Variations on a Moth

· 🌚 drawn w/ ink on paper + color/effects added digitally 🦋 ·

“Moths that fly by day are not properly to be called moths; they do not excite that pleasant sense of dark autumn nights and ivy-blossom which the commonest yellow-underwing asleep in the shadow of the curtain never fails to rouse in us.” ~ Virginia Woolf { The Death of the Moth }

Blind contour drawing is an artistic exercise my mother taught me when I was young that I still frequently use. It has helped me (along with countless others) overcome the anxieties related to getting something “right” rather than simply enjoying the task. Turns out, our brain tends to get in the way of our inherent artistic abilities even more than we’re able to see. . . Unless we don’t give it the opportunity to do so. Keeping our eyes fixed on the model and resisting any glances downward is one way to switch the self-judgement center off and allow the hand to do what the hand does best. . . To flow. ✍️

Here is what happened when I spent a few minutes looking intently at a moth:

Here is what happened when I used Procreate to add a few splashes of color:

Then a few more:

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as the adage goes, I simply must ask—which do you prefer? Either way, I’ll be posting more of these drawings here. So stay tuned if you like, and may 2023 bring blessings unimaginable!