One Charming Fountain

Welcome to Day 28 of Drawing Into Poems, my daily drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.  You can read more about this month-long project here on my April 1 post.  Feel free to read the books with me and pull out your own sketchbook and jewelry box full of metaphor too...

Day 28 - Waterless Fountain

Click to enlarge the drawing.

Students - I notice that this month, I have been pulled toward sketching many artistic objects.  There is something about interpreting an object that was conceived of by another human, something different from drawing nature.  I feel a connection to the person who made this fountain, this person I will never know.  And I think I'm getting better at some small elements of perspective too.

This blog and The Poem Farm Facebook page will be dark from Monday, April 29 - Sunday, May 5 as I am participating in Screen Free Week.  I welcome you to unplug with me!  

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Hidden Doorways are Everywhere

Welcome to Day 27 of Drawing Into Poems, my daily drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.  You can read more about this month-long project here on my April 1 post.  Feel free to read the books with me and pull out your own sketchbook and jewelry box full of metaphor too...

Day 27 - Doorway in Texas

Click to enlarge the drawing.

Students - This afternoon I was taking a walk through a little shopping plaza in Fort Worth, Texas, and noticed a small little turn into a wee courtyard.  It was brick and cozy and had this doorway leading out onto the street and a view of the train tracks. As I sketched this door and vine and brick and wrought iron, I listened to the sounds of trains going by, here and there, to and fro, carrying people through their lives.  

Doorways are very interesting to me, and this one particularly so because while all of the courtyard construction seemed new, the wood for these doors - and the hardware - looked like it had come from an old barn.  I like the feeling of possibility offered by a door or a window.  There may be a poem here.  Yes siree Bob.

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Blue Bottle Beauty

Welcome to Day 25 of Drawing Into Poems, my daily drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.  You can read more about this month-long project here on my April 1 post.  Feel free to read the books with me and pull out your own sketchbook and jewelry box full of metaphor too...

Day 26 - Recycled Wind Chime

Click to enlarge the drawing.

Students - For today's drawing, I walked outside, looked around, and let my heart choose. It chose this old bottle-turned-wind chime, a recycled beauty.  Sketching this old thing now new again, I realized that my sketches are wishing for color.  Soon I will buy some watercolors and a black pen with waterproof ink.  Looking at and thinking about this sketch makes me want to go and draw all kinds of recycled things, just like the metal rooster from the other day.  Hmm...I'm seeing a pattern here.

Tomorrow is Poetry Friday, and in addition to a sketch and a poem, I'll be featuring Barbara Nadori's second grade student photographer poets!  Please be sure to come back to read their work.

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Sleeping Animals are Still

Welcome to Day 24 of Drawing Into Poems, my daily drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.  You can read more about this month-long project here on my April 1 post.  Feel free to read the books with me and pull out your own sketchbook and jewelry box full of metaphor too...

Day 24 - Sleeping Kitty

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Students - This sketch was different for me because I mostly tried to follow the shape of the kitty's fur without drawing much of an outline first.  Animals are tricky because they move, but catching Mini sleeping allowed me to concentrate on his face a bit.  Next time, I will try his body too. He is very very furry, and so I'll try to follow the fur.

Last night, I was a guest of Wonderopolis for this month's #WonderChat celebrating poetry and wonder.  Here is the archived chat if you would like to check out the links and ideas shared.

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Drawing and Writing What's Under the Couch

Welcome to Day 20 of Drawing Into Poems, my daily drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.  You can read more about this month-long project here on my April 1 post.  Feel free to read the books with me and pull out your own sketchbook and jewelry box full of metaphor too...

Click to enlarge the picture.

Students - Last night when I was about to draw, my husband handed me a recorder he had just found under out couch.  "Is anyone looking for this?" he asked.  "Here, I'll take it," I said.  "I'll draw it."  See, it doesn't always matter what the subject is or how wonderful the idea-of-the-day is.  What matters is the work.  What matters is the practice.  The same is true for writing.  There are days (last Thursday for Friday's post, for example) when I have no idea what to write.  But I still write.  And an idea, good or less than good, does come.

It was neat to remember all of those music things.  I think I may have a few poemideas tucked away now.

Trust the work.

