The Beauty of the Process of Creating Drawings

Drawing is a beautiful thing. At least, it is so for me. I enjoy three things about drawing: the process of creating, the thrill of finishing up, and looking at them time after time when they are done. Today, I'd like to share some images taken during the process of my creation of drawings. 

1. It all starts with observation and taking notes.

Site visit at University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Finished drawing: Old Main at University of Arkansas

Finished drawing: Old Main at University of Arkansas

2. Create composition.

Initial stage of a house portrait. The house is in Ransom Canyon, Texas.

Finished drawing: House after the Rain

3. Then is the challenging but enjoyable part: to draw, for hours, days or months.

Creation process of details of a downtown drawing of Little Rock, Arkansas

Finished drawing: Downtown Rock(s), 2015

4. The final touch-up by scanning it, and cleaning it up in Photoshop. Feel free to play with variations, if you want some more fun! And sign.

Waypoint at DeSoto Marina at Hot Springs Village, Arkansas (Variation 1: line-oriented vision)

Waypoint at DeSoto Marina at Hot Springs Village, Arkansas (Variation 2: color-oriented vision)

5. Sometimes, copying great works of others is just as important as creating your own, as a way to sharpen your skills.

Copying the painting "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt, but I used watercolor pencils and markers

6. Sketch, sketch, sketch! Observer as you were to draw, and actually draw.

House portrait, a sketch

7. Don't forget to take pictures along the way. So you can write a blog like this.

 

One last note: I, like many creative professionals, have critical voice towards my work. How I handle that is to remind myself that I am creating something nobody has done before, and this is contribution to the society already.