Colouring In - So....this is what Summer (my dog) calls my art! Colouring In!! I get, "Are you colouring again today Mummsie?" When I say I'm working, she says, "you mean colouring in", and more often lately - "You're still colouring in Mummsie, it's the middle of the night" So, how did a Petsitter become an Artist - can I call myself that? Well, I don't know what else to call it? Perhaps colouring in lol?? Back in May, there had been a lot going on over the past couple of years, and even though I couldn't draw...I mean REALLY couldn't draw, I wanted to spend some time drawing my own furry crew, and those I look after, whilst I was enjoying the sunshine and fresh air with them. And I kind of wanted them to look like them, and not what my attempts had been thus far: Oh, here are my attempts "thus far" from May 2020. You see??? Not looking very much like them, or actually this was supposed to be Herman. Although I haven't told him I've posted a blog photo with these drawings, because he won't be amused at what I've done to his eyes in that middle picture, or his nose in the last picture. I was under no illusion here, but you know, I wanted to try to draw something a bit more presentable!! And Herman being the Prince that he so quite rightly is - then I can't tell him I'm posting photos which don't exacly show him in the best light!!! So, I had been spying on Lucy's Facebook page and I realised she offered tutoring too!!! Fantastic!! All online too, so I didn't have to go "in person". I'm autistic, I prefer not to go to a strange place, with a strange person (not that I'm saying Lucy is strange - just a stranger!!), learning strange new things.
So, I could sit amid covid lockdown, using that as the excuse for staying at home and have online art lessons!! Well, apart from Lucy's work being awe inspiring, I kind of wondered if she could even teach someone as dire as me to learn to draw - I mean, I had sent over my work "thus far", and I cringed at how she would approach it all!!! I'm sure I waffled a bit on my email to her about being autistic, being obsessed about drawing Herman, not being able to draw, being nervous of meeting new people and all that- yada yada!! I should not have been worried in the slightest - Lucy is the sweetest, most patient and kind person I have been able to "meet" over a live feed. I was actually petrified before for my first session, and knew I'd find it hard to concentrate, to process everything - any autistics out there reading this should totally "get" that. You know exactly what I mean. It doesn't matter if you're meeting someone about something good, or bad, in person or on a video call - you're having to MEET someone lol And you have to think about how to "be", what to say, and it's all just so difficult to navigate, without trying to learn at the same time!!! Lucy's overall demeanour was one of complete stillness, she spoke clearly, honestly, with a huge amount of kindness, and chased my anxiety away. I suppose I'm getting caught up in how I felt when I started to learn to draw, as Summer shouts behind me as I type "off again on a tangent Mummsie" Well quite, Summer, but as I have promised to put more into my blog, then I can come back and talk more about "colouring in" at a later date!! The most life changing moment in my journey about "colouring in" came, when Lucy said - "draw what you see, not what you think you see". As we explored that concept further, it literally blew my mind!! It was like a thousand lightbulbs had gone off inside my brain, or actually had electricity connected to them for the very first time!! Whoah!! I had new eyes!!! I was seeing things so differently as we talked about light and shade and shapes. We didn't talk about vanishing points, or perspective - that kind of talk from past experience caused my brain to shrivel up like a dried out worm! I mean, an undiagnosed autistic at school in the 80's...and being female - isn't it just boys who are autistic?? I have no idea how I navigated school, college, university, and studying whilst working full time, but that all eventually takes it toll, when you're not being your authentic self, and trying to fit into a society which is totally wired differently to you! But that's how being self employed started some 6 years ago - me and being employed didn't exactly match too well!! So, this is where my journey with "colouring in" all started. It's been a cataclysmic event, but not in a destructive way, in the most positive way possible. And as cataclysmic is the word I wanted to use - for it to mean a HUGE event, but in a positive way, then I hope you get its meaning! I'll come back and talk more about "colouring in" another day, but that's all for now! Until next time
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AuthorPeak Pet Services....bringing our day in the Peaks to life Archives
October 2020
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