Sketching People

 

Blog 14

This past month, I created a lot of sketches of people. Our theatre season began again. We sit in the first row and usually have enough light to draw. Sometimes, I only have time for a quick outline because some actors move a lot. Usually, when I draw sketches with more detail, I don’t create them in one go. Instead, I go back and forth between different characters. I continue with each when they are in the same spot as when I started sketching them. For the production of Sense and Sensibility, sketching was more demanding because of the large number of characters on stage. I love drawing at the theatre because it helps me remember the plays better.

I also draw often during Zoom calls when I know a speaker is featured. I attempt to get a likeness which is challenging because the facial expressions change with every movement. I prefer to catch them with a closed mouth because drawing teeth is even more demanding. Sometimes when I get too frustrated, I take a screenshot and rework the drawing later with the photo.


When I tried to draw the actors of the German movie Die Dienstagsfrauen, I also started sketching the actresses simultaneously, then went back and forth whenever they were in a similar position on the screen. I am happy with two sketches, while the other two renditions show hardly any likeness. Nevertheless, I captured enough information to remember the four very different and distinct personalities the actresses played.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It was a fun exercise I might repeat in the future to practice. I still want to work on more abstract renditions to concentrate less on the actual appearance and more on the actions of the characters to make my sketches more dynamic. This way, I might sketch a variety of people quickly in public. I am still too concerned about achieving the likeness instead of capturing the mood and movement. However, I enjoy the challenge of simplifying, which feels uncomfortable.

Is there anything you want to learn that feels out of your comfort zone?

Many Parts Make a Dog

 

Blog 13


When I recently posted the above picture on my Facebook page, some people got curious about my needle-felted sculpture of Alex, a miniature version of our Australian Shepherd.

Alex was our foster dog. I picked him up from his former owner after neighbours had complained to a dog rescue organization that they had seen that the owner kept Alex in a crate in a garage at all times and dragged Alex back home on his collar if he managed to escape his confinement. I loved Alex from the first moment I saw him, and I am sure it was mutual.


It took me a couple of days to convince my husband that we should keep him because we already had a Golden Retriever. We live in the country, and space was no problem, but we had to figure out if we could afford a second dog. In the end, Alex's zest for life won us all over.


He and Candy were a good match. Candy was exceptionally laid-back, more a cat than a dog, and hated exercise. However, Alex's infectious personality brought out the dog in her. Both Candy and Alex lost a lot of hair. However, for many years we threw it out like probably most people. When I spent more time felting, I read about the possibility to needle-felt dog fur. I started – to my family’s horror – to collect our hair for future projects.


I was curious how the fur would perform for needle felting and began to create a model of Candy’s head. When she died unexpectedly, I put the sculpted head and the rest of her fur in a box in the basement where it still awaits further attention.


After Candy’s death, I started a sculpture of Alex. I stopped several times - either because I had to wait for Alex to lose more fur or because I got busy with other projects. Twice our cat, Miko, ripped my work apart when he kneaded the body to create a comfortable nest for a nap. Miko loved cuddling up with my sculpture, while he usually was too scared to search for the closeness of the actual dog.





The whole body is out of his fur. Most of it comes from his undercoat, so the felted dog is lighter than Alex. Only the nails, the dark areas around his eyes and the snout are wool. I formed his nose out of air-dry clay and gave him glass eyes.

I stopped counting the hours once I passed 100. I still worked on this sculpture long into the night before his death, with him lying at my feet. I cherish these last quiet hours with him.


The sculpture is a tangible memory of our beloved Alex. Whenever I pet his soft fur, it makes me feel at peace and happy. 

While I only create needle-felted sculptures of our family members, I accept commissions of needle-felted paintings of your beloved pet. To receive more information, contact me at info@KerstinPeters.ca.

The Stages of my Felting Process

Three Poppies, wool, 8.75" x 12", custom-matted to 12” x 16”, CAN $450

Blog 12


Since the beginning of the year, I have posted my daily art to inspire you to increase creativity in your life. I wanted to show that it doesn’t have to take hours to create art. Some of my sketches were more detailed because I often forget everything around me and keep drawing or painting.


I have also continued to work on my needle-felted paintings. I usually work on several at the same time, each of them at a different stage of completion.


I cannot sit still and usually work on a piece while watching television or chatting with friends.

