More sketches

I've been asked to post the other drawings I did with my cousin's encouragement. After I did them I spent the evening searching online for images of bodies to draw from. Here's some advice - don't do an image search on Google for 'naked bodies' unless you want lots of photos of crime scenes -which I didn't. Some artists may use them for inspiratuion, but it's not my cup of tea at all.
However, I did comeacross a fantastic photographer called Edward Weston. But more of that lare....

Does Banksy get his spray paint at B&Q?

I spotted this one, but the nipples have been painted over. Now I'm curious as to why!

Loosen up, girl!

That's what my arty cousin said to me this morning. She's also told me a I have to work bigger. So I've dragged out a wedge of A2 cartridge paper and set to it on the kitchen table. I worked on the same image in ink - "Steph, your hand is way too stiff, draw with the whole arm, yeah that's better already see", in marker pen - "Yeah, that's betteer see, are you drawing that upside down cos it works", and finally in charcoal - at which point I was shouting for her to come in and look at what I was doing because I was getting QUITE EXCITED AT THIS POINT.

Not quite satisfied

Don't get me wrong - I like to charcoal drawing I did of my daughter. It's just that when I was exploring colours with the oil pastel landscapes I felt like I was making progress, that I was learning something. The charcoal drawings were just putting into practice skills and knowledge I already have.
So what was I learning while doing the landscapes? Well, I was making decisions about composition, and how to use the colour to create a sense of distance and mood.
When I look at Lucian Freud's figures, I feel like he's really getting to grips with his subject. I'm happier with my earlier loose sketches of the children.

What subjects do I paint, and what is it about them that I want to convey? And how do I go about conveying it? How do I manage not to over-think and get stressed about my art. i want to keep the newly found joy I have currently in creating, and not to be afraid of the final product before I even begin.

Sleepy afternoon

Yesterday my baby girl curled up on the sofa. Out came the camera. Here's a charcoal study I've done today from one of the shots. The others have more foreshortening and I'm looking forward to making the time to do some more studies from them too.