Starting to Draw Again!

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Hello friends! As some of you know, my brother Esteban over at Sketched Drawn and Painted, is an artist (and very good!). I used to draw and paint in middle school art class, but then high school and college came along and I decided I didn't have any time. Fast forward eight years, and...I've started drawing again, partly in thanks to Esteban's encouragement (he's always telling my siblings and I how anyone can draw, "just look at it in shapes") and partly because I can bring a hobby to the monastery. I wanted to begin working on my skills before my free time is limited. :) 

I wasn't planning on doing a post so unfortunately, I don't have any progress pictures. Esteban wanted me to do a guest post on his blog, so it's reposted here but you can go check out that post here.

Last October, I decided to draw St. Therese of Lisieux because she is one of my favorites and it was the month of her feast day, but...it took me five months to finish! The wimple was definitely the hardest. What's a wimple, you may ask? It's part of a religious sister's or nun's (yes, there's a difference!) habit that covers the head, neck, cheeks, and chin. It was originally worn by women in the medieval times, but now (sadly) only a select few communities of religious still wear them. 

Anyway, I think I asked Esteban about 100 times "How do I make the folds/wrinkles while still keeping it white?". His answer for every question: "Draw what you see, not what you know!". That phrase is going to be stuck in my head forever. After a few times of erasing it entirely, I was happy with the result. :) It really does make a difference when you break it up into shapes and different shades. 

About a month later, I drew St. Catherine of Siena for her feast day, but she's also one of my favorites (and a patron saint of mine...does that give my first name away?). I gifted this one to a friend who's also named after her. This one was definitely much harder to draw- closed eyelids, hands, Crown of Thorns, Rosary, flowers, and the crucifix. I'm really happy with the result though! I added my favorite quote from her: "He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely." 

Finally, my most recent drawing...St. John Bosco! You guessed it, he's also one of my favorites! There are so many wonderful saints for every occasion in life, so how could I just pick one favorite? ;) He was by far the hardest because I had to draw ears, folded hands, and hair. I think I prefer drawing veils over hair... my drawing vs. the reference photo.

However, I was happy with the result because someone guessed it was St. John Bosco based on the curly hair, one of the hardest parts! Also, I made some great progress comparing start to finish. I tried to draw on smaller paper and Esteban looked at it and said very nicely "It would be easier to draw him on bigger paper." He was right! Thanks, Esteban! ;) 

I just laugh at this drawing now, but I had to start somewhere! 

Next up, I'll be drawing St. Gemma Galgani because...she too is one of my favorites!

What do you think? Which drawing is your favorite? Have you ever drawn anything?

-Miss K