Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Daily Doodles three

Yesterday's post was written a week ago. It took me a week to hit the "publish" button. Today, when I logged on to hit that button, and set up for a new post, I discovered that the format has changed. I have no idea what this will look like.

The Daily Doodles continue apace. Some I like, others are real scunners.

 My hand isn't sure enough to get a decent circle, and it isn't playful enough yet to just go with it.

I don't know exactly, these two just don't do anything in any way. Maybe the squilly edge on the top one could be used elsewhere? 

What makes a scunner? It seems they are usually done when I'm not paying attention as much as I'd like, they are smaller than the others and less free flowing and often, there is an element of realism in them.

A doodle isn't meant to be a depiction of a realistic thing, or more acurately, it isn't meant to be a finely drawn example of a real thing. It is meant to allow for changes of the mind, for an expression of a tentative idea.  It is meant to doodle about, to capture an element of something, or to use line work to do what colour might otherwise. True, this is my definition. I didn't bother to look it up in the Oxford. I like this doodle because it isn't anything. I've played with shading, with 3 dimension, and used a grey pencil crayon to see if it helps or hinders. I like the grey pencil. The perspective is a bit of a mess, but I'm learning.

Some people doodle in order to develop an idea. Maybe an outline of an image, or maybe a series of placement options. I was recently at Pencil and Leaf, written by Valerie Littlewood

http://pencilandleaf.blogspot.ca/2012/06/wool-carder-painting-step-by-stepalmost.html
 Pencil and Leaf

and she showed how she had to create a map of where the plant would be on the page and where the bee would be. In her case, she used a sketch of the bee with some colour work added, all on tracing paper. Then she moved the bee around on the line drawing of the plant, until the two images worked in harmony.

I use my camera to sometimes do the same. Here are three images of a foxglove. This foxglove is tremendous. It found its way between where the peas and snap peas usually go. Last fall when I tidied up, I thought maybe it was the sage I had transplanted and it had grown into a nice plant. I was in a hurry and didn't stop to look closely. This spring, I knew it wasn't sage, but it was very pretty. I left it, in the spirit of mad discovery. Last week, it finally bloomed.

O handsome foxglove.

These two don't work for me, the top one has the garbage cans in the back ground. If I moved them, the boat would take their place. Yuk. The second one isn't too clear one way or the other. The edges are blurred, which can be OK, but the interior space isn't emphasized enough in contrast. Next....

It took me a few shots to get an alignment that I liked. I also had to undo the top button of my pants so I could crouch lower. Finally, this one happened, and I like it the best. The interior space is clear enough in contrast to the edges. The background has been neutralized and the bloom beside the main image has just a hint of the edge/interior tension. If I was interested enough to pursue this, I would try to duplicate this image again. It's a photo doodle. It could be turned into a nice embroidery, or an abstract applique piece. Or it could be used to suggest colours for a weaving.

So while the rest of life is heaving it's way around me, the daily doodles with pencil or camera help to keep me from running screaming into the streets.

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