drawing

Happy 2nd Annaversary

| Anna Cull

My little blog turned two today. Wow ― has it really been two years since I started blogging? I thought I’d mark the occasion by making a list of my top ten arty milestones (my personal favourites) from the last year. Click on the images to view the original posts…

Getting seriously out of my comfort zone with wacky colours and peculiar perspectives
Getting seriously out of my comfort zone with wacky colours and peculiar perspectives
Creating my first abstract painting
Creating my first abstract painting
Photographing some of my favourite sketches in situ
Photographing some of my favourite sketches in situ
Appreciating the generosity of other bloggers (my thanks to Poppy for providing the reference photo for this sketch)
Appreciating the generosity of other bloggers (my thanks to Poppy for providing the reference photo for this sketch)
Tackling a favourite subject of one of my art heroes
Tackling a favourite subject of one of my art heroes
Upcycling an unusual family heirloom (a threadbare tea towel), a very personal project
Upcycling an unusual family heirloom (a threadbare tea towel), a very personal project
Anna Cull Tram
Being inspired by other artists…
...to see the world with fresh eyes
…to see the world with fresh eyes
Realising that thick paint and black outlines can make a subject look more realistic (it still seems counterintuitive to me... but it reallly does work)
Discovering the magic of bold outlines
Painting on a stretched canvas for the first time
Painting on a stretched canvas for the first time

So there you are… all in all, I’d call that a very productive year. Thanks for reading.

How to draw

| Anna Cull
I like painting at school – primary school drawing, crayon on paper, c. 1970
I like painting at school – crayon on paper, c. 1970

I was looking for a picture to illustrate today’s quote by artist Howard Ikemoto (below) and happened upon just the thing ― I found it in my one surviving primary school exercise book. And no, it’s not upside down.

“When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college ― that my job was to teach people how to draw. She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, “You mean they forget?” Howard Ikemoto