grabs me. That was when I hauled them out. I watched some pastel pencil artists’ videos, decided to give it a try and, boy! was I hooked?!!
I also purchased a set of soft pastels and proceeded to do portraits of my dogs (living and deceased), photo’s off Pixabay as well as some family members.
That was also about the time I decided to try and make videos of my process and jumped into the world of YouTube! I still am pretty bad at it, but it has given me a platform to show others what I do and how I do it. Perhaps in time I’ll get better at it J https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsUgjX4rhvMAhWE7B436z6g
2022 also gave me the courage to start this website. I know it’s in its infancy, but with time it will get better. I have also jumped into the professional Facebook pages with my other page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082178881467
In the meantime I’m learning a lot – from my own daily drawing as well as from those I follow on YouTube and Facebook. I am busy with preparations for tutorials of how I do what I do, in pastel, coloured pencil and in oils.
In the meantime, I hope that all your New Year’s resolutions will be fulfilled, that all your expectations and dreams will come true and that, as artists, you will strive to draw a little every day.
Estelle