 

I start the blocking-in phase of the painting while watching TV because I don’t have to worry about details and fill the background with colours that match the basic shapes of my composition.


Once I get to the second step and start working on blending colours, I continue when I chat with friends because I need better lighting and have to pay more attention to the transitions of colours.


Most of the work on my needle-felted paintings happens when I add more details. I need to concentrate on the artwork, keeping my eyes on the artwork. The participants of the virFriday Crafters Afternoons are all in the same boat. We chat, we laugh, but we also have times when we spend the time silently working. To find out how to join us, send me an email to info@KerstinPeters.ca.


The final stage of my process usually takes the longest. Sometimes, when I consider a painting almost finished, I realize something feels off. Outsiders might not even see something wrong with the artwork. I take a photo to view the artwork from a different angle. Sometimes, it is only a quick adjustment. Other times, I require additional hours until I am satisfied.

When I created my calendar of needle-felted paintings last November, I realized I had to change the following tulip painting. When you look at the second image, can you guess what caught my eye?


 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to learn needle felting in a small group, I invite you to the Easter Egg workshop on Sunday, April 2, 2023, from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm, Zoom. You will learn the basics of needle felting and might find a fun and relaxing hobby.


I will offer the next needle-felted painting workshop on June 4 and 11, 2023. What would you like to felt?

• Landscape
• Still life
• Flowers
• Birds
• Butterflies
• Other animals

Please send me an email with your suggestion to info@KerstinPeters.ca.

You Have a Choice

Blog 11

 
Last week, I was disappointed and frustrated. A course I looked forward to sharing didn’t run because nobody signed up. I was questioning my path and how and if I should continue with my business.

image provided by M. Shannon Hernandez

Fortunately, the book Practical Joy by my coach M. Shannon Hernandez had only arrived days earlier. It is an easy read at less than 100 pages, but don’t let that fool you. There is a lot of information, exploration and inspiration on these pages.

Her three key points of making joy a choice are easy to remember:

1. Your joy is a daily practice.
2. Your joy is contagious.
3. Your joy is limitless. (page 84)

M. Shannon points out “that you have zero time to waste on things, people, relationships, and experiences that aren’t bringing you joy!” (page 12)

Each chapter contains her observations, suggestions for reflections, space to note your thoughts and a colouring page to get quiet and meditative.
 
It was interesting to read that the author thanked two creative instructors for helping her to “heal so many years of wounds and blocks around creativity,...” (page 97) They guided and supported her to rediscover and nurture her creative voice.

While M. Shannon talks about joy, her three key points are relevant to my mission to help you find and nurture your creativity. Being creative is a choice. Others might encourage or discourage you. However, your creative expression is foremost for yourself. You might decide to share it with others to inspire them to discover their voice, but first, you have to find yours.

“True joy will be yours when you find the courage to pull the weeds of achievement, never-ending to-do lists, and mediocre living.” (page 31)

Whenever I doubt my mission, I remember the joy art brings to my life. It has been there for me in good and challenging times. I want you to experience the same. Join me for a coffee date to see how I can support your journey. 

 

P.S. I continued my daily art projects. This week, I drew many people, which I will not share, to respect their privacy. The image of the lovely young woman in the collage is my daughter Christine, who turned 22 this week.

 

 

Daily Art

 

Blog 10


I started my daily art with preparations for my two Cartooning and Comics courses at the François Dupuis Recreation Centre in Orleans, where I instruct two groups of children. At the end of this semester, they will create a comic with two characters they picked.

The younger group (5 to 7-year-olds) selected the Minecraft characters Ender Dragon and Wither Storm.

The older group (8 to 12-year-olds) chose Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer and eyeballs.

I drew the first image of the comics, which forced me out of my comfort zone. All subjects are not anything I would choose. Everyone will start with the first image and then develop their own stories. I always enjoy the challenge and learn something from the kids while I teach them.

 

For my own projects, I picked various subjects and spent some minutes to about an hour creating the art. I used pencils, coloured pencils, watercolour pencils and watercolours.

I drew the rooster and the faucet for my German students to demonstrate how you can easily visualize new words to anchor them to your memory. Both words mean Hahn in German, which makes it important to figure out the context. After all, you don't want to get a rooster for bathroom. 😊

What have you learned this week?