Learning to Paint (again)

So, I'm trying something new today.  Face painting!  My daughter's school has a winter carnival every year put on by the school's PTG.  I think the kids always have so much fun being at school on a Saturday.  Every time we've gone I see all the kids lined up to get there faces painted and think it looks like so much fun, so this year I'm helping.  Of course I have never done this before and have the world's only child who doesn't like her face painted, so no practice for me!  Jumping right in, armed with my newly acquired knowledge from youtube!  I guess that's been my theme for the past year,  just start and see what happens. 

I made myself a few cheat sheets to help move things along.  It was actually really fun doodling on the mini heads.  I remember in college my friend, who was a makeup artist, had a pad of paper with blank faces for her to try out different color combinations on, so I took a cue from her.  I wonder if the kids will sit as still and silent?  Ha!  We'll have to see, but I think we all know the answer.

I was utterly amazed at the speed that professional face painters are able to work.  They seem to use a lot of one stroke painting techniques and never second guess what they are doing.  What a different process than mine. I feel like I spend so much time planning and laboring over paintings sometimes, I hope I will use this experience to see that quick and loose can be fun too.

In other news, after a month of being sick, I finally (fingers crossed) think I'm feeling better.  I don't think I could have taken much more!  Surtex is just around the corner and I have lost a lot of time.  I'm really hoping that this down time will allow me to regroup and refocus.  I just want to get back to creating new collections, but I know I have a ton of non creative, but equally important related tasks to do. 

I think I've been avoiding them because they have the sense of finality attached to them.  I've also been a bit down about my work and career goals.  My very wise friend reminded me that it is as if I am at the last hill at the end of a marathon.  Your body may be ready to give out, but mentally you know you can hold out because you are almost there.  Well, my mind and body weren't doing so hot but I'm ready to turn myself around.  So one more weekend of non productive art will have to do, then on Monday, back to business!