Okay, so where did I leave off last time...so much has been going on and I have a lot to talk about today. Right, I was working on a botanical illustration of my mallow plant. Hmm. How do I put this...it didn't go well. And it wasn't the drawing part that I had a problem with, strangely. My brain just did NOT like the level of analytical pressure that I was applying to the project. Which is really weird because I am a VERY analytical type person. But when I walked away from my sketch (which I hated), I had an extremely hard time getting back to it. I actually avoided my studio for a couple of days before I figured out what was going on!
So, I took matters into my own hands and completely erased the image. Of course by then my flowers had turned towards the window and some had wilted and basically my setup was gone. Now I'm sure you are thinking to yourself "Why didn't she just do another one from a different angle then?", and that is a very good point. I'm not sure why, but there was added pressure there too. I felt I would've had to rush to get the drawing and painting done before it all changed again and I didn't like that. Fortunately I took a picture of the plant prior to drawing so I do have an image to work from (yay) and I've not completely given up on this project!
Now you may have been asking yourself "If she hasn't been drawing or painting, what's she been doing with her time lately? Was she on a vacation or something?". Well, I wasn't on a vacation. For a long time now I have wanted to start my own website. Not just a blog site, but a proper website with a real domain name and everything. It would have all my drawings, paintings, and illustrations and merchandise for people to buy and enjoy my works. My sister sent me a link to a blog/site called www.collegeinfogeek.com. This guy is amazing. He straight up shows how to easily and quickly set up your own personal website (without knowing HTML). From hosting, to registering a domain, to working with wordpress and what add-ons you might want. So basically I've been doing that. My site's not completely done yet - I'm giving myself a few months to set it up properly, but if you'd like to have a look you can click the link below:
www.amandawiklund.com
When it's ready, I'll put a button on this blogsite to connect you to my website :)
As well as the How to Make your own Website page, he's also got a How to Make your own Blog page. Another godsend, as I've been searching for a way to make my blog more interesting and useful, not just to others, but to myself as well. His information and advice on this have given me a LOT to think about! I want to start a blog that has information for other beginning/intermediate artists who are interested in learning more about what it's like to take the next steps, to level up their work, and decide if that's what they want to do or not. I want to learn it too! I think there should be a place where we can learn what those steps are, without spending a fortune going to college/university. Especially for those of us that are narrowing down how they want to spend their time! That's my goal anyway.
I haven't decided whether I will keep this blog going when I start the new one. They will be so completely different from each other. This one is more of a journal of my experiences and efforts, while the other will be more about research and learning the practical side of being an artist (I need a name for the blog too - you wouldn't think that would be hard, but it IS). I won't likely start the second blog for a few months anyway as I have a few things I really need to finish first, but I have a LOT of thoughts about my first and second posts!!
I'm curious to know what you think about this? Would that kind of blog appeal to you? Any suggestions for a name? Should I keep writing here as well? What do you think of my new website so far?
A few days after I had done all this reading, and I had gotten so frustrated with my mallow painting, I was looking at pinterest and admiring all the artists with their loose, paint-runny, soft-edged, negative-style paintings (you know the ones) and had one of those "middle of the night thoughts". You know, the ones that sound brilliant until you try it? Ya, well...I thought to myself "I obviously was over-thinking the mallow painting. Let's go the opposite direction and just, sort of, let the painting flow. No real planning or design, just paint it. How hard could it be?" Famous last words...they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let's let the picture tell you everything:
I don't do well with zero planning (as you can plainly see). This is true in my life as well. I'm taking this painting as a reminder that structure is necessary in all things. It acts as bones to the body, giving it form and substance. Allowing things to move in a more desirable manner and direction. Too much structure builds a cage that you can't get out of, too little and you're spinning like a top with no real direction or focus. So, I will begin again. This time with a bit more planning, a touch more structure, and focus. And I will show you some progress in my next post :)
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