Oh No! I didn't put a Clip into my New Fashion Sketch Supplies. Interesting to see how a person functions when something 'goes wrong'. I didn't skip a beat. I just Taped each paper to my Drawing Board as needed.

I was thrown like this several times while Drawing at this Party. Oh! That's what comes from 'trying too hard' ~ but I'm sure I'll ultimately end up in a better place. This is how it happens. This is what happened.

I've drawn Fashion Sketches at Events many times. But since I'm primarily a Caricature Artist, I just brought my Caricature Supplies and drew Fashion Sketches with them. Black Markers, Gray Markers, and Color Sticks. But at my my most recent Fashion Sketch Event before this one, I was asked to use Only Markers (Color), No Colorsticks. Since it had been a last-minute Event, I had to bring whatever Color Markers I just happened to have here (mostly from when I do Caricatures on tshirts). Turned out that I liked the way the Fashion Sketches looked with the Colored Markers. So before this night's Event, I went out and bought over $50 of Colored Markers and I made a clean new box for them. Efficient. Dedicated. Me.

I'm glad I included just a few Color Sticks anyway. I had just felt like it would be a good idea in case I don't feel comfortable with the new medium at this event. And it turned out to be Very needed.

Because there were all sorts of things I felt surprised oh no! with.

The very first thing was that I had to use Tape instead of my Clip. Because I hadn't realized that I keep my Clip in the Supply box that I always use for Caricatures. (I kept the Tape on in the Photo that I'm showing you here ~ but of course, I took it off before giving it to the Party Guests.

My very next step ~ Oh No! I didn't include my usual Black and Gray Markers. Since I didn't need to buy more of them, I didn't think of putting them into the new Fashion Sketch Supply Box.

My first tentative fix for this was to start drawing the Outline with a Blue Marker. I wasn't feeling right with it ~ because it was hard to 'turn on a dime' and do what I hadn't planned on doing. Then I remembered ~ I keep some Old Markers in the Back of my Cart ~ for Drawing on my time off ~ found Only One Old Black Marker that had the thin point that I wanted. Good thing I'm accustomed to drawing with Old Markers on my time off ~ because that one had to last me throughout the Event. And I relied on my Black Color Stick more than I usually would have.

Then I found out that Colored Markers don't show up the same Color on Colored Paper as they do on White Paper. I wanted to use Colored Paper for many of tonight's drawings ~ and I found that the Color Sticks were usually better than the Markers when working on Colored Paper. But egads ~ I had been careless with choosing the Color Sticks because I didn't expect to use them. So I didn't have Red. Or Light Blue. Or Burnt Sienna. I had to use Markers for those Colors. I quickly came up with an ingenious method for perking up the Bright Dark Red (on White Paper) that barely looked Red on Blue or Brown Paper. I used an Orange Color Stick as highlights on top of the Red Marker, and it worked great. They really Popped! Whew. As far as the Light Blue though ~ didn't show up on the Colored Papers at all. I just switched it to Light Green ~ chagrinned. But it did have the same Feel as the Light Blue.

and what else, what else. Oh! I remember. I was Constantly Searching for the right Marker to use. I discovered ~ now that I am Experienced with using Colored Markers at Events ~ that you Have to Have them arranged Orderly. You can't just glance in the box and see what you want the way you can with Color Sticks. I'll have to set something up for it the Next time I use Colored Markers for a Fashion Sketch Event, but to function tonight ~ how I managed ~ I just chose a Very Few of the most used ones, and I kept them at the Top Right of my box.

Soooo..... my Audience was not at all aware of my aghk-what-to-dos. I kept the Event moving smoothly. I feel glad that I've had enough Experience that there was plenty that I could fall back on. But this is not usually my way ~ which is to be perfectly prepared.

Ooooh ~ I loved this Fashion Sketch ~ made it a while back, and planned on using it as one of my Samples. Then.....

It went the way things go sometimes.

Felt good to find it tonight. The huge Winter coat. With the big buttons.....

They're Fun to draw and they're Fun to see.

I got back into the groove tonight. Drew these Sample Fashion Sketches to get ready for the Upcoming Sweet 16. I'm looking forward to seeing what my Client's Guests will be wearing. I'm looking forward to drawing it

Hmmmm..... I want to buy some more Marker Colors before the Party. And I'm thinking, I'm not sure, but I'm thinking that Maybe I might want to use Darker Pink in my pictures ~ even If a Guest is wearing Light Pink? But I'm not sure yet. I'll figure it out before I'm On. I'm glad I get everything all figured out before I get to an Event. Then it feels so good when everything is working out so well

Focusing on my upcoming job for drawing Fashion Sketches at a Sweet 16 Party, I felt like I should revisit standard Fashion Sketches. Because people are already trained as to what an 'artistic' Fashion Sketch should be. My Client is probably not wanting me to draw the way I'm affected by the fashion. She is probably expecting a conformity to the dramatic long-body long-leg standard that is considered a Fashion Sketch.

