Create as many faces as you can, and blog!
Feb 18, 2016
A note of self respect and appreciation
Dear artist friends:
Each time for the past 4 years that I have run the 29 faces challenge, I hear all kinds of comments about the frustration of a starting artist or worse yet, some vague or direct criticism of another person's art (do not worry, I cut those short from the group, after a friendly recommendation of being kind and not a troll).
I want you to read this words out-loud: "No one is born knowing" I have been saying that countless times not only for art but life in general. In fact it is one of my favorite things to say!
We are born knowing nothing. We do not have to be perfect when we just started a new craft. Give yourself permission to have many messy creations -in this case faces-. And do not compare yourself with someone that has been working on their craft for years.
Respect and love those distorted wobbly faces, because those are the first steps to go where you want!
Being it realism or whimsical... pencil sketches or oils. It all needs, requires and it is expected to have "ugly", "messy", "weird" pieces.
If you don't like them, observe what it is that you don't like and work on it. Enjoy the steps. I can promise you with practice you will get where you want. Take it in small parts, work on eyes for a while, then only in making the mouth... then maybe ears, or nose...
If you are totally new to drawing, don't expect a Da Vinci result, but rather see the components of a face, practice parts of the face till you got them the way you want.
It is perfectly fine to do whimsical and do them in your own style. Not everyone has to do realism! If you like a more realistic approach then by all means, practice and accept the "fail" faces, and then compare them months later or a year later and you will see how much you have grown as an artist.
I have seen it time after time, right here in the challenge! :o)
Do not give up. Find the time to practice for a few minutes and more than anything, have fun in this challenge, with hundreds of other like-minded people flying together.
Much love and a pat in the shoulder for you ♥
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Stream advice Martha. I decided this year to opt ouyt. Perhaps next time. Have a great day
ReplyDeleteI don't know how "stream" came about but it was meant to be great advice. Sorry.
DeleteVery true words! I agree totally. Only yesterday I was looking through some painted faces htat I did 8 years ago and cringed. You learn so much with practicing and practicing and practicing, and never giving up!
ReplyDeleteI agree so much with you. I have seen my art improve over the past of a few years. I now can do realism, but when I work intuitively I end up with whimsical plus I have lots of fun. This year, I have started to see my style starting to come out; some of the faces I love and others no so much, but I learned to find the good things of each piece. Even if is just the color scheme that I like, I celebrate it. Also, there always going to be faces that are not as good as the previous or the next, but that is part of the practice and learning process. I am glad you wrote about this topic, it is one we all struggle with, doesn't matter how seasoned the artist is. Thank you.
ReplyDeletegreat advice x
ReplyDelete"No one is born knowing how to do (fill in the blank)" was and is what I tell my kids ALL the time! Great post. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this! I know I get frustrated with my work sometimes but it really frustrates me when others want to quit when their work is not perfect-what is perfect and how is it attained? The best we can hope for is just doing what we love and letting it shines through in our art.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. I am a first year participant in this project, mainly to force myself to focus on faces. My goal is to be able to add some kind of faces that *I* draw and am reasonably happy with to my art journals...and I am succeeding! I am no skilled artist, but I surely subscribe to the theory that practice will make you better (or at least more comfortable with) media, design, shapes, colors, styles, etc. We are always our own worst critics and it is hard not to compare work with those of very skilled artists. What I like to do is use those amazing works of art to inspire me, and to provide study material! You would be amazed how many ideas you can get from really LOOKING at someone else's work and studying the strokes, shading, etc. I am not giving up. I will keep pushing and working and hopefully improving as time goes by. I encourage others to watch videos, photo tutorials, observe & study the work of others. We'll all get there sooner or later! As long as your work pleases you, that's really all that matters in the long run.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your post, I'm not giving up and now have 18 faces in my journal, drawing/sketching is a struggle for me, I have taken many classes on faces and the only way to get it is practice, practice, practice! I'm happy to be apart of this and at being in my 70's my hand aren't as steady and my eyes aren't what they used to be but your never too old to learn:) xoxo
ReplyDeleteOh, Martha, such wise words! Good that you wrote about this.
ReplyDeleteI've been painting only for six years and I remember the misery and envy I felt looking at other's work in the beginning. Quite absurd to compare myself as a beginner to those who have been doing art for years, decades.
Practice, practice and practice, that's the thing. Try something new, find your own style, have fun, be pleased with your work, find the you in it.
Now I'm wiser, I do my own thing, enjoy the joy and inspiration others give to me. And this challenge brings me so much fun and new ideas! Thanks to you hosting this and thanks to all the artists whose work I've been enjoying.
Excellent, kind advice from you Martha!To get in a daily practice as in working with this type of challenge, helps with becoming more accomplished as an artist. It's all about practice, practice, practice and taking out "the judge." Most importantly it's about playing and taking joy in what you are doing! Thank you for starting this wonderful challenge 4 years ago. Happy Leap Year!
ReplyDeleteI agree to this post like others before me. I look at my drawings and paintings with critical eye but also I'm cabable of saying good things about my work. And practise always makes better :)!
ReplyDeleteyes! yes! yes! practice everyday...that is key. even if you only have 5 minutes. it will make a difference in the long run.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! And doing faces for 29 days straight is a great way to see improvement. I can see it from the last time I did the challenge 2 years ago. I still produce faces I'm not happy with, but there is usually something in them that I can see improvement in. Be kind to yourself! Don't compare your beginning with the middle of someone else's journey.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE THIS POST!!! As I am STILL learning, I looked back at the last 29 Faces of February Challenge I did and realized I have come along way. I didn't mind posting my scribbles back then. I was just proud of myself for putting it out here and grateful for all the wonderful compliments I received. There is no difference in my pride or gratefulness this year as there was 2 years ago. Our Art Blogging Community is what has kept me trying to create and has taught me so much and supported me as I took baby steps to each new technique I tried. I hope those who feel this Challenge is about who is better than who can read these comments and hear the love, encouragement and honesty in them. I believe that I belong to one of the best communities in blogland who have helped me be able to call myself an "artist" no matter how much I still feel like a baby in the art world! Big hugs and give us a try.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post. Before I tried the challenge, I thought it would be impossible to keep up. I learned that while the quality of my faces varies from day to day, it is very good to have daily practice. I'm even thinking about extending it in a challenge to myself in March. This challenge is so inspiring and I enjoy the diversity of the artists participating in it!
ReplyDeleteHello!! Can I post or do I need to wait?! I'm new here and not familiar with the posting. Thank you and wishing you a wonderful weekend <3
ReplyDeleteI run this challenge in February and in September, from this blog and from the facebook group and page.
DeleteAt this point you can visit the blogs in the TABS above and drop them a line if you like, and you can always post in the public PAGE in FB all through the year :o)
The link is in the sidebar.
I hope to see your work soon, and mark your calendar to start in September! ♥