Dia 357 Why did I eat Mud Bugs?

Hey Fam! This week was a good week. As of late, God just throws people in our direction at the moment that everything else doesn't work out. I don't know how He does it, but I am pretty appreciative of that. Super cool. One night, we visited a house to see if a certain guy was home. He wasn't and the woman who answered turned us away pretty quick. So we ask for referrals pretty loud (from a distance) and say, "Who do you know who may be struggling with their faith right now?" She said nobody... Then this guy like 50 feet away heard us and called us over. He said that he was and listened to our message. He really liked it and said he'd be baptized when he knows he Book of Mormon is true. What! Neat! Then we planned for ages and had another great lesson with another guy. We brought a member and "coincidentally" they have been through very similar things in their lives. Boom! Connection. The next day for lunch, Bro Dalton, the Young Men's President was invited to a crawfish broil with all the oilfield workers. So we pull up, and first of all, it is just a gathering of big trucks. Second of all, we are wearing shirts and ties and look like a couple of goons as we walk into a room filled with oilfield men. Lol. But, they were super nice to us. Third, craw fish..... I actually ate them. Haha, I guess it was my only option for lunch so.... They were fine if you dipped them in the Cajun sauce. Kinda gnarly though. I had to twist and cracked off the tail and then break off the shell. Apparently it was a big deal. Lol. They boiled 500 pounds of live crawfish . Gross. But anyway, gotta have experiences 💁🏼‍♂️ they gave us sweet hats too. So I counted that as a trophy. Well we are doing a little activity, so I will sum things up. - we waved to some guy and he straight up gave us the black power fist in return. Lol - my companion got bit by a dog. - spent way too much time trying to explain the Gospel to a drunk guy. - an investigator thinks my comp is hot and she's 10 years older. - found out that 10 year Olds can go to jail. - gave a talk - returning inactive girl might be returning because she thinks I'm cute... But hey, that's kind of good. I guess... - scrubbed out a nasty pool - cleaned out a chicken coop - chased down a bunch of chickens and threw them in a container... Yep that's it! My talk was really fun. I have found joy in expounding the Gospel. Plus, I made everyone there roar in laughter with a joke. I've never done that before! Hahaha. How neat. I've never been a good jokey guy. But I compared to living in Yorktown to being like an episode of Dirty Jobs. I then talked about the plan of Salvation and how it all relates back to the Infinite love that our Heavenly Father has for us. It was really good and something I really enjoyed and benefitted from studying. Every aspect of the Gospel somehow relates back to love. Which, if you were wondering, is a positive, joyful emotion. Something that we all desire. I know now more than ever that God loves me. God loves you. His plan and the purpose of it is to bring peace and love into our lives. I choose to accept that plan and enjoy the life that my Heavenly Father has given me. I love you all a very high amount. Choose to be happy.❤️ Elder Thorkelson

Back on track.

I've been taking it easy for a while, but Accurasee keeps growing. I'm going to start adding new info to this blog on a weekly basis and hope that you'll be back for tips and other info pertaining to art. Accurasee tools are not an end, but a means to better expressing ourselves as artists. Here's to the motivation and inspiration necessary to expanding our horizons as artists. Let's go out and experience life...try something new. Take note of our experiences and then...SHARE

Slow Down and Learn to Draw

Most of us artists have a pretty good idea of what it takes to improve our drawing skills. In art school we learn the fundamental principles of measuring with a pencil and using plumlines and alignments. Important drawing techniques are taught, such as contour drawing, seeing large shapes and using negative space. These are all essential techniques in learning how to see. Yet the fact remains, many artists don't regularly implement these drawing tools and techniques. So the question is why? All of the information is out there, yet very few artists have developed the drawing habits necessary to really learn effectively.

Drawing on my own experience, laziness and impatience are the two biggest hurdles to overcome. Artists live in a new age of speed…we want everything done fast. Microwaves, fast cars, fast internet and so on. We want to learn how to draw immediately and we want it to be easy. I've had students who after finishing a beginning drawing class, are disappointed that they don't draw as well as I draw, or that they haven't mastered or truly "learned" how to draw yet. I have to laugh. Learning to draw at my current level has taken me 30 years of practice. I say at my current level because I'm still learning to draw! Come on now…if drawing was easy, everyone would be artists right?

The fact is, learning how to draw is no different than learning any other skill. Some might say, "Oh how I wish I had the talent to play the piano." Well, the fact is, talent or no talent, learning to play the piano well takes thousands of hours of practice. Well drawing is no different. There are drawing tools, techniques and principles to facilitate the learning process, but there are no “shortcuts.”

Keeping this in mind, it’s no wonder that when I ask drawing students, why they didn’t measure or why they didn’t compare this or that relationship in their drawing, they respond with something like…”Do I really have to do that? It’s such a pain.” Well, if it means avoiding silly proportion problems and a bad drawing, I wouldn’t think of it as “such a pain.”

Sometimes drawing students feel that the time they spend measuring or composing or preparing their drawing is time wasted. Or they don’t really think anything at all…they just want to hurry up and get it done. After all…faster is better right? Well, in my experience, a faster drawing is sometimes slower in the long run. When you figure in time wasted in erasing, correcting, backtracking and correcting errors that could have been avoided at the outset.

The carpenters rule is “measure twice cut once.” This holds true in learning to draw as well. “Take time to save time” is my drawing motto. You’ll learn more if you slow down…take a few moments to analyze your subject. Compare size relationships...figure out how your subject will be arranged on your drawing surface. Measure the head size in relationship to the body and directly compare the length of the arm with the length of the leg. Where does the left edge of the head align in relationship to the edge of the hip? Use your drawing tools to validate what you see and remember…faster is not always better.

Good luck drawing!

Bjorn

New Accurasee for PC and Mac

Well...we've got some cool stuff happening at Accurasee. Introducing Accurasee for PC and Mac. It's a simple program to aid those desiring to use the Accurasee Measurement System with their computer.

Heck...it's free and you can download it here: http://www.accurasee.com/photo_grid_inst.html

We're also excited about two new iphone programs that will be out soon. Can't say to much about them..."they are not yet perfected," but rest assured you'll love em.

Keep drawing!

Bjorn

Free Accurasee Workshop!

There will be a free, all day drawing and painting workshop on Friday April 2nd at the studio of Linda Christensen (1235 Little Hobble Creek Rd, Wallsburg, UT). It will go from 9-4 with a break for lunch from 12-1. Might go even another session if people are game...4-7.

I'll be sharing information on how to use the Accurasee Measurement System for a variety of subject matter. We'll be drawing or painting in whatever mediums desired and be working from live models, and still-lifes. It'll be a great setup and best of all free:-)

I'll supply everyone that does not already have an Accurasee kit with trial materials to experiment with. Of course I'll have kits for sale as well.

There will be a couple other instructors (not to mention a lot of great artists), so that everyone can get all the help they need. We'll be doing the workshop in the studio where Linda does her large religious murals. It's very roomy and should be able to accommodate a bunch of people. We'll arrange for as many still-lifes and models as necessary.

Please let me know if you'll be able to make it so that we can make arrangements. contact Bjorn at thorkster@gmail.com or call me at 208-403-9358

Thanks so much!

G Bjorn Thorkelson