Yesterday I had the Autumn blues. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it was the moon, or the heaviness of the weather but, whatever the reason, I found myself mid afternoon lying prone on the couch with our large, black, saggy cat, Plum, lying equally prone on top of me, feeling gloomy and energy-less. And then inspiration struck: what I needed was a trip to the public library!
I love the library. We have great libraries in Waitakere and I’m a regular and prolific borrower. (Hmmm… Do you think that it’s possible to love the library too much? I was recently told by a Library Assistant that I was the first person ever that she’d come across who knows their library card barcode off by heart.)
On the way to the library I was reminded of some of the things I love about Autumn and why it’s actually one of my favourite seasons. Two words for you: Persimmon orchards!
Once at the library I tend to skip the ground floor (fiction) and head straight upstairs to non-fiction. I get books on interior design, crafting, sustainable building, gardening, cooking, writing, art, travel, fashion, graphic design, blogging… Oh! So much inspiration to choose from!
One of the gems that I found yesterday was a completely hand-written, hand-illustrated, palm-sized book called How to Make a Journal of Your Life by Dan Price. Great inspiration for keeping a hand-written journal or a blog.
One of the delightful reminders I got from the book was the art of doing what we used to call at school ‘blind contour drawing.’ They’re the kind of drawings where you simply follow the outline of objects with your eyes and pen or pencil and see what magic you create. It’s a great exercise for switching off your left, intellectual, analytical “thinking” brain, and using your right, creative, intuitive brain. I always find these drawings have a kind of wonderful free wonky whimsy to them.
I had some fun with my pot of Yogi Tea this morning. As you can tell, some of the detailing (like the dashes on the cup) aren’t done entirely “blind.” When I’d finished, I scanned my drawing into Photoshop and did a spot of colouring in.
Why don’t you have a go with blind contour drawing yourself? I’d love to see anything you come up.
