I am a writer, a list maker, a planner.   I am most definitely NOT a person who can draw much of anything that would be recognizable without a label.  Not entirely true, I guess because I can manage things like fruit or line drawings of fish or simplified animals.  However, I have never been able to realistic replicate anything that anyone would recognize.  I would provide an example but you wouldn’t be able to tell what it was and, frankly, it is too embarrassing.

My lack of skill in this area has always left a longing but has never really impacted my life – that is until I started attempting art quilts not too long ago.  Now I find I want to develop more skill in sketching and drawing, if only to improve my ability to draw with fabric and thread, which seems to work much better for me.  I don’t know why.

My quest to start doodling (something that doesn’t come naturally to me) and drawing is just starting to show some improvement but not nearly fast enough for me.  Fortunately, I have developed a workable alternative – I make a pencil sketch of stick drawings with meaning only to me and then try to recreate it with a photo or series of photos that I can use for my pattern planning.

I will venture to share some sketches with you before the end of the month by which time I hope to have managed a few studies that show progress.  In the meantime, I invite you to share strategies you use to sidestep or enhance your creative challenges.