Tag: Kuan Yin

Art · Ever After 2018

Kuan Yin: Final

Sarah Joyce BryantLeave a comment

Today I was feeling more energetic and focused. I finished editing a chapter of a friend’s novel, and then finished up my #KuanYin #oilpastel painting from Lucy Chen’s #EverAfter2018 lesson.

It’s interesting how creative energy ebbs and flows. Through this daily creative practice, I’m learning to create despite the energetic highs and lows. Sometimes, just the act of sitting down and starting will jumpstart the flow. Other times, I am aggravated throughout the process, and I am learning to be aware of when it is time to stop and come back to it another day. My intention with this daily practice is to create something. It does not have to be good, nor does it have to be complete.

I’ve never worked with oil pastels, and I’m amazed how they seem to transform themselves on the page. Pure magic. I adore this #KuanYin painting. She is one of my favorites so far. It helps that she came at the perfect time when I was very much in need of compassion.

 

Art · Ever After 2018

Kuan Yin: Day Three

Sarah Joyce BryantLeave a comment

For my creative practice, I completed step one and step two of adding color to my #KuanYin oil pastel from Lucy Chen’s #EverAfter2018 lesson.

Today I proved to myself that if I just sit down and start at any time, I will get something accomplished. I did not want to create anything today. I was very, very resistant. So, much later than usual, I decided to just sit down and start the video. Two hours later, I had made quite a bit of progress. I also learned that I love working with oil pastels a lot, and the ones that I am using are just the Pentel Arts brand that I bought for about $6.00!

Art · Ever After 2018

Kuan Yin: Day Two

Sarah Joyce BryantLeave a comment

I’ve had quite a frustrating time with my creative practice today. I continued with the Lucy Chen’s #KuanYin #EverAfter2018 lesson. I actually got angry with myself as I attempted to sketch the second hand over and over again for several hours and just could not get it right. I decided to just leave it and move on to sketching other aspects of the painting. Though my intention was to start adding color today, I recognized that I needed to walk away and come back to it another day when I’m not feeling so frustrated. I remember Marielle Stolp saying in her style development lessons not to trust what we see. That it is best sometimes to set something aside and come back to it later. When we come back to it later on, we will often have a different perspective.

Art · Ever After 2018

Kuan Yin: Day One

Sarah Joyce BryantLeave a comment

I have made the decision to continue with a daily creative practice in August. My intention for the month is to participate in some form of creative activity every day and to post about it here on my blog.

I like posting what I create in stages not only so that I can see my own progress, but also so other beginning artists can see the process of another beginning artist. When I was an MFA student, we had a guest writer come in and give us copies of a first draft of one of his chapters from his published memoir. It was incredible to see the difference between his first draft and what was published. I carry that experience with me and draw from it any time I start to get to caught up in perfectionist first drafts both in my writing and art. I wish more people would share the stages of what they create – especially in writing – so that we could all see real examples of what Anne Lamott calls “Shitty First Drafts.” Maybe then we wouldn’t be so afraid of our own.

For today’s creative practice, I began Lucy Chen’s Kuan Yin lesson from Tamara Laporte’s Ever After 2018 course. This sketch took much longer than I anticipated, but I like how it’s going so far.