Portraits

Ever since I had my first child, I have wanted a pencil drawing done of them. I have looked into professionals doing it, and it costs a TON of money. My sister in law offered to do it as a Christmas gift one year and she did do one of my youngest daughter, but never did the others. In the mean time, my kids get older and older and I felt like I missed my chance.
In the beginning of this year, a friend of mine and I got together and started reading a book called "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron.  I will probably write a post about that another time - that book really changed things for me, especially with my art. I was talking to this friend, however, about how I love drawing but I just can't draw people. I would love to have a drawing of my kids, but I just can't do it.
And, she said "yet".
Yet. A simple tiny word, but it has so much power. I can't draw people YET. That means that maybe sometime I COULD.  So then I thought, "well, I have wanted this for so long and apparently it is not going to happen unless I try to do it myself.  I guess it won't hurt to try. What is the worst that will happen? I will try and hate it and throw it out."  What has kept me from trying all these years? I don't know. Fear of failure, I guess. It seems so silly and so simple.
Well, I decided to give it a try. I took a photo of my daughter wearing her Luigi hat - the photo is SO her. And I drew it. Now, I still look at this drawing and I see lots of things wrong with it, BUT - I did it. I drew her, and it does catch the essence of the picture and of her personality. Then, I tried my son. That one worked out really well - it looks even more like him. Then, I did my other two daughters. They both wanted pictures of them when they were younger (though now I want to do some current ones). Again, I look at them and I see things that are off and disproportionate, but still, they aren't too bad, and they do look like my kids.
But the best thing I got out of all of this was confidence to try. And to try again. And, if I don't like it, I will try again. The only way for me to get better is to keep doing it and keep learning what works and what doesn't. In the mean time, these drawings hang in my childrens' rooms for them to see. I think they like them :)