I love drawing because like a vacation, it allows me to clear my mind and live in the present of what I am creating. After my drawing is over, my mind is reset and ready to accomplish whichever other task the day is presenting me. There have been many times in which I am studying a subject in a textbook, and after my mental space starts to feel completely saturated and my working memory wants a break, I take a short hiatus and draw a sketch. My cache has been cleared after taking a drawing break, and I return to whichever logical activity I was doing feeling refreshed. I never feel guilty for spending time drawing because it always makes me feel good, and that makes me more effective and happier in every other aspect of my life.
Recently, I created an exhibit around Hands, and hands are a really fun thing for me to draw. A lot of artists avoid drawing hands and often skim over their complexity. One of my former drawing teachers always told us to be very diligent about hands and feet in our life drawings and that they were a very important part of the picture not to be skipped. In that scenario, drawing hands was not being a lazy artist, but really I have an appreciation for hands in drawings that goes deeper. Hands can be very intimate and very communicative. Generally, holding hands indicates a very innocent and still very affectionate bond with someone, and hands are also used quite frequently as a secondary form of speech. People who are speaking with a lot of emphasis and excitement tend to have very active hands that add another level of visual engagement to the person's facial cues as they are speaking. Hands are also very powerful, and a unique part of being a human and able to create and fabricate new things. I hope you will be inspired to take a closer look at hands and enjoy drawing them.
Hi! I'm Sydney Carter! I have been drawing since I could hold a piece of chalk. Or maybe it was a crayon. I love drawing because it gives me a way to express what my words can't. It feels meditative to me and it feels like complete focus. Most of my work on this site has been drawn in under 30 minutes. I feel most comfortable drawing with graphite pencil, charcoal, and on my tablet. I have spent several years honing my craft in life drawing groups. However, even prior to those clubs, drawing has always been a hobby of mine. May you find enjoyment and inspiration in my works.