Homework: Drawing from Life

Two weeks ago, I was busy showing my (very talented artist and mentor) friend Shazia my nascent sketchbook scratchings.

She gently nudged me in the right direction, and then proceeded to drop this epic piece of homework:

‘Alexia, you need to be drawing from life.  You need to have filled 24 pads of paper with life drawing by the end of           February’

My instant reaction: resistance.

My word, but that’s a lot of sketchbooks.

But, I know she is right.

That was two weeks ago.

I overthought it for ten days, shooting off in different (fascinating! fun!) distracting directions with my sketchbook, but I knew the day was coming. The time when I would have no excuse but to sit down and draw/sketch/paint a naked person, regularly.

Then, last week, I finally did my first life drawing.

As expected, it was nowhere near as good as I want it to be, but it’s a start.

I will get better with practice.

What one repeated action do you know deep down in your soul that your creative practice would benefit from, that you just aren’t doing?

Have you figured out how to make it the smallest possible denomination of whatever it is you’re wanting to do?

(10 minutes of painting if you want to paint, a haiku if you want to write poetry, ten minutes of writing if you want to write?).

I’d love to hear what your thing is. Come and let me know over on instagram!