Saturday, January 20, 2024

Hand Drawn, by Leada Wood

Hand Drawing is a challenge and with all the modern technology available to help an artist get an image down, unique.  It is a method that I particularly enjoy, it relaxes me. It’s amazing how one little shadow can change the whole face! 
I used the Loomis method which was new to me but I can sure see the advantages when positioning a head and the features. I named her Delilah because she kept calling me to work on her. 


“Delilah”
Leada Wood copyright
Graphite















I hope you enjoyed seeing the various steps that I photographed along the way. Layer upon layer of graphite as I built up the form. 

“You’re never too old to set another goal or dream another dream.”
—-C.S. Lewis
 
 


Monday, January 15, 2024

Creative Living by Leada Wood


 "What is creative living? Any life that is driven more by curiosity than fear," brings to mind a really vibrant way of looking at life. Creative living is all about diving into things headfirst because you're just so curious, It's like turning every day into an adventure, finding inspiration in the big and small things around you.
 
Life itself becomes a canvas…paint it with joy! Every experience, every challenge, and every little moment becomes a stroke of paint on this canvas we call life. It's about being brave enough to follow your heart and your curiosities, being grateful and enjoying every minute.

It's not always easy choosing curiosity over fear, it means  stepping out of your comfort zone, trying new things, and sometimes, it means making mistakes. But that's the beauty of it! It's all about learning, growing, and making something meaningful and personal out of your journey.

So, creative (curious) living? It's not just for artists. It's for anyone who wants to live a life filled with passion, exploration, and, most importantly, a sense of wonder. It's about making your life your masterpiece, full of colors, adventures and stories that are uniquely yours.
 




Water soluble pencil 
Leada Wood copyright




Stabillo pencil
Leada Wood copyright



Water soluble pencil
Leada Wood copyright


Stabillo pencil
Leada Wood copyright


Water soluble pen
Leada Wood copyright



Water soluble pencil
Leada Wood copyright


All of these faces came about because I was curious about what my art supplies would do. None of them took over 5 minutes to create, I used 4x4 paper and began drawing a face from my imagination. The point is I began and I wasn’t afraid to create something!

“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside of you, to make your soul grow.”
—Kurt Vonnegut

“I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it”
—Pablo Picasso



 
 
 



Friday, January 12, 2024

New Beginnings by Leada Wood

The New Year brings with it a yearning for something new, a new beginning, new plans. I am part of a group called  Let’s Face It and we are painting portraits for 52 weeks. Quite a challenge but it has returned me to my love of drawing and why I wanted to make art in the first place. I admire Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Norman Rockwell, Edgar Degas among others who captured the human form and expressed their lives surrounding them.

 I hope you enjoy following my journey as I attempt to create expressive portraits this year. “Lady in Red” was my first endeavor using pan pastels and I like them a lot!



“Lady In Red”
Leada Wood copyright
Charcoal and Pastel




“A Little Birdie Told Me”
Leada Wood copyright
Watercolor




Boys Just wanna have fun so for our first art class of 2024 we made funny faces. We had an enjoyable afternoon making faces with paper and water soluble pencils. I think they did an excellent job!




I created along with them and had Big fun!

As we go into the new year may we “Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain   make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” —-Kurt Vonnegut