The Smack Of Winter

Well I think we all woke up to the smack of winter today (other than those of you lucky enough to be working NOT in Toronto!).  People's body language and wardrobe choice certainly reflect the weather.  I don't think I'm likely to get the chance of sketching a bare hand until April!  Not that you can blame anyone for hiding away their digits in this weather.  Something I've learned about myself is that I really am a creature of habit.  From the way I eat my food to the way I draw people.  This is great to know because I know I can look forward to a routine.  I also know if I purposely break this routine I can often discover something new and different.  Usually when I draw I would always start with a face shape and then sort of work my way around.  Very boring results were had.  Now I usually will go for whatever catches my eye first, from a big purse to a crazy hairdo.  This will influence how I go about the rest of my drawing.  If I like a particular aspect of a person the most I give it more importance in size and space.  While I know going into it what I want to stand out I don't know how I will work everything else in until I am done.  Its exciting to go through my pages after I am finished sketching and see how everything turned out.  Each sketch usually takes me around 45 seconds and I rapidly move on to the next so as not to dwell or over think anything (VERY dangerous).  I am constantly reminding myself that no drawing is precious and that each one must be forgotten as soon as I begin the next one.  It is probably the most valuable routine I have discovered, and one I think I will stick to ;)  Also I'm trying to use different light sources for each sketch I paint!  This is exciting!  I usually stick with a lighting source in the direction of the face.   Not so anymore!