Scrap Bag
Another grab bag of art notes:
I finished the mini pad early July. All my current open sketchbooks and notebooks are past the 60% mark so I would like to finish them before moving onto a new batch of books. Having experimented with toned paper for a while now, I would say that off-white and cream-colored are my favorites to work on. Black paper produces lovely effects, but somehow I tire easily with the high contrast. It's a great "special occasion"/"treat" surface, just not something I could see entering my everyday rotation. That means I could get better sketchbooks with fewer pages next time. There's nothing wrong in getting a bang for your buck book with many pages, there's no deadline afterall. However, I like "manageable size" to prevent my brain from making excuses and delight in having closures.
Did some doodles for random conversations and community memes. My lines are noticeably more fluid now, and that makes me both excited and scared. Being very careful to avoid burnout from the mounting expectations of having to make better stuff now that I'm "better". The brain is such a silly little thing.
I have sketched often enough in the LGS now to do it quite openly. Quite, because I'm still embarrassed if the store owners see it. They're friendly and would leave me alone if I just say so, I just need a little bit more time. Changing up the way I do stuff a little, only because I have done the indoor scene multiple times now. Next time I'll venture around the neighborhood or at least sketch the store façade. I haven't gotten the hang of creative framings, so my indoor scenes end up quite samey in two months.
On the fence about doing O2A2 this year. I have an idea I think will work, but I've been hanging by the noose on my day job. I could smell the burnout already, a familiar taste at the tip of my tongue... There's a tinge of bitterness in having to keep a good amount of food on your plate when delicious dishes tantalize your senses. I know I am full enough.
I used to be very anal about keeping things pristine. I think lately I've begun to appreciate the wear and tear, the lived-in look, the patina in everyday objects. Or maybe I've just given up caring after many moves and household incidents. Growing is growing, I suppose, regardless of how one ends up there.