Illustrating During General Conference

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and every 6 months, they have a two day conference.  We watch it on the internet or listen to it on the radio.  In April this year I sketch while I listened.  My sketch book has quotes in it along with a few sketches.  Here's the tape measure that was sitting on the floor under the computer desk that day.

Here's is my daughter's foot.  It was so inspirational, that I drew a conference quote on the side.

I had just gotten some Peerless watercolor papers.  So I colored some of the faces I had drawn from the choir and then I painted a scene. 

The next day, we went to my husband's parents house and I sketched their bookshelf during the afternoon session.  Note the quote in the corner.  The General Authority who said it was quoting his wife.

An Illustrated Life: well for the first few months of 2013

                              I decided I needed a pick me up. So I went through my sketch book
                            scanned in everything that I thought had promise.  I haven't posted for
                            a year so I had lots to choose from.  This one is of a father and child I
                          drew at the doctor's office (probably Jan or Feb 2013).

                         While at my daughter's maturation program, I drew the boy sitting in front of us.
                         Kids don't move much when your talking about important stuff like maturation.
                          hmmm...It looks like I might have drawn a third leg.  Maybe he moved more than
                           I noticed.

                       Every few months, I finally am successful at bribing my 14 yo son to get a hair cut.
                      

                          After reading An Illustrated Life , I went on a sketching spree and sketched
                           lots of objects around my house.  This is one of my favorites.

                                 I was so inspired by the book, I began sketching everything
                                 everywhere I went.            

Young Girl at Children's Museum

For our family Stay-cation, we took frontrunner (local wanna be bullet train) to Ogden and went to the children's museum.  I tried to sketch as much as possible.  Here's my best from that trip.

Soccer Camp Sketches

Here a few sketches from my sketch book.  My 8yo went to soccer camp and it gave me lots of time to sketch kids in action and moms relaxing. (Heads up, little soccer boy, a soccer mom)

I'm a Creator

A few years ago, I was at a Storytelling Retreat.  During one of the sessions, the presenter handed out a bunch of cards that had roles on each card.  He had us put each card into one of three piles:

Yes, this describes me; No, this doesn't describe me; and Maybe this describes me. 

He had us get rid of the No and the Maybe pile.  Then we whittled away the YES pile until we came up with our role or calling in life.  It turns out that my calling in life, my inner urge, the thing that will bring me satisfaction is to be a Creator.

I wasn't sure how that calling would help me become a better storyteller.  And at the time, I wished it was Performer that was calling to me.  After all, isn't that what a storyteller is? 

Then I realized that to be a really good storyteller, the kind that can connect with your audience, you had to Create every single time you got on stage. 

And for a while that carried me.  I did great stuff.  But it wasn't filling me. 

Here's the truth about who I am.  I'm an introvert. I gain my energy from being alone.  When I am with others I have to spend my energy.

If you've seen me tell a story, or teach a lesson, or perform a one woman monologue, you wouldn't jump to that conclusion.  I'm good.  I reach out to the audience.  I respond to the audience.  I've been described as energetic, genuine, and humorous.

Over 20 years ago, I was in art school.  The design department at BYU.  I had been on the 'academic' track in high school.  So that year, I still believed that so long as I had my papers written, I was done with school work.  My social life took a bigger role and at the end of the year, I was not invited to continue in the design department.

My immaturity led me to give up that dream.  But over the years, I've still wanted it.

So, now, after having 5 kids, I'm going after it.  I've claimed half of my youngest daughter's bedroom and made it into a studio.  I'm attending illustration conferences, I belong to a art critic group, I'm learning PhotoShop, and I'm taking my sketch book with me everywhere.

If you check back, I'll post the best of my sketches and in time, the best of my illustrations.

Wish me luck. 

Pamela

Cow Sitting

On vacation, a herd of cows huddled up next to our fence, I drew and drew and drew. I thought they wouldn't move as much as children, but they do. Finally, I got a sketch that embodies the essence of a cow.

July 25, 2011

From My Sketch Book

It only takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. My next goal is to become an expert at Illustration. I'm going to do this 100 hours at a time. I've only been keeping a loose track of my hours and so far, I'm up to 10 hours. I think I have underestimated my hours, but hey, I'll still be an expert if it do 10,000 plus hours.

My son figured out that if I spend 2 hours a day it will take me 10 years. 2 hours....that's a lot of time I don't have right now, but it is my goal. Laundry still gets worn even if it doesn't get folded right?

I've been filling a sketch book and I'll begin with posting what I think is my best work out of it. Keep in mind, I plan on getting better....lots better.