Day 5 Staycation - A card is born

Hand Painted Sun Flower



Need to remember to sign my Card.  Today was another great day.  I sat on my porch this morning in the cool breeze, it was really nice and I think I am going to make it a ritual.  I watched a couple of instructional videos including one on how to draw and paint the flower you see above although I think I went a little overboard with the leaves.  I do like the shading and learned some great tips about that.

I have three cards made now and that is a good thing, have a few more to make but I think I am over the "they may not be good enough" hump.  You would think after 30 years of making cards the inner critic would have packed up, but no such luck.  I think I know why.  For a long time I have wanted to draw my cards, but I had myself convinced that I could not draw.  I mean phobia convinced.  So I did a variety of things to make cards.  I used copyright free images, traced them and then colored them with watercolor markers, I used rubber stamps and colored them.  I started going to art retreated in order to learn how to paint backgrounds.  I learned how to draw faces (got a little sidetracked from my original purpose) and just did a lot of things.  But the nagging inadequacy would not leave. 

What has caused me to rethink my abilities, to at least try? For the past year and a half I have participated in ICAD and in a few card swaps.  I have participated in a project called love notes where you can make post cards or cards and send them to your pen pal.  I participated in Art Doodle Camp and NANOJOMO(national journal month) and a few other things which allowed me to just have fun drawing and painting.  Along the way I discovered I could draw, I did have a style and it was fun. 

I still struggle with insecurities, but now instead of letting the art supplies sit and gather dust, I am using them. Believe me when I tell you have a 30 year collection of supplies. Bet I could open a store. But that is for another life.

Today was a good day.  Have to work on my ICAD #5 and get in bed a little earlier tonight.

Until tomorrow.....pilgrim