A sketch about weeds
a garden inspired sketchbook entry
Last night, I settled in the studio to make my nightly sketch, and without a plan, I began with random marks; first, I used the light 6H pencil and began scribbling. I always start this way to loosen up, and then I picked out a graphite stick (unwrapped, no wood, just pure graphite). With the sketchbook set in the upright (portrait) orientation, I began to make horizontal marks down the left side, not venturing too far into the middle of the page. I would change the stick edge to side and apply my hand pressure to the stick on the paper to vary the marks from sharp to soft. Then, I tipped the sketchbook upside down and repeated the horizontal marks down the right side. After a brief pause, I flipped it to the sideways (landscape) orientation. Then, using a template, I made the circle with the dark 8B pencil, erased it, and then made a new circle, shifting the lines just two more times. (Three is a good number; I like three quite a bit—my relationship with numbers is another post for another day.) I touched up a few areas with the 6H pencil to draw out some of the shapes I saw or to sharpen a line, but not too much to keep it simple; this nightly exercise isn’t for finished work that would require more intense focus than I have planned, this is just a sketch. (Side note: a finished drawing requires really nice paper and a dedicated period of time to execute something so grand with mesmerizing detail. Some of my finished drawings have taken months to do; it’s very intense. That’s a post that I will write sometime.)
Regarding the name of this sketch, the answer was obvious: Weeds.
It's that time of year—I've been in the garden weeding all day. (We had sunshine! But it’s raining today.)
There is something very meditative about weeding (I might’ve mentioned this before) and being an old girl with OCD; weeding is very satisfying. It also helps with stress and anxiety. It gives a busy mind a peaceful focus. (My brain has been a beehive lately, so weeding has been a blessing—there is a story behind the beehive, I’ll tell it someday just because I should.)
However, sometimes, a weed-eater must be charged up and put to work to beat back the golden rod, grass, dock weed, burdock, and wild roses!
I highly recommend gardening—even if it's a few pots of herbs on a windowsill or a small patch in the yard, it's good for calming down that beehive inside your head.
When we first saw our house, the lilacs were just starting to bloom, and she was just as big and grand then as she is now.
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