Can it be? Back on the third day in a row?! It’s thanks to the 3 Materials Challenge. (Or the Three Materials Challenge—I can never decide whether to spell out the first word or leave it as a numeral!) Having a daily challenge gives something to post about every day and slight incentive to keep myself accountable by checking in. I don’t know how long it will last, though!
3 Materials Challenge: Day 2
Today, I went out and snapped a couple of photos in the back yard to give me something to sketch. I ended up settling on the shed where we keep the lawnmower.
As I said yesterday, I’m not trying for an accurate or realistic portrayal, so I simplified everything and took some artistic license here and there.
For this one, I used a black Uni-ball Vision Needle micro pen, a red color pencil (Kalour brand in Chili, C073), and another cheap water-soluble crayon/pastel in apple green:
(I wish I had left out the birds! And that’s all I’ll say about this sketch, since I’m trying to remain judgement-free!)
Deciphering the Rules of the Game
I’ve read a little more about the original “3 Materials Drawing Challenge” concept since last time. I’m not sure where to begin, but how about this? It seems like the observational/draw from life aspect is pretty important to the people who developed the challenge, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be for me. To tell the truth, I don’t know a lot about this style of art-making. I guess drawing from a photo is still observational, but I’m no expert! As someone who doesn’t get out in new locations that much, drawing from life has never felt like a natural choice. If I lived in a city or traveled a lot, it would make more sense, but I suppose you’re only limited by your imagination. And if I open up the field to photographs found online, that would mean literally anything could become a subject. (Of course, the purists say that drawing from a photo isn’t as good and “limits the energy and originality” of the artwork. They would say that!)
Then there’s the fact that when I look up observational drawing, it’s strongly dominated by ultra-realistic artwork, which is not something I’d enjoy (or be any good at, I’m afraid). However, the people participating in this challenge (that I’ve come across) don’t seem devoted to the pursuit of realism, so I guess we can just ignore the search engine results!
Another point: Sometimes people do add a fourth material (if it really needs it), while others will often limit themselves to only two materials per sketch! I guess the idea is just to do what works for you, but I’m afraid that if I’m worrying too much about the sketch “working”, I’m not going to want to bother. A strict 3-material limit feels good to me. (And if a sketch doesn’t “work”, will anyone even notice or care?)
…I know there were other things I wanted to note, but now I’m here typing this up at nearly 10 p.m. they’re escaping me!
Well, here’s a point relevant to just me: The old sketchbook I chose—something Donald bought when he was in college, I believe, and only filled up three pages—has turned out to be a bit limiting, as well, in its own special ways. First, it’s small. That seemed like a good thing to me when I chose it yesterday. I still like the fact that there’s not much space to fill, but it does mean you need to make things very small unless you’re zoomed right in on them, which can be an issue with materials that don’t keep a sharp point. And second (and worse) is that it doesn’t take water well at all. I did a tiny test on an earlier page, and it’s clearly not meant for use with water, which means no watercolor, no water-activated pencil, crayon, etc. And I’m sure something like a Sharpie-style marker would bleed right through, so that’s probably out, too. I’m only drawing on one side of each page, with a protective layer under the page while I draw, but still. I hate the look of bleed-through and would like to avoid it.
Anyway, why am I still rambling about this? I’ll just keep doing what I originally intended, but I won’t be able to use anything wet. If I reach the end of this month and want to keep going with it, I can move to a sturdier sketchbook.
Knitting After a Long Break
I couldn’t tell you the last thing I knitted without looking it up, but it’s been a while—multiple years, if I’m not mistaken. I just haven’t felt much like knitting or crocheting for a long time. There are multiple factors at play. First, my eyes can’t focus as well as they once could. (Time for new glasses!) Second, I’ve had less free time in recent years. Third, I’ve been focused on other hobbies, instead of yarn-based ones. And there probably is a certain element of subconscious distaste left after all the nastiness (pick your flavor!) with, on, and regarding Ravelry.
Whatever the reason, I haven’t felt tempted to pick up my knitting needles in quite some time, but this winter, I’ve been wearing a particular hat and cowl a lot just around the house. They make an amazing difference in how warm I feel and allow me to stay cozy without dialing up the heat every time I’m feeling slightly cool. I thought it might be nice to make a second cowl in the same pattern, since I thought I remembered that it was easy to knit. This could be a good way to dip a toe back in the water. I’m not planning on diving back into yarn crafts at the expense of other interests, right now, but it’s fun to mix things up a little.
I found the pattern—”Glam Cowl”, by Jacqui Harding, available for free online—chose yarn from my stash, and watched a video to remind myself how to do the knitted cast-on.
It was a bit of an experience, getting started. I wasn’t sure I even remembered how to hold the yarn, much less knit, but it all came back fairly easily. I did end up ripping out my start twice because I just wasn’t sure if it was twisted or not. By the third time, I’d regained a modicum of confidence, and now I think it’ll be fine. I’m going slowly (to avoid straining anything and because I simply don’t always have the time or feel like knitting) but will get there eventually.
It never looks like much at this stage in the project, especially with lace knitting!
