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Do you believe in beginners luck? I do. Beginners luck is what happens when you try something new and don’t have grand expectations. You don’t know what you’re doing, so you suspend judgement and give it a try. Maybe you break a few rules because you don’t know what they are. And sometimes the result is surprisingly good. That’s what I call beginner’s luck. From an early session of Drawing Is Free, which I did in pencil. I’m not sure everything we might want to learn is subject to beginners luck. But in drawing and painting, I’ve seen it work. It happened to me recently when I started doing weekly sessions with Drawing Is Free, drawing portraits to music with 2 to 5 minutes for each one. The many artists who are involved take turns posing for the others to draw in a great big zoom session. The first couple of times I did it, I didn’t expect to finish most of the drawings, and for sure didn’t think they’d look like the sitters. But most were actually decent. I’m making progress, trying out different pens. I also loved to look on Instagram at other people’s versions of the portraits I drew. I was amazed that I could recognize the same sitters that I’d drawn. And I was even more amazed at what some artists could accomplish in such a short time, especially adding color. And guess what? My next few sessions didn’t go so well. I’d raised the bar. Beginner’s luck was over. But I kept at it, hoping to get faster, in order to add color. And then I had a breakthrough. I’d been struggling, drawing the shape of the face first, then fitting in the eyes, nose, and mouth. What If I drew those first, and then put the face around it? That worked much better! Now I’m usually finished drawing in 2 or 3 minutes.  In one session, I was a sitter. I didn’t realize how hard it is to hold a pose for 5 minutes, but it’s a lot of fun to see the results. Above is my favorite of me, created by @homebakedart, from Instagram. Many thanks to them! Above are some of my latest, where I worked quickly in light pencil and followed that with pen. (The blue color is an artifact.) The times available are on the bottom right, but I didn’t always need the total. I think some color may be coming soon. I'd also like to try this with boats. They swing on their moorings, so it will be a bit different.
If you want to try this, and I highly recommend it, here are two options: www.drawingisfree.org Mondays at noon EDT, thanks to Chloe Briggs Pencils4Tea Thursdays at 1PM EDT, thanks to Kirsty Lockhart You can find them both on Instagram as well, and #drawingisfree and #pencils4tea on Instagram will show you lots of examples.
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I’ve had a great time this spring, thinking of summer by drawing and painting two of my favorite subjects, small boats and lobster buoys. These subjects were special requests from the Bobby Baker Gallery in Cataumet, on Cape Cod. I’m honored to be joining Bobby as a gallery artist, and to be represented by him on Cape Cod. And I’m also excited to introduce you to his amazing work.  Bobby’s gallery, in the historic barn above, is a fitting showcase for his coastal photographs. Here’s what’s being said about Bobby and his work: “Bobby Baker is one of New England’s best coastal photographers. His artistry really shines as he uses the limitations of black and white photography to shoot shadow and light with lasting emotional resonance.” - Providence Journal “Baker captures the Cape in remarkable fashion. His black and white images are iconic in the same way as noted photographer Ansel Adams' are.” - Cape Cod Life Magazine  Above are a few examples of Bobby’s wonderful images of Cape Cod. My paintings below, and those at the top and more, are now available at Bobby’s gallery in Cataumet and online at the Bobby Baker Gallery website here. If you visit Cape Cod this summer, do stop by the gallery. Hours are posted on the gallery website contact page, here. Look for the OPEN flag at the bottom of the driveway.
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AuthorBobbi - Painter. Sketcher. Teacher. Boat and Dog Lover. Archives
July 2026
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