3D Artists....It's time to flex those 2D muscles... and Vice Versa

I have noticed a pattern over the last 25 years of creating....yes I started at age 9 and then it was all about drawing disney characters as accurately as possible. It wasn't until I had many jewelry making years under my belt and I returned to drawing on the side that I noticed this pattern . I now try to make it a point to practice it regularly. What am I referring to?

Improving your skill set through practicing another.

After my art school days, I had been sculpting metal regularly. One day I felt inspired to sit down and randomly bust out a drawing. Low and behold, I was better at drawing than I ever had been before, Much better. Strange...I mean, I hadn't drawn in years. How could I have improved? What I found as I drew, was that my line no longer stopped at the visual edge of the object I was drawing. In my mind's eye, it traveled around the object. I could see the hidden areas. Working three dimensionally had taught me to better understand Contour and shape and most importantly dimension. I then found this working in reverse. After a drawing spree, I return to the metal and find the dimension of my piece has an added depth and my line work has more purpose. Sculpting jewelry after all is drawing through space.
It is easy to become trapped in a rut so to speak of one avenue of arts.
When you find your self married to your artistic comfort zone...
I would like to inspire you to shake it up. Break the pattern, Create something outside of that box and see what it brings back to your Norm.You will be surprised. Flex a new area of your create brain than normal and you will find your work grows dimensionally in ways you didn't expect.
Have an inspired day!
Kathryn Holton Stewart
Silver Bonsai Gallery
Pictured above: my most recent 2D artistic challenge,
color pencil on toned sanded pastel paper,
Title: "If you let me out, I promise not to do again"

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