Blind Line Drawing for Inspiration
Several years ago, I took one of the very few art classes I have taken in my life. It was with a talented artist and my friend, Arla Patch. One exercise she had us practice as “a great basic tool to shift from left brain to right brain” is called blind line drawing. It was the first time I had ever drawn anything that I actually liked! And the funny part is that a blind line drawing is done without ever looking at your paper while you are drawing. It allows you to really SEE what you see versus seeing the logical world that your brain THINKS you see.
This explains it better than I can. All I know is that it works, and its fun, and I generally really like my results!
“The goal of blind drawing is to really see the thing you’re looking at, to almost spiritually merge with it, rather than retreat into your mental image of it. Our brains are designed to simplify — to reduce the tumult of the world into order. Blind drawing trains us to stare at the chaos, to honor it. It is an act of meditation, as much as it is an artistic practice — a gateway to pure being. It forces us to study the world as it actually is.” excerpt from an article written by Sam Anderson.
For me, these types of activities fuel my creativity and get me thinking outside of the box, which I believe ultimately helps me to become a better photographer. Give this a try.
- All you need is a pencil and a drawing pad, or two pieces of paper.
- Place one larger piece of paper over your entire hand, pencil and bottom piece of paper.
- I set a timer for 2 minutes, no more or I tend to start over thinking what I am doing.
- Sit quietly in front of a scene outdoors or at your table with something interesting and multi-dimensional sitting in your immediate line of new. My first blind line was of a large pair of scissors sitting on the table in front of me.
- Place your pencil on your paper wherever you want to start, cover your hand, pencil and bottom paper with the top piece of paper, and hit the timer!
- Do not lift your pencil off the paper until the 2 minutes is up and your drawing is complete.
- Take a look! If you like it, Awesome! If not, give it another try with drawing something else!
Let me know how it goes! I’d love to see your fun results! Feel free to post a picture here in the comments, or tag me on Instagram @nanettefayephotography! I’d love to see them!
Here’s mine from the other evening at sunset! I love the depth of field (photographer in me 🙂 ). I decided to also do a quick 5-minute (I set the timer again), not over-thinking, watercolor on top of the blind line drawing. Pretty happy with the colorful result!
In addition to Instagram, you can also find me over here! I’d love to chat with you about fun creative activities like this one, or about photography too!
2-minute blind line drawing
Blind line drawing with quick watercolor
Celebrating Summer Solstice
Summer Solstice art
I’m a Summer sunshine girl. My housemate says its because I spend a good part of my day sitting in the dark editing images on my computer. 🙂 I think I’ve always been a Summer sunshine girl.
Last night, while sitting on the front porch after dark, we decided to get up early this morning to greet the longest sunlight day of the year. Summer officially began this morning, June 21 at 6:07am in the Northern Hemisphere. “I am so happy to see you, Summer! You have no idea!” We thought of what we might do to celebrate this special morning besides sit and drink coffee on the porch, which is wonderful in-and-of-itself! And we decided to create flower mandalas with flowers from around the yard. So, while she got the coffee started, I began gathering Rosa Rugosa petals and Buttercups, and when she came out, she found a few Lamb’s Ear, climbing Hydrangea, and few other flowers and greens. We chatted as we played with the flowers. And we spoke to Sun and thanked her for the things we love and appreciate most about her.
Early morning Summer Solstice
Yard flowers for art
Early morning art
Maine coast Summer Solstice
Our special Maine flower mandala creations.
Happy Summer Solstice! Love to you all!
xo
Nanette
On Saturday morning, I’ll be on a ferry to a Maine island to photograph a creative woman doing what she does best. She’ll also show me around her beloved island. Are you in need of creative portraits for your website, blog or marketing? Would you love some photographs of you doing what you love to do, let’s connect.
If you can dream it, you can create it!
Manifesting our dreams takes a lot of thought and work and vision. I distinctly remember the first time I connected the dots, when manifesting my vision really happened to me. My dream was to rent a little cottage on Moody Beach, Maine for a week with a girlfriend and our total of four daughters. I verbalized this dream to a counselor I was seeing. It didn’t end up happening exactly as I had envisioned, which often seems to happen thanks to the Universe’s vision of OUR vision, but it happened! Wow, that was powerful stuff!
