dreaming of drawing

i was lucky to grow up in a home that placed great importance on art, & even luckier to have had an amazing artist to guide & encourage me. that artist was my gramma. of the many things she taught me, the 2 that stand foremost in my mind are 1) never stop, & b) live a beautiful life.
the latter means that in everything you do; no matter how small, or mundane a task; you find a way to do it with beauty. what she meant by never stop encompasses too much to discuss in a single post.

i mention it today because i find i've been thinking a great deal about drawing for some time now. i haven't done much of it the last few years; & it has begun to take its toll. i am rusty to be sure, but i know that is easily fixed by time spent filling up sketch books. it's that imaginary wall that is cause for concern. the wall of insecurity, of creative block, of time. i feel stuck behind it; unable to push through, or climb over. so i do nothing instead. never stop doing something you love, my gramma would say - i'm sure this is one of the reasons why.

* * *

some of thehobbit's most favorite books have been calling to me of late. the stories themselves are wonderful, but it is their illustrations that pop into my head through the day, & sometimes in my dreams.

illustration :: property of spiderwick chronicles

as with most people, i like more than one style of illustration. they are usually similar in genre though - fantasy, or nature.

illustration :: property of dragonology

that isn't to say that i don't enjoy illustrations of other things, those are just the ones that most appeal to me.

illustration :: property of here be monsters

if the books in thehobbit's library are any indication, he shares the same preferences: both in style, & in genre. how much of that preference comes from growing up in my home, i wonder? i suppose time will tell - he'll either continue loving what he now loves, or will one day declare it utter rubbish, & line his own home's walls with modern art. cruel imaginary future son!

illustration :: property of arthur spiderwick's field guide

his drawings show only that he is a nutter with a short attention span. thehobbit draws everything from houses & robots, to faeries & dragons. he is talented though, that much is obvious.

not one to chat about drawing, he has mentioned a few times recently that he wants to draw better. i told him if that is true, then he needs to never stop drawing. i wonder if he & i are on the same path? perhaps he is my key to unlocking that wall...

~peace.