Final Upturned Face – Paint and Pencil

I procrastinated so much today until I stopped myself & decided that I couldn’t put off the inevitable – I finally sat down to work through the lesson & asked something that usually gets me through a tough spot - “What’s the worst than can happen?” That’s when I realized that the worst thing would be to have a horrible picture & about $20 in supplies that I may never use again. Things started to seem a little easier. Like I didn’t have too much to lose.

Sketch for Upturned Face

I almost stopped after just drawing the face – I wasn’t thrilled with it, but if I spent more time to draw another, I would never have gotten to the paint – it was just another excuse. I don’t know why I had such an aversion to trying it – fear of something new was the only thing I could think of. At this point I started looking at it like a challenge – I couldn’t let this get the best of me.

Final Upturned Face – Paint

When I was done, I breathed a sigh of relief and said “I’m done, now I never have to do that again.” But wait! It wasn’t so bad! I didn’t like this face so much – not the lips, or the shading – so yes, I will have to do it again. And each time I do, it will get better and easier. And my stash of paint won’t have to go to waste.

I may even start to like it.

I realized it’s been a very long time since I tried something new and out of my comfort zone.

Next time you have to do something you may be afraid of trying, ask yourself “What’s the worst than can happen?” When you realize that there’s nothing really to fear, accomplishing new things can be an adventure. (Unless you’re sky diving, or training lions or something like that.) Someone told me this over 20 years ago when I was just starting out in the corporate world and it has worked for me since – from facing an auditorium full of people when I had to give a presentation, to teaching classes and volunteer opportunities. Who knew I’d be using the same advice for something personal and creative?

Adding a few more elements to the collage:

Final page (took another photograph to show the true colors):

Second mermaid completed! Slightly creepy with the no-arms insect-like body, but I was determined to make these pieces work together. Fish don’t have arms… mermaids don’t have to either… Been cutting up some old jewelry magazines to do this with, love looking at all the shiny jewels (but that “torso” piece must have been one creepy brooch).

Still catching up with week 2′s lessons on drawing and practicing a little each day.