Then I ate breakfast. Outside. Looking at the tree across the street. Again. But this time, I felt like Really looking at it. To find out What's interesting about it? What feels good/calm to me? And I started seeing it sort of like puzzle pieces. Yes I've frequently painted negative shapes around tree parts, sort of like the puzzle pieces I'm referring to today. (That's an Artist's exercise.)...... But this time, I was able to enjoy the Solid Branches that made up that still/static 'puzzle'..... and I also started wondering about the shape/feel of the small end-pieces, but that doesn't add to what I'm currently grappling with.

What it is that's on my mind is about Conformity. I guess we have to conform to what a Client wants when s/he hires us. But is s/he really hiring an Artist if she wants us to draw what's expected? Or is s/he just hiring a 'Draw-er', someone who knows how to imitate the Styles of visual representation that have been created before us?

That's referring to 'Artists' who draw standard '8-head' long bodies that look like Fashion Sketches as well as 'Artists' who represent the way light and shadow describes the form of a tree (a face, a bowl, a fruit......) the way light and colors affect our moods..... the 'how to draw' and 'how to paint' that beginning artists usually aim for. I'm feeling like that stuff that can be taught (and learned) is not really Art. BECAUSE CONFORMING TO WHAT HAS ALREADY BEEN is not deep enough to satisfy a person who is interested in UNDERSTANDING VISUAL CONSCIOUSNESS. Understanding our Existence. What Consciousness is.

What is sold as Artwork is usually just a Job.

Then I practiced some 'Fashion Sketch' Samples. I am planning on doing a good job for the woman who hired me to draw Fashion Sketches at her daughter's Party.

Follow Up on March 4, 2019:

I was talking with my Friend ~ about choosing to Focus on 'the Sounds of Silence' even when Louder Talk is happening.

I realized that we can also see 'the Sounds of Silence' ~ well.... not the SOUNDS of Silence, but the 'Sights of Blindness'. Some people experienced something like this while Driving. Very Dangerous. It's when a person's mind wanders, and she misses her exit, or just realizes that she's been Driving for blocks (miles?) without being aware of it.

Of course, we must turn our attention to Focus onto the Physical World when we're driving. But I am looking forward to applying that ability to my (almost) Daily Meditation. To be able to Choose what Sights I want to Focus on ~ with my Eyes Open. Just like I can choose to hear 'the Sounds of Silence' when I'm taking a Peaceful Break, I can also choose to see 'the Sights of Blindness'. With Open Eyes.

Some people who unfortunately have Vision Problems, can't see past 'Floaters' Inside their eyes ~ so they see inside their own bodies instead of seeing the World beyond their eyes. That's like when I focus inside my body during Meditation ~ noticing things like my Breathing or my Posture.

I was trying to come up with a way to See beyond the Physical World. To see beyond the positive and negative shapes. To see beyond the way Light falls on objects. Things. And I'm wondering if this is perhaps the path.

To sit with my Eyes Open, but not See what's in front of me (Only for a few Chosen Minutes Please!) To instead Watch my Thoughts. Perhaps if I can Focus My Vision away from the Sights of the World, by letting my mind wander the way I would Not want it to wander while driving, even though my Eyes be open..... Perhaps then I would be able to See the Thought so I can Drop the Thought ~ leaving me in a position to See what is not Seen.

The Next Day:

I did it! I felt satisfied with my experience of 'The Sights of Blindness' today.......

Sitting outside ~ the snow was so bright that I couldn't even lift my eyes to see enjoy the dark sky. I realized that I was trying to take things too far yesterday. I realized that 'The Sounds of Silence; that we enjoy...the metal tag clinking in the wind, the water pouring out of the drainpipe, the traffic in the distance, the car that just went by, the sound of chewing this carrot, the sound of swallowing it, the sound of my breathing, another car went by... those sounds are actually In this Physical world. And it makes me feel peaceful to slow down and focus on that cacophony of sounds. That are here all the time, but we're usually too busy to focus on them.

I applied That to my new idea 'The Visions of Blindness'. Simple Light and Dark and Patterns. Just Not focusing on them as the Things they represent (only for during this Meditation, of course). The way we do as Artists, but with No intention of making them come together to represent a Thing.

I'll try to describe something here. Things like the pattern of the dark grass patches popping through the snow, the texture of the dash-dots of grass-blades all over the lawn, the pattern of the shadow shapes affecting the footprints, the calmness of the neutral tone of the cement, the reflections on the cars, the transparent areas where I could see through the windows of the cars... But NOT SEEING THEM AS WHAT CAUSES THEM. NOT SEEING THEM FOR WHAT THEY REVEAL TO US...oooh ~ I love the dark soil in the fallow garden that has tiny pebbles... NOT SEEING WHAT THESE THINGS TELL US ABOUT OUR VISUAL WORLD, but seeing them solely as what they Are. Never labeling them. ...... Just like I don't sit there labeling each sound that I hear when I am listening to the 'Sounds of Silence'. THE CLUE TO PEACE IS SIMPLY SEPARATION FROM KNOWLEDGE.

I call it A MENTAL VACATION.