My 21 Day Drawing Challenge

I enjoyed Von Glitschka's 5 day drawing challenge so much that I decided to take his 21 day drawing challenge, too.

It didn't seem like a big thing at first - after all it was only about fifteen minutes a day over the Christmas period. But I learned loads in that time. It really did show the power of doing something every day.

I posted my drawings on Instagram, I'll add a few in this post:

21 day draw day 2 - continuous line drawing. The first time I've tried it, so not 100% sure I understood it when I drew this. (I Googled it afterwards so I have a better idea now!) #draw21days

A post shared by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Dec 23, 2016 at 3:00am PST

21 Day Draw : day 7 - draw something you're passionate about. I was given a new book on drawing for Christmas by my kids so I really wanted to try one of the exercises in that. The lettering in the banner is because (like most people, I think) I've had enough of 2016 and I'm ready to move on now. Bring on 2017! #draw21days #rose #newyear #newyear2017 #howtodrawcoolstuff

A post shared by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Dec 28, 2016 at 12:59am PST

Some drawings went well and I was pleased with the result, others I found really tough and I had to tackle them a few times to get a half-decent result. Others I totally misunderstood but even then I learned a lot about how I made assumptions about what was being asked!

21 Day Drawing challenge day 18 - draw a monster on cardboard. Good fun, this one. #draw21days

A post shared by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Jan 11, 2017 at 1:07pm PST

21 Day drawing challenge - day 14. Reality is boring, make this photo more interesting. Now I've looked at the solution I think I totally misunderstood this challenge but I had fun with it anyway so I'm not worried! #draw21days

A post shared by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Jan 7, 2017 at 2:55am PST

One of the best things to come from this drawing challenge was that my children were so curious about it that they joined in. So not only did they learn a thing or two about drawing, the three of us had some pleasant drawing sessions together over the Christmas holidays.

Back last Autumn I decided to improve my drawing because it's a basic skill that wiould give me lots of options in any art or craft I chose to do in future. But it's taught me so much more than I ever expected. Watch this space, things could get interesting!

It's looking a little sketchy

Back when I was making my felt pictures for the Weaving narratives project I thought that it would be good to improve my drawing. I wanted to go beyond using photographs and begin drawing up my own designs.

I already had an account at Lynda.com, so that was the natural first place to look for tutorials. I took Von Glitska's 5 Day Draw course where you...well... get drawing prompts five days in a row. Simple really! Part of the course was to post your drawing on social media, so that's what I did.

My first few weren't that inspiring but after a few days I lightened up and had some fun with it:

#5daydraw light and dark shading, day 3

A photo posted by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Sep 12, 2016 at 1:51pm PDT

#5daydraw drawing with shapes instead of lines. Giraffe in a car.

A photo posted by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Sep 15, 2016 at 1:37am PDT

I really like Von Glitska's work and he said one thing in the course that stood out for me. I'm paraphrasing a bit but it was something like 'don't worry about drawing something photo-realistic. If clients wanted that then they'd use a photo.' (I don't have art or design clients, but it was a lightbulb moment anyway).

In art lessons at school I felt I was encouraged to draw what was there in front of me in detail. Which I guess has its place but is pretty boring! So now I don't have to do that it's opened up lots of possibilities...

I've been learning freeform crochet

It's been a while since I last posted but I haven't stopped making. I've been teaching myself freeform crochet on and off for the last 9 months or so. Ever since I made my first piece for Weaving Narratives and wondered what else I could do with crochet but without a pattern.

My plan with this was to just doodle with wool and try out as many different things as possible, so if I found something online or in a book, in it went. I didn't even have a plan for what it would be, but it's so big that I guess now it's going to be a blanket.

Part of the fun has been seeing people's reactions because I don't think most have seen anything quite like it! Anyway, here are a few close-ups.

My #freeformcrochet seemed to be a bit of a hit yesterday so here's another photo from a bit further along the same blanket. #crochet #yarn #wool

A photo posted by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Oct 23, 2016 at 3:21am PDT

I've been teaching myself freeform crochet. #freeformcrochet #crochet #yarn #wool

A photo posted by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Oct 22, 2016 at 2:58am PDT

I have no idea when I'll finish it because there's still a long way to go and I fit it in around other projects. Next winter would be a good guess. But that's another part of the fun - being as relaxed as possible and only working on it when I feel excited about it.

I'm aiming to make it freeform in every possible way!

How did the exhibitions go?

It's been a very busy September!* So I've only just got around to posting here at my craft blog.

We're currently part of the way through the Weaving Narratives exhibitions, with Bedford and Luton done and Flitwick still to go (Flitwick library, Oct 13th to 15th) and they've been a great success.

In fact other venues have asked if they can host us for extra exhibitions. I think we (contributors and visitors) have all been amazed by the variety of techniques used and what we have been inspired to make by the material in the archives.

For the non-professional artists in the group (me included) it's been such good fun sharing the excitement of seeing our work in an art exhibition. For most of us it's been something we didn't realise we had the capability to do or ever expected to happen.

Well worth getting out of our comfort zones for!

Here are a couple of pictures:

At the #weavingnarratives exhibition at Borough Hall in #Bedford #communityart #textileart

A photo posted by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Sep 10, 2016 at 8:02am PDT

My artwork hanging in an exhibition! #weavingnarratives #communityart #needlefelt #needlefelting

A photo posted by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Sep 7, 2016 at 8:19am PDT

I have been doing a few other crafty things this month, so look out for my next post on that. :-)

*Ironically one of the things I did this month was listen to this series on the cult of busy-ness. Well worth a listen. So every time I hear myself saying 'I'm so busy' I question why. Which can only be a good thing.

It's almost time for my first exhibition!

If you'd told me nine months ago that I'd be hanging up my work in an art exhibition later in the year, I would have laughed at you. I wasn't an artist...I didn't even have anything resembling artwork.

But that's what I'm doing tomorrow and I have to say it's very exciting!

Here are the details of the first Weaving Narratives exhibition at Borough Hall, in Bedford this weekend. You'd be very welcome to come along.

There are others in the next month or so in Luton and Flitwick.

I'll be posting photos on this blog, on Instagram (instagram.com/helenlindop ) and you can follow tweets on Twitter using the hashtag #weavingnarratives.

See you there!

I finished felting the Picturedrome Cinema

It's just as well I finished it as the exhibitions start in early September!

You can see the dates, times and locations here.

Please click here for more about the Bedford Picturedrome Cinema and why I chose it.

And here is the finished, framed picture:

Finished my third and final #felt picture for #weavingnarratives #communityart project. It's the #bedford Picturedrome Cinema, based on a photo from about 1914, cinema was demolished in 1964. #needlefelting #needlefelt

A photo posted by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Aug 13, 2016 at 11:10am PDT

I finally finished my crochet picture...

I started it in March and I finally framed it in the last few days of July. Here it is:

I framed my #crochet picture for the #weavingnarratives exhibition. It was inspired by the pumps and engines that were made by Allen's in #Bedford around a 100 years ago. #communityart #textileart

A photo posted by Helen Lindop (@helenlindop) on Jul 28, 2016 at 2:49am PDT