Sunday, August 11, 2013

Blind Contour Roses

The huz brought a dozen gorgeous red roses home on our twenty-sixth wedding anniversary last week.  They were so pretty I intended to paint them but I (not surprisingly) never did get around to it.  When I noticed yesterday that the blooms are beginning to droop a bit I worked up some quick blind contour drawings to share with you. 


I remember drawing this way in school  It trains you to look more at the subject and less at the paper.  In fact, you're not supposed to look at the paper at all.


It's amazing how the essence of the object really shines through.  


I usually try to sketch these without lifting my drawing instrument so the piece is at least a little cohesive.  I think if I lifted my pencil I would totally lose my place (although that might actually result in some interesting interpretations).


Blind contour drawings make a great warm-up exercise and they're a really good vehicle for studying a subject you're not very familiar with.


They are also a no-pressure way to work on your drawing skills.  Really, who cares if it ends up looking like chicken scratch?  You weren't even looking at the paper, for pity's sake!  Just have a good laugh and move on with your life.


So, about our anniversary...

I credit my husband with the fact that our marriage has lasted this long.  He is the most patient man in the world.  He's the steady one and I'm the one more likely to jump off of cliffs.  We're both stubborn, though, so when storms come (and we've had some doozies) our natural response seems to be to dig in and hold on.  The sun eventually comes out and we're always stronger for having weathered the storm.  I am grateful beyond words to have him beside me in this life.

So, in honor of our commitment I added some pen lines and splashed a little color on one of the contour drawings.  The words on the petals say it all.

Anniversary Rose, August 2013, created in Paper 53

Linking up today with:



8 comments:

  1. Pretty darn great! Happy Anniversary. xox

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  2. Hello Jainice, your rose is lovely!! Best wishes to you both! xx

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  3. Happy belated anniversary! I'm guessing you are both very blessed in your union. ;) It is amazing that you drew those roses without looking at the paper! I'm thinking that may be a fun experiment, though I am pretty sure when I look back at the paper there will be no way of discerning what I was looking at when I drew it. Yours is most definitely a rose! I LOVE the way you finished the Anniversary Rose. Well done. blessings ~ tanna

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  4. Beautiful artworks and sentiments! Happy Anniversary to you and your husband. I love the contour drawings, they are wonderful!

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  5. Lovely and free and just beautiful!
    x

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  6. I LOVE your blind contour drawings! It's ages ago that I did these but they're so much fun. And you're right: the essence really shines through. I love the one you coloured in and the words on there. Very pretty, and a cool name. Congrats on your anniversary!

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  7. Wow! Great blind contour drawing. I don't have the patience to draw with my eyes closed. Your rose is beautiful.

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  8. such a wonderful thing to do, they are lovely and have a zen like quality

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