Birthdays and portraits

It's been so hot in Geneva that I haven't had the energy to draw very much. The face in the mirror wasn't very inspiring but I felt I should make myself do something, anything to get started. It's my birthday tomorrow and by coincidence I found out it's Twyla Tharp's too and her book, The Creative Habit arrived yesterday. She says that you can't expect to do anything if you don't 'show up' so I followed her advice and sat at my desk. I know I should do my face and mark those forty four years for posterity but that was a bit depressing! I've been thinking about doing my hand since it's an EDM challenge but I couldn't find a pose that I haven't seen a million times in those 'how to draw' books. I thought it might be interesting to draw my hand as it's drawing and wondered if everyone holds their pens or pencils in different ways.




I'm actually pleased with how it turned out although I over worked it slightly and the pencil seems to look enormous compared to my hand! I feel this looks as much like me as the last portrait I liked.


This evening I couldn't bear to watch the Germany versus Argentina match (I don't like the way Argentina play and the punch up at the end confirmed my prejudice!) so up I went again and found a picture of Tom Cruise in a paper. Although I don't like or dislike him his birthday is on the fourth and it often gets me thinking as our natel charts are very similar except that he has his Moon in Leo and mine is in Cancer. If nothing else there is a world of difference between us right there! And probably my belief in astrology is a strange as his belief in Scientology!

Just as I posted this drawing Mark looked over my shoulder and said 'did you just do that tonight? It actually looks like Tom Cruise!' No chance of me getting a big head like Tom then :)!