Upside down

2 weeks have past since my last blogpost.
2 weeks packed with impressions, good and bad.
A few 'ups', a few 'downs'.

Week 2 of Lilla's course was all about 'home decor'.
A market that never crossed my mind before.
The theme: odd pods and succulents. The assignment: a design for a plate.
In the sketching phase - always a fun part - I took out my acrylics, my friends from the past, and enjoyed painting again. I realize now that I miss working with my hands, feeling the brushstrokes, smelling the paint, the 'life' in those strokes... when I work digitally. I also remember why I stopped using them a lot :-) Things can get messy when Lien starts painting! And the control freak inside of me, loves the 'tweakability' of digital. I'm searching for a good balance between the two.

In my sketchbook (image above - left) I wrote: 'like a fish in the see'... but that is the exact opposite of how I felt when I started working on the assignment itself. I think it shines through in my endresult (image above - right).
Proof of something I knew, but what has been emphasized in this course:

Who you are and how you feel has a great impact on your work.

In retrospect: I'm actually intrigued by the weird, darker vibe of what I made. But I can't deny that bright and whimsical is probably more me and more appealing :-)

Week 3 was F.U.N.
That is what you get when you mix 'Children's Books' - the market covered during this week - snails and a fairy tale with an edge from Hans Christian Andersen.

It's also what you get when you get passed a 'down' and let doubts settle.
I'm back on my feet and feel focussed.
Something I can recommend to everyone: determine your goal and focus!
It's a wonderful gift in this age full of doubts, crisis and uncertainties.

I'm so looking forward to what the next two weeks will bring.
Lilla has the ability to make you feel inspired, committed and whiling to learn and stretch yourself.
A wonderful skill that every teacher should have!

I'm off now! It's the last week before summer break and together with some other parents I'm going to surprise my youngest son's teacher with a little 'thank you party'. She deserves it... she's one off those skillfull teachers who makes 'her children' feel save and brings the best out of them.