Have you noticed how many artists seem to be obsessed with particular subjects? So often when you look through an artist's oeuvre, you'll see the same motif recurring time and time again. Still-lives - sometimes even featuring the same vase - or views of a town or garden. A particular model will be their muse, or even a particular 'type' of model with a certain look. As I write this, Cezanne's landscapes come to mind, the dancers of Degas, and Elizabeth Siddal and the Pre-Raphaelites.
Trees seem to be my 'thing'. I'm always spotting interesting specimens and thinking "Oh, I'd love to draw that!" Beautiful blossom-laden Jacarandas, dramatic white-trunked gum trees, blazing autumn colour or the strange burnt-out shapes left after bushfires - they are all fascinating. Closeup, too - the bark patterns and leaf shapes offer so many artistic possibilities. The other thing I love to draw is fresh produce! Fruit can be particularly beautiful.
Is there a subject you always return to? Or are you always looking for new things? Add your response to the 'comments' on this post.
Comments
As far back as I can remember I’ve loved trees – my favorite drawing was a cheery tree in bloom (3rd or 4th grade) I was so proud of that drawing. When I just doodle there always seem to be at least one tree. And there are Degas “Dancers” Beautiful
Sorry to post this here, but couldn’t find another way to contact you. I love your site–very helpful, but was frustrated that 4/5 of the external links on http://drawsketch.about.com/od/perspective/Perspective_Drawing.htm were dead. They looked like they would have been good references once upon a time!
Always nice to ‘meet’ another tree afficionado, Edie!
Sally, thanks so much for taking the time to let me know! I’ve been remiss in checking external links lately. I’ll see if I can find some good replacements for those ones, and I’m sorry to have sent you off to dead ends!
Woman’s portrait usually head and shoulder. Hair, shading and expression are always challenging.
My “Thing” is portraits. I would love to focus more on caracatures, but I always seem to float back to portraits. Hope your having a great day Helen!
I think that is so. I do a lot of barns, bridges and waterplants.
Only now am I putting people into my work, but that seems to be my new “thing” people doing everyday things.
Thinking about this, it seems almost normal. One of my students for the first year drew many, many pears!
Lol, starr – I draw pears all the time, too! My favorite fruit.
And I’m having a lovely day, thanks Thom!
For me, it’s skies…so many clouds, so little time
Helen, For me it is flowers that I seem to paint again and again.
funny .i just realized that most of my sketches has something to do with butterflies^^
Oh, this is so interesting! I wonder what our favorite subjects say about our personalities.
i find my self drifting from one subject to an other is this normal I love colour
Obsessed with eyes….love the gracefulness of fish and lately trying to capture the smell and beauty of flowers…