Dog Doodle

Hello people!  I'm back!!  Both sons are officially graduated from their respective institutions and our daughter is safely ensconced in her study abroad program in Morocco.  Whew!  So I'm starting out with something easy.  Sort of a warm up, if you will.

I know.  You are thinking, wow, she's hit the bottom of the botanical barrel.  Drawing dog biscuits.  OK, so it isn't in any remote sense a botanical drawing.  Even if it is organic dog biscuits!  So why draw them?  Well, I'm finishing up my little project for Katie which was a drawing of Ginger, our dog (see May 7 post).  I thought it would be fun to draw some dog biscuits on the matting before I have it framed! 

Actually, it is a great drawing exercise for several reasons.  First, it is easy because it is practically impossible to mess up the color.  Dog biscuits are brown, after all.  The ever present worry of turning something muddy from incorrect color mixing just doesn't apply.  Also, the shape is very forgiving.  Dog biscuits are hard, crumbly, rounded, toothsome, crunchy things and so a precise, steady hand is not required in order to draw one successfully.  In fact, if you are a novice at drawing, I highly recommend trying to draw one!  Finally, whenever I get to draw something easy, I like to let the pencil do its thing and not think too much about it.  I can get in to a sort of zen state of non-thinking, which is really very refreshing.  I become the observer, watching with curiosity as the biscuit takes shape on the mat board.

In choosing my projects, most of the time I like to undertake a great challenge and then muster the perseverance and fortitude to see it through.  But at times like this, when my mental and emotional energy is flagging a bit, I find it satisfying just to color within the lines. Enjoy!