100 iPad Faces Project

sketching faces on the iPad - quick and fun!

Remember the iPad hubby gifted me for my birthday and my wanting to stretch out of technological complacency?

Am I ever having fun with it!

I thought I'd be experimenting with this new-to-me technology by playing with electronic notebooks and I am, but oh I found something much more fun: an electronic painting & drawing application.

The app is called Art Set. It turns your iPad screen into an electronic canvas or sketchbook, offering you choices of paper (colour & texture), drawing/painting tools (oil paint, pastel, pen, crayon, marker, etc.), and colours. It even includes a few blending tools.

It is so. much. fun.

I got hooked on its convenience and started using it to do sketching blitzes of faces, quickly drawn caricature-looking faces. Each day I try to spend 15-30 minutes doing these quick sketches using the app and my fancy schmancy stylus pen.

It's great fun, great practice and it's already served me in my "real" painting.

Of course I could have done the same thing with a paper sketchbook, but I didn't. The iPad was apparently the chosen prompt.

Sooooo, given how much I like destinations I have given myself a goal: 100 of these iPad faces to present in a final product, most likely here in the form of a slide show. I'm secretly targeting the end of April to complete them, but shhhhhhh... I'm not ready to commit to that quite yet.

After nine days I have 65 sketches, 35 of them I like enough to include in the final product.

This is not about perfection; this is all about practice, play and the satisfaction that comes out of meeting a goal. It's also about learning how new technology can serve me instead of me resisting it.

All that for a pen with a rubber tip and a 99-cent app.

Stay tuned...

Dearest April

Experimenting with Nude - Another Work in Progress

experimenting with figure and line, 18"x24" on canvas

a work in progress inspired by Matisse's nudes

Dearest March,

I don't know what to make of you. You were full, but not of planned actions like your cohorts January and February.

You were full of inner conflicts, fear and uncertainty. That was pretty heavy.

You were full of friends, family and celebration. That was cool.

You were full of art and creativity, of time at the easel and a renewed passion for experimenting with subject, line and colour. I am grateful.

You were full of discovery. I feel enlightened.

Despite a deliberate absence of to-do lists you were full of behind-the-scenes and not so behind-the-scenes work on income streams. I feel somewhat productive.

March I chose to let you unfold and you were all over the place, dragging a reluctant me with you. You were a conundrum with no answer, pushing me to get comfortable with the question though not very successfully.

Much as I try I don't really know what to make of you. You just were.

I'm OK with that.

Warmest wishes,

Steph

~~~

Dearest April,

March kicked my ass. Please be gentle.

Sincerely,

Steph