34 Weeks of Drawing

It has been 34 weeks of nearly daily drawing over at Hello Every Sunday. That is about 8 months of constant drawing and it is very hard work!

I do believe good things happen when you draw regularly. At first it is like climbing a staircase one step at a time and then suddenly you find you have jumped 10 steps and then 17 steps and much to your surprise drawings that you struggled with happen with ease but then you don’t think much about it until it spills into your professional work and you end up doing things which you thought only illustrators far above you would do.

There are things I’ve learnt about myself from doing this project: after a phase of sustained daily drawing I usually need to pause, take a week off and recharge. Sometimes I need to draw in something other than the book reserved for HES. Also when there are professional deadlines to meet, it is not possible to combine daily drawing with it.

So while I work in bursts of energy it seems to me that my Hello Every Sunday playmate Julie works doggedly and in a disciplined manner irrespective of the many other creative things that she does. How she manages it all I have no idea but that is her way and this is mine and we are both at it drawing as much as we can and filling up the blog week after week.

A strange thing that has happened is that I have gravitated towards Julie’s usual medium of ink to practice my drawings with and she has decided to experiment with my preferred dry mediums of pastel and graphite to fill up her pages. But we both use these mediums very differently than what the other would.

There are lots of techniques and photographs that I come across and which I want to try out in my way, thanks to this project I am compelled to do so. It's been very satisfying and great fun. Sometimes copying the technique and strokes of great masters teaches you so much that it feels as if you are getting into their spirit while you copy their line. It is a revelation because it gives you answers you have been searching for.

Both Julie and I are not doing this for a result at the end of the year but simply out of a desire to draw more than we usually do and to enjoy doing it.We encourage each other and this is a way for us to keep in touch. But there are other byproducts from this project: When you draw a lot there is a change in your energy and an increase in confidence; daily life acquires another dimension to it, good things happen to you and life and becomes more fulfilling. 

Don't forget to keep checking us out every Sunday at 
Hello Every Sunday.

A Bangalore Montreal Dialogue

Every Sunday, Julie and I upload all the drawings that we do that week on a tumblog called Hello Every Sunday. You've seen the icon on the left and yes, Facebook readers already know, but since I love my blog I must put it here as well.
Over here in the about section you can read why we do what we do. 

Otherwise do follow us and cheer us on as we drive this little monster forward every week throughout this year.

The top and bottom pictures of the first four photographs are mine, and the pictures in the middle are Julie's. See the difference in lighting of the two countries - the golden winter light from South India and the blue winter light from snowy Quebec.

Here are pictures of the sketchbooks that we are using and that we arrived at by trial and error -
This is the sleek sophisticated fancy Stillman and Birn which Julie decided would meet her needs.

And the bright and chubby Lekka Pustaka (account book) which dazzled me with its red shirt and swore to fulfill all my desires.

When I look at how different the sketchbooks are from each other, I cannot help but think of all the opposites in this project: The cultural differences in the two countries, the different colors of the light, the opposites in temperatures, the fact that we drink tea and coffee respectively, Julie's systematic way of working and my last minute jams... Still, art communicates through all kinds of differences and boundaries. I am sure that towards the end of this project we both will carry away with us a lot more than we ever expected when we started this.

Lekka Pustaka

 Ever since I saw Nilesh using a bright red cloth bound book as a sketchbook I wanted one too.
It is a 'lekka pustaka' explained Nilesh, an 'account book'. The paper inside is great to draw on and even holds watercolour. And it is a fraction of the cost of expensive Nightingale books at upmarket shops.

I just liked the fact that it was RED and BRIGHT PINK. I couldn't sleep until I had one of these.

The ever informative Prabha was more specific - this is a 'Jain account book' she said.

Gujju baniyas (Gujarati businessmen) use it to keep their accounts. 

Notice the Goddess Lakshmi on the title page. She is the Goddess of Wealth.

:-)

The pages are numbered. Such a nice touch.

Good paper

Bright and Chubby! 

It may lack the elegance and sophistication of a more expensive sketchbook but it makes up for it with its chunky presence and colourful personality.

Bright red and shocking pink are such a striking colour combination.

It satisfies the 'Indian' in me in every way.

 I also bought and Indian calendar in the same shop.

 It is from Diwali to Diwali madam, said the shopkeeper.

 So much character

Here are Nilesh's drawings from his Lekka Pustaka. 

And this is his cruel caricature of me ;-p