If you did not stop by yesterday, do not miss the fourth grade history poems by Theresa Annello's students at Paul Road Elementary in the Gates Chili Central School District in Western New York.

On this coming Tuesday, I will be a guest of Wonderopolis for this month's #WonderChat celebrating poetry and wonder.  This is the chat rescheduled from Monday evening, and I hope that you will be able to join us!

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Looking into Doll Faces

Welcome to Day 17 of Drawing Into Poems, my daily drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.  You can read more about this month-long project here on my April 1 post.  Feel free to read the books with me, and pull out your own sketchbook and jewelry box full of metaphor too...

Day 17 - Hope's Doll

Click to enlarge the drawing.

Students - I have been thinking about drawing this doll all month.  But I've been a little bit nervous about it.  She's so cute...and I wanted my picture to do her justice.  Today I just jumped in.  (I think she was calling my name!)  There is something different about drawing something with a face: an animal, a person, a doll. Drawing, I form a relationship with my subject, and I do feel closer to this sweet doll now.

Tracing Juniper's edges and curves, drawing her knitted garments, I was transported back to my childhood again, most particularly to the doll that Grandma made for me.  Flopsy and Eva were handmade and special, and as I remember them, I also remember the kelly green handsewn doll that I received from the hospital when I had my tonsils out at 6.  I was amazed that someone I did not even know would make a doll for me. Her legs were satin, and her face was sewn with thread.  What a parade of little faces I have known.

What little faces have you known?  You might wish to choose a face from your life...look at it, either in real life or in a photograph, and let your pen or pencil make marks to match it. What memories arise in you?

Today, Robyn Hood Black is featuring my Drawing Into Poems project over at her very cool artsy blog, Artsyletters.  It's an honor to be there today, and I highly recommend Artsyletters, Life on the Deckle Edge, Robyn's writing blog, and her Etsy shop!

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Enchanted by Button Stories

Welcome to Day 14 of Drawing Into Poems, my daily drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.  You can read more about this month-long project here on my April 1 post.  Feel free to read the books with me, and pull out your own sketchbook and jewelry box full of metaphor too...

Day 14 - My New Old Buttons

Click the drawing to enlarge it.

Students - Well, even though I said that this week I'll be writing out in the world, here I am drawing from home.  It's rainy and cold 'round where I live, and yesterday was a cozy stay-in-to-draw kind of evening.  

I have been enchanted by buttons for some time.  I love anything (fossils, clothing from Goodwill, shells, stamps, coins...) that has been touched and seen by many different people or lived through many different lives.  Buttons are stories, and I just got this new jar of stories on Friday.  I like to listen to my new button jar when I shake it, and I like to just look at the buttons one by one too. 

New Old Button Jar

Photo by Amy LV

Our daughter Georgia and I sorted buttons for a while on Friday, and it was very soothing and interesting.  It made us talk about THE GRIMM LEGACY. Some of the characters in this book sort buttons too.

Georgia's Button Sort

Photo by Amy LV

Is there an object that just intrigues you, something you wonder about often or just want to be near and hold and think about?  If so, this may be a good writing idea for you.  It need not be a fancy object; in fact, with writing, humble is often best.  Which small objects enchant you?

In happy large creature news, yesterday I had the chance to sign books with Llama Llama...and a couple of weeks ago I got to meet the Large Celery who runs in Bisons games.  What a fun month it has been!

Llama Llama and Amy Trade Books

at B is for Books

Photo by Shop Employee

Large Celery and Amy 

on the Set of Winging It! Buffalo Style

Photo by Kind Bystander

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To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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Beginning to Draw People

Welcome to Day 13 of Drawing Into Poems, my daily drawing/seeing/writing study into poetry.  You can read more about this month-long project here on my April 1 post.  Feel free to read the books with me, and pull out your own sketchbook and jewelry box full of metaphor too...

Day 13 - The Leaning Man

Click the image to enlarge it.

Students - Yesterday, for the first time this month, I drew a person, a stranger.  I was out in the world, and I had a good time looking around and choosing a subject.  I think this will be the theme for this upcoming week: drawing in new places as much as I can.  And I think I'll try to draw more people too, their gestures and clothing, their hair and faces.  (And I'll try to be secretive!)

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

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