A little intermezzo in this series about my education and teachers. Recently I am about revisiting the basic skills. In the class “Find your line” on skillshare with Jen Dixon I started exploring my mark making and my lines again.

Slowly it clicks and this process makes at last sense to me. Well, I am in my 9th year – should I really tell – of my learning journey.

Look how messy my wall looks after some days of committed/consistent work. But I feel so happy with this.

While working on my little portraits (sktchyapp) I discovered that I copy pretty well or – lets say – good enough. But I see a lack of individual expression and line work. My drawings feel boring to me. At this stage I am no longer excited with the process and the finished drawing itself. One more reason to follow the class instructions with empathy which include to draw after a warm up exercise one thing over and over and over again with different tools on different paper until my, in fact “my” lines show up in a way that I’m able to identify.

I tried a small version of this assignment for my portrait drawings: warm up, repeating, ‘drawing’. Today – yeah – it seems to evolve the insight that “my” specific lines and marks are lose and uncontrolled in its own way.

As if that would be a big surprise. Of course not. I knew that. But until now I didn’t feel it in this clear way.

Look at the difference between the warm up drawings and the final product in my tiny sketchbook. I can see hints at size, tools, pace etc. in the warm ups which I rather should explore further on to find more satisfaction in my work. That said!