Most of last week was spent hunched over the giant magnifying light in my studio at the drawing table.
This is the result.
Now I am waiting for a few more instructions.
One Bite at a Time
Or, if you read Anne Lamott, one bird at a time*. That’s the way I will accomplish this large complicated custom pencil drawing.
As with many of my projects, I start out wondering if I have bitten off more than I can chew. Once I see a little progress, my confidence returns, and pretty soon I start really enjoying the project. This one is no different; each segment gives a sense of accomplishment, so instead of thinking that the end is far away, I get to experience many little endings.
*Anne Lamott wrote a book about writing called Bird By Bird.
It’s Complicated
I have learned to draw from photos on my laptop instead of mediocre prints from my mediocre printer on mediocre paper and instead of waiting for high quality prints from Shutterfly. This means I can enlarge on the screen for understanding the detail more. This also means I can’t measure. Everything is a mixed bag.
The complicated custom collage drawing began with these photos, and even more.
Then I began laying it out on the giant piece of paper, using the approved sketch as my map. 14×18″ is a lot of real estate to cover with the point of a pencil.
Can you see the lines on the paper? “Just barely” is the answer I am looking for.
This is a big job, a complicated one, but I, your Central California artist am up for the task.
Custom Complicated Collage
When a group of words begin with the same letter, it’s called “alliteration”. Did you know that? Do you care?
The owner of this cabin has hired me to draw a 14×18″ collage that incorporates many different views and pieces of her unique and well-designed place.
After several versions, this is the one that pleases her the most.
Can you use the word “mayonnaise” in a sentence?
How about this: “Man-aze a lotta stuff in ‘at pitcher!” (Say it out loud; you will get it in a minute.)
In addition to messing around with words, I do love to draw. Good thing, eh?
Mineral King, Another Person’s Story
Today we have the pleasure of a guest post, something I have never had in 12 years of blogging! Sharon Devol is a real life friend, and the most regular commenter on this blog. She always has something interesting to add, and when I half-jokingly suggested she write a guest post, she was graciously eager.
This is Sharon’s personal story of her family’s Mineral King cabin.
My family connection to Mineral King starts in 1930 when my grandparents, Van and Mary Dixon, visited Faculty Flat (JB here – Faculty Flat is about a mile below the end of the Mineral King Road, so called because it was first settled by educators from Southern California) on the invitation of faculty colleague, Dr. Bates of the Bates-Bell Cabin. For the next 20 years Van and Mary and their two daughters, Diane and Shirley, used the Bates-Bell Cabin until the cabin built in 1926 by Lou and Mary Lou Coole came up for sale. Despite its primitive condition, the daughters begged Daddy to buy it, and the Dixon family set to work to clean and improve the cabin.
I first visited our cabin when I was one year old, and time at Mineral King has been a part of my summer ever since.
Quite an improvement made by a physics professor married to a home economics teacher with elbow grease provided by various family members. And we descendants of Van and Mary Dixon so appreciate their love, care, and hard work to make our family a warm and inviting place to visit each summer.
P.S. by Jana – A few years ago, I got the chance to update the drawing I did of Sharon’s cabin in 1992, because I draw better now. Goodness, an artist would certainly hope so. (Nope, not going to show you the first version because I deleted it, so there.)
Finished Pencil Drawing Three
This driveway:
leads to this cabin:
I know you are dying to ask me something about this drawing – put it in the comments!
Mineral King is closed to the public but the mandatory evacuation lifted yesterday at 1:30 p.m.
Finished Pencil Drawing Two
Two pencil drawings of one boat – one truly beautiful boat, called a Chris Craft. These are quite a Thing, maybe the Rolls Royce or the Harley Davidson of the water. (I just made that up and hope I didn’t insult anyone or any brand here.)
Can I drive?? Is that what it is called to run a boat? Or is “pilot” the correct verb?
Finished Pencil Drawing One
Color has been added to the Chris Craft flag and to the reflection. Another happy customer, and of course the artist is also happy.
P.S. The pinstripes were intense, and the flags were pure joy. I am particularly taken by the way the American flag curls. Simple things, for a simple person. (Me, not the customer)
Are We Happy Yet?
I don’t want to talk about wildfires, evacuation orders, plagues, epidemics, or politics. I just want to draw and make my customers happy.
This is before:
And this is after:
Now I am waiting for my customer to tell me if this is what she requested. I can keep going, if I have good instruction. It is a pleasure to work for people who know what they want and express it clearly.
Yes! Happy customer!
P.S. Happy artist too.
Three Rivers Post Office
When it was time to mail the cabin drawing to the customer, I packaged it. Trail Guy came out to the studio to offer his delivery services, and I was delighted to not have to interrupt my work with a trip to the Post Office. Yes, I know it is only 3-4 miles away, but in the summers, my work days are limited because I keep going to Mineral King instead of keeping my feet planted in front of the easels. So, I value my work time and appreciate not having to do my own errands.
Trail Guy returned from the Post Office with the receipt and an explanation of why it cost $18 to send a piece of paper to San Diego – had to buy a box, pay for insurance, etc. And “piece of paper” isn’t meant to discount the value of an original pencil drawing, but essentially, to the post office, it was a highly insured piece of paper packaged carefully in an overpriced box.
He turned toward the counter in the painting workshop, picked up a taped-together bundle of cardboard and said, “What is this?”
Ahem. That would be the drawing that I thought he had just mailed.
When I got back up off the floor from laughing, I emailed my customer to tell her to expect a box of cardboard, minus her drawing before actually receiving the drawing.
Later that afternoon, I went to the Post Office with the actual drawing. The clerk retrieved the box from the back, we opened it, inserted the drawing, and she taped it back up. No new packaging, no new payments. It was in time to go out with that day’s mail.
I LOVE THE POST OFFICE IN THREE RIVERS!!
