April’s question struck a chord because that’s what i’d have wanted to ask too. my reply to her i’ve put below as a record of my progress
Hi April,
I think my goal and situation seems to mirror yours. I love portraits too and faces have always fascinated me.
I used to draw from magazine covers or other faces that caught my attention. Usually of somebody known so I could gauge whether my family and friends would recognize it. This happened about once every two years and then I’d just go back to whatever I was doing.
Two years or so ago I took up drawing on a more regular basis and then even managed to make the transition (very slowly) from just drawing to including painting. I used acrylics as I was able to mix it with water and it sounded easier than oil.
What I tried to do was collect the faces which i found interesting – the digital ones in a folder and the ones from the newspapers in a folder. And then I tried doing a painting every few days. Being stuck in a hotel helped me focus. There were no disturbances and I’d spend the afternoon painting.
While I could see the mistakes that I was making, I loved each of my efforts. In fact to date, i think that I can count the ones that I dont like on my fingers. And this is not because they’re good but because they’re a part of me. So I see the faults but still like them and a few I love :D
After about a year of working on my own, I finally did manage to do audit a course in a leading college of art. The year was heavenly. Being able to be a part of like minded individuals half my age was an unbelievable experience.
In my struggle to find a way to learn I surfed a lot and i’m now putting all the resources and links that i found on a blog – http://blogschmlog.blogspot.com and I decided to put my artwork on another blog – Maya – http://ujwala.wordpress.com and on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/ujwala/sets.
One of the sites that I’d recommend you join is WetCanvas. The artists there are very welcoming and encouraging and give you good advice. It was they who kept me going when I was on my own.
This has become real long but I hope it helps you. I’m going to cut and paste this on my goal too as it covers a lot of what I’ve been to since I made my last entry.
All the best!
Ujwala
