So this is what the river two blocks from our house looks like today. Brrrrr! I like snow, but I love the warmth. So this is what I'm planning now:
Yup, I'm going back. When we were there last year, I knew that someday I wanted to go back to Hawaii and have plenty of time to draw. I know I'm no great artist, but when I draw something, it gets burned into my memory in an entirely different way. Later when I look at that drawing in my sketchbook the moment comes back to me in full. Drawing forces you to slow down and really see what you are looking at, as well as fill your senses with the local sounds, smells, feel the breeze and the sun on your back....or hear the rain, feel the chill....whatever is happening around you.
Jennifer working on an art project at the lake.
When I got home I immediately started saving and planning to go back...but I needed the perfect traveling companion....one who liked to draw too and wouldn't get bored with a slower pace. So of course I thought of my sister Jennifer who also loves to draw. I actually tried to get both of my sisters to go, but Holly has to work, so it will just be me and Jennifer traveling at the end of the month.
We have been planning lots of things to draw, time to visit with
friends , maybe meet up with another
sketcher, and time to go exploring. We have always wanted to travel together and do some artsy kind of trips, so this is like a dream.
Ok...so maybe this drawing doesn't count! I did love this little toy I found in a Hilo shop though, and I bought one. I'm weak. It's called a Buddha Board....paint on it using just water, and as it dries, it disappears...and you are ready to start over! Great way to learn to enjoy the process and not obsess. Or so I hear.
Anyway the answer is, "Yes, we did draw!" We did find that sometimes, despite our determination to slow down and draw, we got carried away with experiencing the island and didn't leave enough time. So, we'd finish up in the evenings or sometimes work from photos we took. The drawing I was working on above is almost done in the pic below:
Jennifer saved bits and pieces of wrappers, napkins and tickets to make postcards to send home. It's a fun way to use all those great little scraps, and would work in your sketchbook too. Here's one all done:
We had a wonderful time one day, trying to draw this waterfall. Neither of us was successful, but we had a great time and we went swimming in this pool when we got frustrated. It was very cold water...and lots of fun!
We took tons of photos to work from in the evenings and after returning home. I've started working from some since I've been back. We tried to take close ups of buildings and foliage, as well as broad views, and this has helped quite a bit. I did this watercolor from a photo we took earlier in the day.
