My laptop has survived!

[weeun]

I just got my laptop back from the repair shop today!

It was just something to do with the C: drive, but the man fixed it up, and because it didn't take long, he did it for free!

I need to get started on my painting again, but my mum just bought me new pencils, sketchpads, pastels and some paints, so I might be too busy drawing and painting in real life!

I'm practising on normal paper, before I take my drawings over to the sketchpads...They're proper ones, with thick paper, for the painting ones (watercolour) and also rather thick for the skecthing ones.

She bought me watercolour pencils, pastels, brushes, watercolour paints, sketching pencils, two water colour sketchpads and two sketching sketchpads.
They aren't fancy, flashy ones, just the supermarket brand ones. I'm really happy.
But my mum says I need to practice lots and lots before using the sketchpads for drawings and such. There are 25 pages in the pencil ones, and 24 in the watercolour ones.
My mum says she never knew how good I was at art, and she bought me this stuff because she thinks I'm really good, and she knows how much I love art now.
I showed her some drawings and paintings from art at school, and she said they were amazing.

I have one canvas sitting somewhere, it's about A5 size...maybe smaller...
I have oil paints with that. But I know they are tricky to get off brushes without special stuff, so I might not use them.

I'm really happy. I'd do some drawing, but despite my happiness, that shadow creeps up on me again, stopping me from drawing. I've asked my mum really nicely for a drawing book, to teach me how to sketch some more, because then I could read that and it might inspire me to draw. My birthday's next month, so maybe I'll get one!

[Raybrite]

I am so happy you are back. Don't be overwhelmed with all the things you have. Put them in a neat place where they are protected and take out a few pencils and a tablet. Draw the things around you. Do you have a teddy bear?, a doll? or something. If not, draw a picture of whatever is on the table. A spoon, fork, plate, anything.
Go outside if it is not raining or snowing and draw what you see. If you see a tree, try to draw it, maybe a flower. Draw a picture of your school. If you are near the water, you will have many things to draw. The important thing is to draw. Practice, practice, practice.
Remember, as long as you are drawing, you are in your own world.
Try to draw the things you have in the tablet on the computer later. If you have access to a scanner you can scan them to the program and then make a layer over them and draw from there.
We all look forward to seeing more of your artwork online. Stay in touch with us.

[D Akey]

How cool is this!!!! Mom's on your side, hahaha. I'm not surprised.

Enjoy.

Sometimes the hardest thing is getting started. Once you get some momentum going, you'll find that one thing leads to the next and then to the next and so on. While you''re working on one piece, you will find something about it was particularly good and you will perhaps want to extend that particularly good thing into a different pic entirely based on that area of growth as an artist, whether your accomplishment came through as a technique or something that clarified your picture making voice.

And so on and on you will travel in your artistic journey. The more mileage you get, the broader your bag of tricks, until you have a selection of dominant techniques, with other tricks available that you have learned, like how to render a shiny surface or hair or grass if you are going realistic. Another thing is how to construct a composition to tell a story or feature the eyes in a portrait using lighting etc. . . that and so much more will be among the things you are going to come to use as part of your process. It's endless the possibilities and your way will be unique to you.

But have fun with it!!! Above all else. The rest will fall into place.

[Raybrite]

One thing I forgot to mention. If you mom bought you soft pastels, be sure to wear a maks when using them indoors. I was working with them anddeveloped quite a cough from inhaling the dust from them. They seem to be okay outdoors where there is plenty of circulation.
They also give off a vibrant color if you don't use a fixative and cover them as soon as they are completed.
Google soft pastels or something like that and you can get instruction, advice, and even a few art forums there. They will give you advice also. If you have a scanner you can put your drawings online and they will advise you.
It is a big world on the computer, just be careful where you go and what information you give out before you know the people on the forum.
Good luck. We are always here.

[Alexandra]

That's great Weeun, you are starting at the right place. Be sure to keep a nice box somewhere and label the back with the dates and your name so that later in time you see all your work and how well you have progressed.
Enjoy!