Curly Hair

I used to serve in a Young Women organization at church. Izabelle was in my class. She loves art and has the most amazing sketches of people. She’s in her teens and I’m in my 50’s, but she has inspired me to get my own sketchbook and draw people over and over. Her people are absolutely darling! I’d love to have snapshots of her sketches just so I can look at them – they make me smile. She draws her people in the cutest poses, wearing darling clothes! And so, this past week I pulled out an old sketchbook. At first I just sketched a girl with curly hair and dots for eyes. (I’m always trying to figure out if I like drawing realistic people or people with dots for eyes or a simple curved line for a mouth.) 

Later I drew a pattern from the internet of correct facial proportions and then began a sketch of me (sort of). 

Without worrying about drawing the girl to look like me, I stuck with using the proportion guidelines and just drew eyes, eyebrows, mouth, and nose, only worrying about correct proportions. To make it a little more like me, I took a selfie and while looking at my photo I added my glasses and my curly hair. I don’t love this drawing, but I’m learning!

The most fun I had was drawing the curly hair! And so before falling asleep, I just had to try it again, simplified! No facial feathers and curly hair! (I quite like the “no facial feature” look! I’ve painted several people without faces. I like the look and it’s less stressful!)

I have natural curly hair. I have straightened it all my life…that is until a few months ago. Our family was heading to a large family reunion (182 people!) in Oceanside, California. It was a beach vacation and rather than worry about how I’d keep my hair straight the whole time we’d be around water, I decided to embrace my curly hair! I haven’t gone back to my straight hair since. 

I read the cutest quote the other day from an article called, “I Think I’ll Be Myself.”  

When asked by a relative, “What do you want to be?” a six year old replied, “I think I’ll just be myself. I have tried to be like someone else. I have failed each time!” So…perhaps curly hair is a way to “be myself”…Or perhaps, I’m just being lazy. I’m not sure and it doesn’t really matter, but I sure hope I can learn how to draw and paint people!!