Ujwala Prabhu

doing it again!

I could cheerfully have gone on but we moved countries! It was a wonderful experience and has motivated me to continue. I am now part of an art group in Dhaka and hoping to take up an art class for a month in summer.

it’s a battle that i’ve fought it seems all my life. sometimes successfully and sometimes failing miserably. procrastination like monster sits on my shoulder just looking for that tiny gap to jump in and ensure that i do just that procrastinate :D

I think I need to go back to the range on a regular basis. I now swing back too much and have no follow through. It’s just the few lucky hits that keep me going :D

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

we moved cities and so i have to start all over again in terms of locating a school which will allow me to attend inspite of being 40

i’m hoping to psych myself into starting up again soon.

hope to start again soon. take it slower this time

started art college a little over 2 months ago as a non-collegiate student. slowly learning to paint and draw ‘n sketch ‘n sculpt :D

actually i started week 8 today. i was very hesitant before starting but i love doing my morning pages now. i’m not so good with the artist dates and the tasks though.

started art school on aug 1st. i am thoroughly enjoying the experience.