Every time I want to start a new project my brain freezes and I don’t know what to draw.
I’m flooded with mixed emotions: first, I’m angry because I’m an artist I must draw. Then, I’m starting to question anything from my taste in painting to any decision I took during the last 30 years. Next, I need an endorphin shot to ease my nerves and, depending on my level of moodiness, I’m scrolling down through Zalando or Jackson’s art supplies looking for THE thing I think I need even if I know that I don’t. And finally, I’m going to the bakery and indulging myself with one (two) scandalous chocolate cakes.
Does that sound familiar? I bet it is! This chaotic state of mind has a beautiful name: resistance.
It doesn’t just apply to art, you can experience it any time you need to take action or decision: the monster of resistance is waiting for you in the dark, brrrrr
“ resistance is a force that acts to stop the progress of something or make it slower “
Cambridge dictionary
Resistance is a force, a pressure. It doesn’t want you to move, it wants you to stay still because it’s more secure than the unknown. Seems that resistance is a sister of fear, isn’t it?
Sometimes it is fear but it can also be the result of our own tendencies to expect too much from our first attempts: we want to be productive. We all forget that before a masterpiece or just a finished piece, we should play. Allow your eyes and hands, not your brain, to play. Draw the first thing that comes out of your mind even if it’s ugly, it doesn’t matter, create for the sake of art! Allow yourself to use any piece of paper, any material even if it’s not art material just for fun. Let your spirit wander a bit, seeing things that your brain won’t notice.
Are your experimenting resistance ? Do you feel pressure ?
I renew my subscription to life drawing classes just for fun, using gouache & ink on loose sheets of paper. Not my usual go-to duo but that was a happy accident! I like the textures and the lightness of the gouache, using ink is creating some kind of contrast. But more importantly, I feel that I’ve found something that I want to explore a bit more in my work, textures. It’s really easy with mixed media because you can use different tools but as I’m trying to stick to gouache, watercolour, acrylic ink + water, I need to learn how to create textures with my pencils.
Beatrice Alemagna is the master of textures, she creates illustrations that are so tangible, so raw, you can almost feel everything. Her use of colour, contrast and textures is incredible. In many interviews, she says that she allows herself to play with all her materials, nothing is too precious, it's just tools that must work for her. She takes time to mature her ideas & is sketching a lot but she's always playing. In the video, she talks about her process, her journey etc... I hope you'll enjoy
That’s all for me now, See ya!
Stevelyne
Hello friends and welcome to My two cents ! It’s a little corner where I’m documenting my journey as an artist.