Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Learning by Doing

I am a hands on kind of person, definitely the "learn by doing" sort.  I find this to be the best learning method for me personally. It allows me to experiment, explore and discover for myself what works, and what doesn't. I like to dive right in.
I decided to try a doing a self portrait and while it is not quite right, I DID learn several things that I will be able to use in future projects




When I began quilting, I came to it with a good skill set (as a dressmaker/designer, my sewing skills and eye for detail were well honed) but as for my newest interest?......well I think that I may need to spend some time learning a few basics.
I thought it might be a good idea to create a colour mixing chart....not only to help with learning colour mixing, but also to know what  can be achieved with the actual colours I have on my palette.  I can find lots of info on colour mixing but I need to know how the supplies I have on hand will perform.


By creating the chart, I can get a feel for mixing colours and will then have a great reference as I move forward.

btw.....I have decided that I will not start a new/different blog, I will continue to keep it all here, I simply made a slight change to my banner, thanks everyone for your input  :-)

6 comments:

Jane said...

I'm trying to buckle down and really work on learning to paint with watercolor. I'll either master it, or give it up! There's always acrylic and oil to try. Anwya, I made a color chart four or five years ago because I'd read that was one of the first things you should do. I used it yesterday for the very first time and it was so very helpful and time saving for figuring out what mixes to use on my painting. Why did I wait so long? Your chart is lovely, by the way. Such bright, clear colors!

Glenda said...

Wonderful portrait. You have certainly captured your likeness. I love the hair.
Have you heard of WetCanvas? It is a place to share works in progress and get feedback from other artists.

Hilary Florence said...

I know exactly what you mean. That is also how I quilt - dive in and see what happens. It is amazing how many ideas can emerge. I have to say I am very impressed with how neat and tidy - and beautiful - your colour chart is! It is quite a challenge to find the balance between spontaneity and discipline - one I think I am still working on! Great portraits.

Createology said...

Fabulous self portrait with lots of detail and depth. Your color chart is amazing in how you set it up. Happy to see you are enjoying your new venture. Creative Drawing Bliss...

Jo Ferguson said...

I'm glad you're sticking with the same blog. I absolutely love the idea of doing a colour chart. I've now added it to my "list" of things to do. I want to learn more about colour and this would be a great way to do so. The portrait is wonderful. I'm having so much fun, watching you travel this new path.

Royce said...

Drawing to me is the ultimate form of self expression. I've drawn all my life but mostly kept in the zone of what I can make money with and that is children's books. I started trying to improve my anatomy again just a few weeks ago and drawing things over and over is the best way for me to learn too. I think your drawings are quite good and you are braver than me to try a self portrait. Looking forward to seeing future drawings.

Copyright Jill Buckley