Out of Practice

I recently purchased a Moleskine sketchbook online. I love it for pencil and pen, but am having challenges with using watercolors with it. Anyway I was at Borders today waiting for someone and started to sketch while I waited. I am so out of practice. I don't think that I have practiced the habit of daily sketching since I was a grad student and the required daily 5 was expected. I am not sure why I quit. I struggled with doing the sketching in school, always have. But there was no question that my skills improved when I kept at it. And of course when it came my time to be the instructor I required the "daily 5" as well, and my students groaned and struggled with it as much as I did. Sitting there today, trying to sketch, feeling rusty, feeling like my hand didn't know how to hold a pen, feeling like my eyes couldn't communicate to my hand I realized that it was time to challenge myself to the daily 5 again. I realize that at this time I will be lucky if I can get in one page of sketching a day, but if I challenge myself to 5 maybe, just maybe I will actually get out one full page a day. Wish me luck.

In addition to sketching I pulled out my old camera (pentax k1000) and then discovered a smaller camera that belonged to my brother (FUJI Discovery) This one has some gidgets and gadgets, but what interested me is the zoom lens. It is one of those auto focus lenses and looks to be an auto adjustable flash. There are these little card thingies you can put into a slot of the top that is suppose to help the flash I think for taking distance, close up, and low light/night pictures. I haven't had time to read the booklet that was with it yet, but I might do some experimenting with it. What attracts me to it is the size. I have been desiring a camera that I could throw into my art bag and have it with me all the time. This isn't quite small enough, (my art bag is pretty small right now due to back problems) but it was in a nice little shoulder bag that fits nicely over my shoulder cross wise for walking. As soon as I get the first roll developed, and if anything turns out I will post a few of them. I am in sore need of creating some images for my collage work. I am getting tired of trying to figure out copy right issues.