Tuesday, January 19, 2016

An Unexpected Retreat

This weekend, my parents and I took an overnight trip to Southern California. As usual, we can't go by the Magic Kingdom without making a stop on property (even if it only means going to Downtown Disney). 

My parents had to go help my sister move back in (she goes to school nearby) and there wasn't going to be enough room to have four people, groceries, and a whole lot of luggage in the car, so I opted to stay at Downtown Disney (which was a reeealllly big sacrifice for me, I know). I had planned on shopping, looking at the hotels, and maybe sketching. But my original plans turned into a half a day of sketching in one of my favorite places and a lesson in the art of slowing down and loosening up.

I started at the new(ish)ly renovated Disneyland Hotel. I got to sit in a giant teacup and sketch the lobby. One of the more unique drawing experiences I've ever had. This sketch is also something that I would categorize as my "normal" way of sketching: trying to be exact, feeling nervous and having everything look a bit stiff.
I continue wandering around the hotel and came across the perfect place to have my wedding (someday). It was also at this point that a Cast Member came up and complimented me on what I was doing. Now, at that point, I was just working on proportion, and there wasn't much on the page, so I took that compliment as a Disney employee trying to make my day more "magical". And yet, even though she was probably just doing her job, there's always something about interacting with Cast Members that puts me in a really good mood. I spent the rest of this drawing smiling and humming Disney music, which caused me to loosen up a bit.
Sitting at an outdoor fireplace and sketching? Awesome!
I moved over to the most beautiful hotel on the property, the Grand Californian. This hotel is inspired by "the famed arts and crafts movement" and the ceiling was beautiful...but painful to draw.
I ended with drawing the "main attraction" of the lobby; the fireplace. Although I can't say for sure, I THINK this was inspired by the fireplace in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, so it was especially enjoyable to hear the player piano playing HBOND music. That, combined with the other Disney music, made this my favorite place to draw.





So...what I loved about this was getting the opportunity to slow down and enjoy my art. With all of our busy schedules, it can be hard to enjoy the things we were once passionate about. But we must make that time. 

On a side note. This is my 50th blog post! I have really enjoyed sharing my work with you guys and hope you have enjoyed looking at it.

A quick sketch

I'm really enjoying taking my sketchbook to unique places/historical reenactments and drawing from there!

From the Dickens Fair.