Lessons with Curly-queues

I've been working on a grapevine thumbprint piece for the last few weeks and it's been a lot of fun!  I started with a design that was completely made up of continuous curving lines with some curling tips.  I had a LOT of trouble working in watercolour and creating a continuous line.  I ended up changing the design (which worked out really well as it had more of my style to it) by making the grapevines much stronger and more stable-looking, while at the same time not having to worry about continuous lines.

And then, because it's me, I went and got myself a grape leaf as an example so that the leaves on the vine could look less design-y and more realistic.  Last, but not least, were the curly-queues on the vines.  You know, the little "grippers" that help the grapevine cling to surfaces and trees.

I'd never painted a spiral before and like many things that look pretty, but are small and elegant, I thought "How hard can it be".... I'll just pause for a moment so you can get the laughter out of your system...the short answer is - it takes practice.  A spiral is a very easy thing to draw, be it in pencil, or marker, or even crayon, because the drawing part doesn't move.  A paintbrush, on the other hand, moves quite a bit (as it should) and takes some practice to get used to the different "feel".

An important lesson that I learned from painting this way is that you don't want to focus too much on where your brush is at the moment, but where you want the brush to go.  This makes for a more smooth transition of line, less mistakes, and it's just plain prettier to look at!  Of course, since my life seems to be full of "life lessons" lately, I couldn't help but also notice how this applies to life as well.

It's just as important in life to know where you're going and how you will get there, as it is to know where you are and what you're doing.  Too much focus on where you are will likely keep you quagmired in the muck (if you're in a bad place) and unable to see beyond the "now" to where you could be with a bit of effort.  And, as in art, it's important to look up from time to time, take a step back and make sure that you're still heading in the right direction.  Or even determine whether what you are doing is working for you (or your art piece)!

That's my spiel for today :)