Pen Mind, Begginer's Mind
A Mindfullness Approach to Beginning to Draw
by Jim Hodgkinson
BK268
$21.95
Paperback 102 pages
Pen Mind, Beginner's Mind
Instant (PDF) download $(16.95)
From the Preface
I'd never considered myself an artist. As a chemist, a technology instructor and a technical writer I would sketch diagrams or make little explanatory drawings but for publication they would go to a graphic artist. A year or so after I retired from teaching I became aware of an interactive online drawing course due to start in August of 2014. Given by Dr. Christiane Wolters, it was based on artist E.J. Gold's "Draw Good Now" teachings, given as an online class while Mr. Gold conducted his in-person art classes.
Here is the advertisement for the course which caught my attention: "We will start with "Pencil Magic" on Friday, August 8, 2014 at 10:30 am PST. We will review the basics of shading, border, scribble and the figure ground exercise. Everything else is pencil mileage and expansion, deepening and exploration -- all the way down -- or is it up -- or in...:) -- of these basic tools. Open to all, and especially those who don't consider themselves real artist. This weekly art hour is hosted by Dokgoth. Pencil Magic is inspired by the "Draw Good Now" series by E.J. Gold and a letter Kurt Vonnegut wrote to students -- practically imploring them to do art -- to grow their soul."
This book is a chronological record of my growth as an artist from that point in time to the present. The focus is on drawing, initially using graphite, then later pen and ink wash. The book shows a drawing on one page and a few pithy lines of commentary on the facing page.
On the way to accepting myself as an artist two things became clear.
First, drawing can increase your awareness of the world around you and second you can recapture your child-like sense of wonder and exploration - your "Beginner's Mind". It is my sincere wish that through the telling of my story you discover your beginner's mind.Jim Hodgkinson
This book is a chronological record of the growth of an artist starting from an untrained state of disbelief in himself. Drawing examples in graphite and pen and ink wash are presented with the author recalling them as they were encountered for the first time. These moments and recollections give the reader a sense of the "Beginner's Mind" -- a child-like sense of wonder and exploration. The author also stresses "noticing" as a way of increasing awareness of both the external and internal worlds of the artist.This book is a chronological record of the growth of an artist starting from an untrained state of disbelief in himself. Drawing examples in graphite and pen and ink wash are presented with the author recalling them as they were encountered for the first time. These moments and recollections give the reader a sense of the "Beginner's Mind" -- a child-like sense of wonder and exploration. The author also stresses "noticing" as a way of increasing awareness of both the external and internal worlds of the artist.