Lately I've been feeling unfocused and unmotivated with my thesis goals. I've been hard on myself this summer, especially given how much I've fallen behind since my knee injury. I find during times like this I tend to punish my poor productivity by forcing myself to continue working into evenings and weekends – all while becoming even more unproductive. Yesterday I realized I had to break the bad work-life cycle, so I set aside some time to do something creative.
I had an untouched set of oil pastels in my art kit that I felt like testing out. I have no experience using oil pastels (and it probably shows), but the medium provided a new challenge. My pastels were very cheap, so I found they weren't as bendable as I had expected. Regardless, I think I'm happy with my first attempt!
I felt like drawing a duck, so I took a look through my blog archive and found
this post. I decided to draw a Northern Shoveler that I photographed in 2012 in Kingston, Ontario. I had a much harder time with the water than anything else; as you can see, I couldn't quite get the colors right.
I find doing artistic tasks has a way of burning out my restless energy more than anything else. Perhaps I'm growing so restless in the first place because I don't take any time to stimulate my artistic side? My thesis is very logical and math-based, so I have less opportunity to get creative.
Let me know if you guys like these sorts of art posts! I could make a point to share something new every week or two, since I think I'll continue doing sketches more regularly.
Labels: Art, Life in Pictures, Reflection, School