In today’s world I still find honor a virtue. And keeping ones word is on top of the list for me. So when my uncle (gently) reminded me that I promised to paint something for him (cough) a couple of years ago, I knew this is it, I have to get my act together and make it happen. As his birthday is coming up in November I though it would be the perfect opportunity to surprise him. And surprise him big with something he would not expect from me.

lemons sketchlemon vase sketchI draw all the time. Painting on the other hand is something I flirted with a couple of times, but was always cautious with.  I’m not a beginner, but to this day I find it harder to express myself through it. That is why I thought I’d take this challenge of a birthday present to the next level. I want to deepen my knowledge and skills to make a painting for my uncle.

I know, I know… I have about a month left…

This is why I started looking around and I found an amazing website. Will Kemp art school offers exactly what I am looking for: the whys, the how-tos in such a clear and understandable way. Everything from theory to practice. I submerged myself and slowly all of those things I suspected are being brought to a conscious level.

So now comes the challenge. I have to start seeing things with a different eye. Not just the composition, the form and the color, but the values, tones and hues. It is not easy to shake an old habit. I took the same lemons I drew over the weekend and approached the drawing process differently. Since the painting starts with a sketch the before has to slowly change in order for the after to reflect them.

This weekend I’m planning to venture outside to do some live sketches, this time for the painting. Hope the clouds will disperse and it will stop raining by then..