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marydellI just ordered my Christmas present from my Dad (he pays, I pick!)...I'm super excited, even though it won't be here til January. I'm also somewhat filled with trepidation.
It may look like some sort of pillory but in fact it's a drawing bench called a "horse"--you straddle it facing the tall end, with your drawing board leaning against the tall part and anchored in the slot at the front of the bench. I produce much, much better work if I'm centered and "in my body," which is a challenge for me because generally my body and I prefer to occupy separate dimensions. (My body is perpetually seeking the dimension where everything is made of candy, flannel, painkillers, and chenille. I'll let you know if she finds it.) Horse benches are very helpful for keeping centered and comfortable, and having a full range of motion in your arm--it's sort of a similar feeling to sitting at a potter's wheel, except with less hunching. They're a staple of drawing classes and workshops and I've always wanted one, but I've never encountered one in the wild/at an art supply store. Once again I give thanks for the internet, through which all purchases are possible.
I feel a bit silly and tentative buying this right now, because I haven't drawn regularly for years, but I miss it, and the inability to get comfortable while drawing on large paper is a big part of why I don't draw much. So I hope that having this will get me over that particular hump and take my poor relationship with my physical self out of the equation somewhat. Or even--gasp!--help to repair that relationship. When I talked to Dad about it he said he would love to invest in anything that could get me back into drawing--we are an artsy family and while my parents are glad I'm making a good living, they don't want me losing track of the soulful side of life.
So, come the new year, I'm going to start drawing again, for serious. eep.
It may look like some sort of pillory but in fact it's a drawing bench called a "horse"--you straddle it facing the tall end, with your drawing board leaning against the tall part and anchored in the slot at the front of the bench. I produce much, much better work if I'm centered and "in my body," which is a challenge for me because generally my body and I prefer to occupy separate dimensions. (My body is perpetually seeking the dimension where everything is made of candy, flannel, painkillers, and chenille. I'll let you know if she finds it.) Horse benches are very helpful for keeping centered and comfortable, and having a full range of motion in your arm--it's sort of a similar feeling to sitting at a potter's wheel, except with less hunching. They're a staple of drawing classes and workshops and I've always wanted one, but I've never encountered one in the wild/at an art supply store. Once again I give thanks for the internet, through which all purchases are possible.
I feel a bit silly and tentative buying this right now, because I haven't drawn regularly for years, but I miss it, and the inability to get comfortable while drawing on large paper is a big part of why I don't draw much. So I hope that having this will get me over that particular hump and take my poor relationship with my physical self out of the equation somewhat. Or even--gasp!--help to repair that relationship. When I talked to Dad about it he said he would love to invest in anything that could get me back into drawing--we are an artsy family and while my parents are glad I'm making a good living, they don't want me losing track of the soulful side of life.
So, come the new year, I'm going to start drawing again, for serious. eep.
