New Year (almost!) daily practice

I'm beginning the new year with a commitment to try to maintain an (almost) daily practice. I was motivate by reading back over the last year or so of the Missouri Bend Studio blog, particularly her discussion of daily rituals and practice, which I found extremely admirable - something to work toward. As well as talking to a friend who resolved to take one photo a day.  I wonder how she's going.  Less that two weeks in and I've already decided that attempting a very quick (bad) drawing late at night in order to fulfil a daily drawing commitment was really a bit pointless. So, I've decided that I will continue to attempt a daily practice, while allowing myself days off if that's how it works out. Inspired by some of Missouri Bend's work, I started with small collages, as I had also been messing about with one or two during the quiet days between Christmas and the New Year. This one if from then.

 

And the first of this year's are

which started off with the little drawing...

Then last Sunday I went to Drop By Drawing at the National Gallery of Victoria, where two or three hundred people sat in the 18th Century European galleries and drew, under the guidance of artist Minna Gilligan.  It was good fun and I particularly enjoyed the 'blind contour drawing with development' exercise and produced this

which I quite liked.

So then I pulled out my long-neglected copy of Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and thought that it might be a good basis for my daily drawings...blind contours really take the pressure off.  I have become very tight and in fact somewhat terrified of drawing. Too tense to put pencil to paper. So,

      and an Agapanthus flower in bud, both ways - blind

 and with looking

 

Feeling much happier!