Saturday, January 29, 2011

Sketchbook Saturday and Link Love


I've been neglecting my sketchbook lately. I've kept with my goal to draw from life once a week (this week it was my dog's bone, last week the guy speaking in church), but haven't been doing much else, so I thought it was time to dive in and sharpen up my skills a little.

This sketch is of my middle child from a photo I took about two years ago. I really love to look through older pictures of my kids and see how much they've grown. But then it makes me sad to see that they've left certain stages behind and the only thing I have to remind me of that time is a photo and a memory that grows fainter every day.

But then when I draw or paint them I feel all those same emotions again and the memory is a little more fresh in my mind. I love that. :) That's one of the main reasons I paint, to celebrate my beautiful life with my family. Especially when I'm experiencing one of those not so beautiful moments. Like trying to get permanent marker off the wall.

Don't even ask. Seriously.

This week I have some really awesome links to share with you guys. Some beautiful, inspiring work and some great posts too.

Dave Malan posted this amazing sketch of his daughter and this was actually what inspired me to sketch my son this morning. All of his work is incredible, prepare to spend some time at his site. Wowee!

Ali Cavanaugh is an artist that I go completely fan girl for. Her work (and her story of how she became an artist) is SO inspiring. I never fail to leave her site without being completely in awe. Double wowee.

Ann Buckner posted this amazing watercolor of an older man that I just completely love. Ann's work is always loose and fresh but also gives the feeling that a lot of thought went into the planning behind the finished work.

Vinayak Deshmuk paints some beautiful work. I especially love his boats. There's an old-world-masterish feeling too them that I really, really like.

Karen Martin Sampson is a figure artist that I really admire. Her work is full of sensitivity and insanely good technical skill. I've linked to her full blog so you can look through all her posts of the current painting she's working on. I love to see her work in progress.

Enjoy! If you need inspiration I've just given you a ton of places to go and look for it. :) Next week there will be more link love! It could be you. . .

11 comments:

  1. Wonderful sketch of your little guy, Crystal. Black marker huh! My brother wrote with black marker when we were kids; he drew three ghosts on his bedroom wall which kept bleeding through the paint, layer after layer for years. It's funny now.........LOL. It wasn't then. :(

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  2. Thanks for sharing these links & I love the sketch of your little guy! Though it is hard to see them leave the younger stages you would not have it any other way...even when they grow up with babes of their own! I look back on sketches of my four daughters and it does bring back so many happy moments - sketching truly imprints those images in your mind.

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  3. Magnifico lavoro,ora vado a visitare i blog dei tuoi amici!

    Ciao Crystal!

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  4. Adorable sketch! I love Ali Cavanaugh's work, too!

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  5. Aw. What a nice sketch! Middle children are special. In all my experience teaching and being a middle child myself... This is the child who has the most depth and creativity. Do you find that?

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  6. Trop mignon! Je pense qu'effectivement il est bon de dessiner ses enfants, c'est comme cristalliser un moment précis de leur vie et faire en sorte qu'ils ne grandissent plus afin de les garder le plus longtemps possible près de soi.
    Bisous

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  7. This drawing is SO beautiful - Those eyes, the hair... I could touch it! It's exquisite!

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  8. Beautiful sketch! Your dedication to your art is indeed inspiring. Thanks also for including the link to my blog. I hope I can live up to all the words of praise that you have mentioned about my work.
    Sujit is doing well, but he is way too busy with his work to even touch his brushes.
    I am eager to see the landscape in its completed form.
    Best wishes,

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  9. I love this sketch. So cute and so much personality. I wish I had talent like yours, Crystal. Thanks for sharing these links. I love to escape from the everyday and lose myself in creative artwork. Happy me!

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  10. Crystal, as you know I'm filled with admiration for the way you draw, paint and write. I love the clean, fresh look of your work whether it is with a pencil or with paint. Thanks too for the mention and your always encouraging comments.

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  11. Beautiful drawings of your son...I always look forward to your paintings.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment they really do mean so much to me! Because not all bloggers have their email enabled so I can reply directly through email I will try to reply here in the comments. If I don't please forgive me, life must have been hectic that day! :)) Huzzah!!

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