Intimidation...

...comes in many forms for an artist.  Drawing portraits and figures is at the top of my list, and I avoid doing so at every opportunity (and there are plenty!).  I am in awe of artists who make their living doing portraits, am amazed at every artist who incorporates the human figure into a painting, and appreciate anyone who is willing to work beyond the 'stick man' form.

My skill ranges from the appallingly disfigured,

to the thoroughly out-of-shape,

to the acceptable, (if I squint really hard),

dependent upon whether I've been exercising my muscles regularly. 

I'm here to tell you that I've not done any portrait/figure drawing for over four years, so you can guess where I'm currently at in the spectrum. 

Tomorrow, I'm joining a group of fellow artists at the home of Karen Arrowsmith in Boswell in a life-drawing class.  I'm not sure whether we'll have a male or female model, but I AM sure that my rusty life drawing skills will get a supreme workout.  Please, wish me luck and at least one acceptable sketch!