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How It Starts

I’m getting into the hang of doing my Barn series drawing.  Feeling normal even, but that does not mean it’s quick and easy.  Here is what I go through in doing one.

I’ve taken a number of photo’s of barns and stored them in my iPhone / iPad / Mac.  

I look them over during the course of a few days to think about which one I’ll draw next.

I then go about my life over the next few days doing everything but do the drawing.  I fiddle with fly fishing gear, clean some in the house, re-clean up my desk and do a little computer work.

I then get a piece of paper ready and lay out my pens.  I’ve got my setup with my iPad for the photo I want and everything squared away.  This adds about 1-2 more days.  Fright plays a big roll in all this.  Of failing, messing up, doing a bad drawing, loosing my style, etc.

Then I start the drawing.  It takes about 1-2 hours from start to finish with almost no breaks.  Maybe a break between the basic drawing and the value and shading phases.  The big issue is that it’s not done using pencil first, it’s ink all the way.  When I start I know areas that I feel I’ve messed up already but keep going thinking that I might as well finish the thing.  In most cases it’s the messing up that gives the finished result it’s unique feel.  It’s like my mind messes up on purpose for the right result.  Or at least I hope os.

Drawing is finished and it feels and looks good.  It only starts to look good about 2/3rd the way through.  You never know what you’re going to get in the end.  I learn at least 1 good trick on each one I do and that carries over to the next one (of what or what not to do).

And so I carry on.

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