The next time it happened, I had made a list on Jan 1 of five places I would love to visit within that year. No plans at all were in the works. A few months later, I said Yes! and I was on a plane to CA to photograph and crew for a long distance bicyclist for The Race Across America, a non-stop race from Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, Maryland. The kicker, it was all expense paid so it worked for this newly divorced woman. Later that year, I was asked to shoot a week-long family reunion with a wedding at the end of the week in The Outer Banks, NC. The opportunity included staying in a beautiful lodge on the ocean during the week-long assignment. Win, win. Two dream travel locations I had written in my vision journal on Jan 1, happily crossed off! I love this stuff!
Vision Board Workshop
So, let’s do this together. On Saturday, March 17 from 10:30am-1:30pm, you are invited to gather with other local women to create your own Vision Board. In this inspiring location on the Maine coast, you will create a vision board to help jumpstart a new project, your business or your life! Due to the intimate nature of the location in Yarmouth, Maine, this workshop is limited to the first 12 people.
Enjoy the morning socializing and creating with other women, and then head home with a tangible, image and word-inspired vision board to place in a spot you see every day.
I hope you can join us. If you would like to sign-up for the workshop, or just receive more information, please leave me your email address in the comment section below. You may also email me at cncram@valley.net leaving your name and email address. The cost of the workshop is $20.00, with all materials included. Coffee, tea, water and a yummy will be available. You may bring a bag lunch if you’d like!
Let’s get started on creating the project, business….life of our dreams.
On the road with Race Across America
Cold! Northern Maine cold!
Day 10 of the Gentle January photo challenge presents the prompt: COLD!
Last winter, I spent a good part of the month of January with my sister on her organic farm in Northern Maine near the Canadian border. It was a January that brought snowstorm after snowstorm. We spent most days shoveling snow and “feeding” her wood stoves. My honey spent many days helping us out too. The snow and wind blew so hard we could barely holler to each other outside but I have to say, we all enjoyed the majority of it. We would shovel the path to the chicken house, and to the driveway, and around to make sure we could get wood, and then we’d put our feet up by the wood cookstove and chat, warm our toes, and drink something yummy.
It was a tough time in my sister’s life as she had just lost her beloved husband. It was also a special time for my sister and me as we hadn’t spent this much time together in years and years. The silver linings, and small blessings.
And…..COLD!
Day 6 / Water and I, we go way back
Day 6 of Susannah Conway’s Gentle January photo challenge presents me with the word, Water.
Water and I, we go way back. I was born a Scorpio, and when I had my chart read years ago, I was told I was a triple threat, Scorpio. So, in all reality, I may have been born a mermaid. I have so much to say about my relationship with water, from when I was a little girl and visited the sea one week out of the year but dreamed about it for the other 51, to craving the ocean water for almost 20 years while I lived in the mountains.
Maine waters
Water is part of me, and I am a part of it. Water and I are forever fluid, and changing, sometimes smooth and calm, and other times restless and wild. Changing, and moving, and flowing…
Water…
My home
My Home….
For the past 6 or 7 years, I have chosen to not live in one home, stay in one place. After my divorce, I couldn’t come up with one place I wanted to “be.” I wanted to be everywhere, or at least have the opportunity to be everywhere. For many years, my car was a comforting place that felt most like home. I have lived in many homes owned by other people, and mostly with their belongings. My belongings are in storage except for the few clothes I own, my camera and computer gear, and a few books. Truthfully, most of the time I love it that way. There are times when I miss seeing my girls’ artwork that I have framed, or my mother’s special plates. But I like to travel light.
Northern Maine farm
I have been fortunate to find really neat places to call “home.” I often live in “winter rentals” along the coast of Maine which allows me to afford to live in homes and cottages I would never be able to afford otherwise. In this gypsy life, I have lived in a sweet cottage by a dog friendly beach and the best bakery, I lived in an apartment over a lighting store, in a Victorian home full of books and art from around the world, a ski house in the Western Maine mountains, a Northern Maine organic farm with my sister, and now in a little cottage right on Casco Bay. My home is wherever I am at the time. My home is always open to my friends and family, and my home is right here in my heart and will follow me wherever I go. My home….
Beginning the New Year with “Gentle January”
Gentle January….a photo a day. Today, January 1
I AM….in no hurry to get from one place to another, from here to there. I rather like the journey. #gentlejanuary2018
maine woods
