ILLUSTRATION
In the Spring of 2016 while I was phasing out of ceramics, I started to feel a nudge to draw but I wasn’t sure where to begin. I bought a small sketchbook and a fine black pen and slowly started making contour drawings.
Then one day on NPR, I heard an interview with Danny Greggory, the author of “Art Before Breakfast” and the co-founder of Sketchbookskool.com giving some sage advice about how to build a drawing habit. “For thirty days get used to eating cold toast. Draw your breakfast every day. Then eat it.” And so, I did that. Over time, my drawings began to develop a strong narrative; metaphorically, using icons and through recipe illustrations.
Click the images below for a larger version.
Besides getting better “at seeing” as I drew each morning, it caused me to think about my ritual of making breakfast; brewing Irish Breakfast tea in the same green pot each AM, and toasting English muffins topped with homemade jam. Drawing grounded me and got me thinking about the poignant narrative of food and how it defines us personally & culturally.
I eventually joined my local Sketch Club which is part of the Patchogue Arts Council on Long Island. As I started combining my written reflections and illustrations as posts on Instagram, my good friend Sandra Novick took notice and asked me to if I would consider becoming a contributor her new blog called thehummingbirdpost, which features creative writers, visual artists and lifestyle content.
ILLUSTRATION TECHNIQUE
My technique for making drawings had always been portable and low-tech making it easy to draw anywhere; waterproof black fine point pens, a small watercolor set and a brush pen for painting on mixed media paper. I also use soft pencils (6B & 7B) and gray Tom Bow markers for shadowing. I found that I was able to have more control over using fewer materials which gave me confidence.