Making progress towards to being an artist again

 But on saying that (in the title) it's a slow process and one that hasn't truly gone into real mode yet. 

Late last week, a conversation arose on a groups' f/b platform about "what's in your sketchbook?" and before I knew it my thoughts were flowing onto the screen about how I can't draw. And as that progressed that I can "draw" but not what my mind wishes to have on the page. 

That's to do with my disabled hands which rarely allow a straight line to evolve. Like when I'm wanting a "circle" and the other curve goes into "wobble" mode OR a hand stitched line moves "off the edge" and there you have it a "wobbly line" 

Somehow Cas Holmes, got into the conversation and it was nice comments about what was drawing and what else could be in a sketchbook. Yes the words, I've used over the years but not to a point of it becoming a handwritten book! 

Come Friday night, and the live chat at Fibre Arts f/b community and Ang is interviewing Cas H, live! 

Yes we talked about my disabled hands but I didn't "inform them what it was about them" then - until today I thought I should. So I set up a new discussion on how/why/when those precious hands of mine work or not work...

I added a "drawing" - this one...

Abstract Leaves with a lot of colourful character!

I wrote that yes I can draw shapes but what I can't do is define them, so that no line wobbles off in a different direction. Or that I cannot put in the fine lines, so I adjust it all so that it's completely off edge. 

And these have those colours - old crayons and some pastel oil sticks because there just happens to be a bag of them nearby...and may as well use all the colours! 

The L side "peep of" is do with yesterdays' quick sketch, which went completely wrong but that's okay - it's pretty darn brightly coloured in.

These are no in that sketchbook underneath - rather on p/copy paper as I wasn't thinking of keeping them as even with fixative it's hard to stop the smudging. The sketchbook underneath is having a revamp - gesso to the pages so I can start again, long story why...

Back to the facebook chat about my drawing - lots of encouragement and some other ideas including "what about machine embroidery" - ummmmmm might have a think about that. 

I finally added and I will here as well, why my "hands are disabled" 

"I was born with these silly hands - both hands are affected: benign essential tremor, no thumb muscle bed, issues with wrists and then longer arms (sometimes longer than the male arm) so the forearm is longer than the shoulder to elbow" - the strength mode is probably the worse aspect - but over the numerous decades I've learnt to live with them...

Besides learning to live with them, is the length - you can always tell when I'm wearing a man's upper garment - the cuff will reach my wrist and just occasionally I can turn the cuff over! Although on saying that sometime in the 1980s the fashion long sleeved garment for women was that you could wear a sleeve that went right over your hand, I've 2 garments from that era...

And yes one time I was going to wear a winter mens' sweater that was charcoal - was like diamonds, but decided not to....and there was K/nice man; with the exact same sweater on! 

Catherine, in winter-land, New Zealand...and I still have that sweater but it's homeware only - patched!