So, my artistic motivation took a severe hit these last few weeks. I haven't found or made the time to do anything more than open the door to my art studio, wander around, then leave again.
Then one Sunday, my son, who is High-Functioning Autistic, asked me to make him a Wall-E. I pulled out my phone, found a good pic, and drew him Wall-E. Then I had to draw the Axiom, the B&L space cruiser. Drawing robots, spacecraft, and other mechanical things has never been my strongest point. I like drawing things that are more open to artistic license, interpretation, or plain old fudging if you just aren't sure. You can't do that with robots, ships, and stuff like that. My son can tell when I try and then I hear, "Mom, it doesn't look right!"
Did it stop there? No! I have now drawn and laminated an X-Wing fighter in attack configuration complete with an R2 unit, a TIE fighter, the Millenium Falcon, Anakin's podracer, and Sebulba's podracer. Plus a new Wall-E. My husband jokingly suggested that I draw the Death Star, which my son go super excited about. He has since forgotten about it, so I may be off the hook for a little while at least. I'll have to see if i can round up my son's paper fleet so I can take pictures of them to show you all.
So my artistic skills aren't languishing. They are being put through their paces doing artwork I've never tried before. Did you know an X-Wing isn't rectangular? Its octagonal! That really messes with your perspective drawings when you are trying to figure out the angles if you don't know that. It took me the better part of 3 1/2 hours and multiple sheets of paper just trying to figure out the way the nose and cockpit canopy lineup in relation to the rest of the craft body. The angles of the octagon are subtle too.
Once I finish my son's fleet of spacecraft, I'll go back to drawing things that aren't so punishing or sticklers for accuracy.
"Every artist dips his brush into his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." -Henry Ward Beecher
