Loosening Up

The Expressive Drawing book is terrific. It's always interesting and especially informative when the teacher is good. And Steven is good. Also it makes me laugh. At one point he suggests that you approach the paper as if you were fencing. Well I haven't fenced in years but it sure is a different way to do it. What I like is that you are conscious of your body moving toward the surface in such an alert way. En garde, you say to yourself, moving forward and take a swipe, or a poke. Then retreat and look. React to the marks, advance, make some more marks. And so the dance goes on. Great way to loosen the mind and the body. Next time I will use acrylic black as the china ink is fun to fling about but dries to a dull black. And it drips. All over the place.

Day one