I've heard that it's normal for artists to not feel happy about their art. That it's just a part of their nature to always wish they were better. I often find myself thinking that the art I like is not the art I make and vice versa. I keep wishing for more complexity and sophistication in a world of watercolor where "less is more." I want hidden meanings and multiple readings - because that is what I like about other people's art! I want to be able to imply things instead of spelling them out (Jean Haines is great at it). On the other hand, I've learned a lot since I started painting, and sometimes I even surprise myself ("Did I do that?"). My criticism of my own work has never made me want to quit, but to be better. So I guess it's a good thing?

Meanwhile, here's EDM 258 "Draw the inside of your closet." I had to work around this one...We are currently living in a friend's house, so technically, I don't even have a closet. There's one in the bedroom we are occupying but you can only see one half of it at a time and it's quite boring anyway. So...I saw a clothes rack in the garage, with a bunch of leather motorcycle suits on it and that's when it hit me :)

Our friend has a motorcycle gear and accessories business and a motorcycle school, sort of.

Oh, and here's EDM 23, "Draw your foot." Did this one while watching "Kill Bill" :)

Working my way through " An Illustrated Life" - great book, by the way (I gave it to my little brother for Christmas and ended up liking it a lot myself and checking it out at the local library (my brother lives on the other end of California or I would have borrowed it from him)) - one thing I learned, or rather, been reminded of, is the need to slow down when I am sketching. Somewhere in my last two years of university I developed this speed drawing habit, together with straight lines (great for architecture but not for anything else) and now I need to break it. So I've been trying to draw slower. However, here's a counterexample: I only had several seconds to sketch my husband holding our suddenly hyperactive son when we were at a restaurant:

My husband says that it's a horrible drawing. Well. I think it's ok for 7 seconds :)