Practice, practice, practice

....I keep reading the best way to teach yourself to draw, is to "keep drawing" and to "draw often". Various blogs I follow, by productive and talented artists I admire and gain so much inspiration from, have obviously done the hard-yards with repititious practice over many years perhaps, to achieve the grand status they now demonstrate. I can't help but be so rapt when I view their art and enjoy how their wonderful choice of colours blend on paper.

To my practice piece then; and I love being able to sit in the garden doing this, making out I'm an 'artist'. Made this mistake (again), by using my visual-journal to work in; and it isn't watercolour paper. I perhaps should have done 'something' in the background first, but had just jumped in and worked on my subject, which is these potted ifafa lilies, not yet in flower.

When I got to reading some on the net about these lilies before writing this, I came to believe I must've been in some warped-head mode, when it came to printing inside the label on my drawing. I hadn't realized that they're actually spelt with a single "f", and that the plural of lily is also spelt with a single "l". So I'm out to show myself up in more ways than one now.

What does that say about me? I hadn't raced inside to check before writing it in; I assumed. Never a good option. They're not a very common plant here at all, and to the botanical side, I find they belong to Cyranthus species, originating in Sth. Africa. Two of a number of artists whose art I linger over, and enjoy seeing each time they post something new:

A wonderful tutorial from Jane LaFazio , and Laure Ferlita has "it" happening too.

It might look easy, but I know it isn't...