Drawing What I Can’t Quite Capture And Teaching What I Can
Sketches that didn’t go as planned, and a drawing class that just might.
Hello everyone
Most of my blog posts usually have a deep realisation or a conclusion. Sometimes I share a beautiful artwork that came after some struggle. But today, I don’t really have a result. I only have a process to show.
Lately, I’ve been attending a creative workshop with Rishabh. Here, we meet thrice a week and do our own creative thing. It is to build discipline. Most people there are writers. We’ve had some conversations about blogging. I’ve been learning from them and trying out this type of post. To be honest, I already feel a little uncomfortable. But they keep saying how writing freely is such a beautiful thing to read. And today, I do have something to say. So let’s go.
I live to see
I’ve been really excited to go plein air painting, which is basically painting outdoors. I want to practice more live sketches. In a way, it makes me feel so joyful. I experience the visual world deeply. I love to see things.
Like, I really love to see. Be it a flower, or a building with good architecture, or trees. When I’m walking or sitting in a car, I’m always looking outside and observing. The world excites me. Visual stimulation excites me. I don’t know how to fully describe it, but I kind of live to see. I like to experience colours. I love nature, and it inspires most of my artwork.
So painting from life shouldn’t be so bad. I should be doing this more. If nature inspires me so much, then painting outdoors should come naturally, right? But then why do I often sit on my phone to look for inspiration, when it’s all around me?
Not just nature. Even buildings, architecture, or a single stone can excite me. It can be something very ordinary, like clothes drying on a string. I’ve always focused on finding beauty in the ordinary.
Painting outside
Since last Saturday, I’ve been going out to paint. Yesterday was my second Saturday. The first time, I saw this temple and decided I wanted to come back and paint it.
I go to my husband’s office park, which is only available on Saturdays. It’s a beautiful private space. Tremendous and lovely. It’s peaceful. I don’t get disturbed much, though there are occasional people who click photos while I paint. I wish they would ask. I’m usually too deep in the process to address it, but it does bother me. I would rather interact with people who are genuinely curious. Sometimes kids come and watch me paint. Somewhere I hope it inspires them.
Anyway, this Saturday I woke up at 7, excited. But I had a psychology tuition class, so I had to wait till 12:30. I waited. I made lunch. I watched James Gurney videos on how he paints white houses. I felt inspired.
Then I went to see the temple. It’s this marvellous, white structure. Full of delicate marble carvings. I don’t even have the vocabulary to describe how beautiful it was. But it made me feel something in my body.
Finding a spot
I walked around the temple, looking at it from all four sides, trying to find the perfect spot. But the weather wasn’t helping. It kept raining again and again. Either it was too rainy or too sunny. The wind was strong. Last Saturday, my easel had even flown away.
Eventually, I went inside and found a quiet corner. You know how you can walk around in temples? I found a spot along that path. I thought maybe fewer people would disturb me here. I sat down and started drawing.
And honestly, I had that heart-eyes emoji feeling. I was in awe. The white carvings, the light, the energy of the space. It was clean. Calm. Peaceful. There was live music too. Harmonium. Singing. It was beautiful.
The struggle
But the painting didn’t come together. I tried. I did so many sketches. So many drafts. But I wasn’t happy with them.
I was struggling technically. I kept getting lost in the details, even though I knew I had to simplify. I just couldn’t zoom out. I don’t know why it was so hard yesterday. I kept trying and sketching. I was frustrated.
Let me tell you, making art is not always romantic. It’s not always roses. It comes with a lot of frustration. And not the bad kind. The good kind. The kind where you know what you want, but you can’t get it on paper.
I was working on an A4 sheet, which is much smaller than what I usually use. I often work on A3 or bigger. I was supposed to draw smaller, but I kept drawing bigger. The arch was above my eye level and I wanted to show that, but I didn’t know how.
Still, I didn’t give up. For three hours I was sitting there, drawing. I took a break in between. My eyes and head needed it. But I kept going.
Eventually, I started painting. It wasn’t great. I struggled. At some point, I gave up. I thought maybe I’ll just go home. It’s not going to happen today.
But still…
Despite the struggle, I wasn’t heartbroken. In fact, I want to go back. Maybe next Saturday, or the one after. I want to try again. I want to sit there and just experience what the temple is trying to tell me. It feels like it has something to say.
When I came back and looked at the artwork next to the photo, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I did get the atmosphere, a little bit. Maybe next time, I’ll choose a simpler subject.
But either way, I’ll go back. I still want to see.
Learn to Draw With Me
On a different note, I’m staring to teach drawing.
Before I got married and moved, I held a few small drawing classes. It was something I wanted to try just to see if I’d enjoy teaching art. And honestly? I loved it.
It was joyful.
Life shifted, and I paused for a while. But now, as I slowly settle into a new rhythm, I feel ready to begin again.
So I’m starting something simple.
Online Drawing Class
It is for anyone who wants to try, return, or reconnect with their creative side.
I often see people feeling scared to draw. Maybe it is the fear of the blank page or the pressure to be perfect, or the thought that they’re “not good enough.” But drawing doesn’t have to be perfect. It can be playful. Expressive. Healing.
As someone who not only makes art, but breathes it, I want to share that joy.
To help others feel safe and seen in their creative process. I will be teaching some fundamentals of drawing, how to see shapes, how to differentiate light and dark. It’s like a blend of my psychologist-free-expressive identity and a fine-artist-structured approach.
If this speaks to something in you, you’re warmly welcome. Come draw with me. Click the link below to register.
Happy Creating.