Angel312

Thank you so much. Yes it does help! Gail(angel312)

Hi smb! I just wanted to let you know that we kind of have some similar experiences..just different circumstances. Anyway, what i got from your first attempt at your painting(I apologize..I don't remember the name)of the female portrait is actually quite interesting to me. It represents your expression of emotions and marks a point in the timeline of your life. I find that my struggle is I go through phases where my work is flowing smoothly and then all of a sudden BAM! I run into a block where I cannot do anything..nothing. So, I have to learn to recognize these blocks and possibly examine what happened previously or after my attempt and try to correct the problem next time. Currently, I have no real definitive answers, but I keep trudging along instead of throwing my hands up in the air! Don't think of the attempts that you consider failure...well a failure, think of them as an experience and they represent a point in your life--so you're expressing that in your art! I like the first portraiture, I think it could be an abstract and repesent a dark place in your life, JMHO. Good luck, but don't give up.

Hello all. My name is Gail, but anything related to my artwork...Angel312 will get my attention. I am 50 yrs old and have been drawing since I can remember, but I never thought of it as anything but"doodling." I remember my first experience with sales was when I was about 8 or 9, and my friend wanted to sell my drawings of the "Flinstones!" Obviously she was the business graduate and I went into psychology. Anyway, that's a little history LOL! I have had a very busy lifestyle with my work, marriage, children, and now 5 grandchildren! About a year ago I injured my back and I found myself bored and thought I would lose my mind if I didn't find a hobby, so I dug out my old graphite pencils and sketchpad. I'm in a lot of pain most often, take meds that make me groggy, and have very poor memory right now. I tried other hobbies like sewing, needlepoint, crocheting, etc... but it seems like work!! Back to the sketch pad I am. I am self taught except for the couple of electives in college to fill in. I've considered myself an amateur all my life and then about 3 yrs ago a friend of mine at work wanted to see my work (i drew for fun for family members, etc..) so I brought it to work. Before you know it I had people asking me to do portraits for themselves and I was amazed! About a year and a half later was when I hurt my back and it was all down hill from there. I was terminated from job because they could not accommodate me and I could not come back to work. I am uninsurable and have a lot of stressors, but my husband, 2 children, and 5 g-children are my life and they are very supportive. I thought about looking for something to keep me busy and I am really attempting to put together a portfolio, and regret all the sketches I did not get copies of!! I also live in Indiana in the US, and our weather is unfavorable often, so I have a hard time getting shots of the work that i have done already, hence I get poor photos with glares of the work I have done as well. That is pretty much my life story LOL! I am blindly stumbling around here, so please be patient with me until I figure out all the whistles and bells! I am really here to meet others with a commonality.. my art, to see the works of others, to pass the long hours, and to possibly get my work posted if I can figure out how to accomplish that. Please remember that I did not grow up with a computer as many young artists have, so it takes me a while to figure things out and I used the computer strictly for work...treatment with mentally ill patients, so I will require some info if possible and it will take a while for me to navigate around. Nonetheless, once I get this all down pat, hopefully I can attain some of my goals mentioned earlier! It's a pleasure to be here and I hope that I'm posting in the right place!! My medium currently is graphite pencil, very occasional acrylic, digital photos, and I would love to dabble in cartoons and pastels.