To make a habit of drawing...

There's something about being pregnant that makes me want to establish some firm goals - I suppose it's probably something to do with the idea that in a little over six months this household is going to be turned upside down for a while! In the past, my goals have included completing certain 'milestone' quilts, or holding my exhibition.

This time my goal doesn't relate to specific quilts or exhibitions. I am often frustrated that my drawing skills are so limiting. I have many ideas in my head which I really struggle to get onto paper in a visual form. Part of this struggle is not being confident with my drawing abilities. When it comes to drawing for and designing a new quilt, I spend a whole lot of time staring at a blank page, which seems wasteful to me.

So what I would like to work on in the next six months is to train myself to draw more easily (and hopefully, through this, to learn to draw better). I'm not initially concerned about the drawings being perfect, but more, that I learn to draw regularly, without sighing, or wasting time looking at an empty page! I hope that if I make drawing a habit, I will have a better supply of current sketches and ideas from which to work.

In my drawing, I am inspired by many children's book illustrators. Some favourites include Shirley Hughes (I love the way she captures everyday moments in such a warm way), Graeme Base (I love that there is always more to discover on a closer look) and Shaun Tan (I love his attention to detail, and use of collage-like techniques in some books).Two other books I am enjoying for their illustrations and graphic design are :"The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish" and "Pink Piglet".