A friend of mine was looking at some of my art recently and she said, “Love this one, the small details and the curves and curls … perfect.” Then she also made the comment, “… and the way it all comes together perfectly.” Now I must say that I’m totally flattered to receive such sweet compliments from Tania, but I must also add… Perfection in Line Weaving is a total myth. There really is no such a thing if the lines are woven by hand as intended.

And this is exactly as it should be!

I find it rather funny when someone uses the word “perfect” anytime they are describing something they see in my line-weaving creations. If any of my projects were perfect then they definitely wouldn’t be created by my hands. Let me share with you what I mean.  The below picture is one that Tania was commenting on when she was speaking so kindly of what she saw.

This is a creation I titled, “Sail Away with Me.” I am in awe of the drawings of Sandra Strait and the many patterns she shares at Life Imitates Doodles.  I was using patterns and instructions provided from her when I drew this piece.  Her talents far exceed mine, and I compare myself with her only as a compliment aimed directly at her and all that she inspires within me – when I say that we share at least one common thread.  I believe we both are relaxed in our sketching activities and perfection is out of thought and mind when we are drawing.

I hope this is the way folks are feeling when they use the patterns I share here.

Picky, Picky, Picky

Luckily I don’t strive for perfection in my work because for sure my artful projects are nowhere near so.  That includes this one.  Setting aside the fact that it’s not even centered on the page I drew it on, let’s take a closer look for a minute here.

Not a single pearl circle is round.  Every one of them is crooked and I didn’t do the shadowing using a single light source direction (as is taught in any art class).

My lines are not evenly spaced or consistent in length.  And as you can see in the swirl shown on this second inset photo, I tend to draw my lines with an unsteady hand.  Putting squiggly lines where one might expect them to be smooth is apparent in every drawing I accomplish.

In this 3rd box you can see my take on Sandra’s pattern called, Hydra.  I did not draw this pattern evenly and the lines sometimes hang over where they aren’t meant to.  My seed pods aren’t near the same size in some cases either.  Geeeeez – what was I thinking?!

In this forth inset block you can see where I totally botched up her U-Vee pattern.  It does look something like her original pattern, but it’s really a sloppy job of it all and rather messy looking in many areas.

Now I just want you to know that I’m not picking apart my work to give myself some sort of warped since of self-destructive criticism or to ponder on the negative.   I’m really just showing you that though the final project up top looks finished and in some folks eyes it “comes together perfectly” – you can see that from the artist’s eyes (that’s me) nothing about it is perfect.  And I didn’t mean for it to look otherwise.

By taking a closer look it’s plain to see that I didn’t work at creating a perfect piece of art.  If I had – I would have totally missed the boat (pun intended) when creating this little random drawing from a simple and unplanned line string.

Now let me be honest with you.  I had a ulterior motive when writing the first paragraphs of this blog post.  I’ve taken the time to pick apart my own work here, simply to set the stage for a little piece of advice I want to give you now… unsolicited as it may be.  (My kids hate when I do that.) LOL

My Advice?

Let loose and don’t get so hung up on repeating your patterns perfectly. Clearly, perfection (for me) is not going to happen and trying to create something absolutely even or symmetrical just takes all the fun out of it for me too.

If striving for a perfect drawing is getting in your way of relaxing just keep in mind that “Mother Nature” doesn’t even try to be perfect.  So why, oh why should we?  The seasons fade into one another a little at a time and it is sometimes a bit fickled with days of summer mixed with the colors and crispness of fall, surprise snow storms, unexpected changes, and a fair bit of confusion in the air.

It was this familiar seasonal weather pattern of “hesitation toward change” and apparent lack of “perfectly steady weather” that I was thinking about when weaving up the digital drawing I shared with you recently.

Like the changing seasons my artful works are not perfectly aligned with what others may think it should be. Sometimes I hesitate on what to do next before starting the next pattern. And many times things go in unexpected directions on my paper or on my screen.  I can’t seem to draw a straight line, to save my own neck.  The only thing perfect about my line-art projects is the level of enjoyment I gain from relaxing and drawing as my heart and my hands care to do so at the moment of conception.

Wait – There’s more…

I also encourage you to share your talents with others too. My advice is to not wait until you think your art is perfect before you show it to someone else.  Take no worries over what others may think of your doodles, they are yours to enjoy as you please. I didn’t stress while creating this mandala, even though I was unfamiliar with the drawing tools in the application used and I knew others would see my (dare I say) “round” mandala when it was finished.

And let me admit to you that in the end I don’t mind looking at my totally crooked circles either. Actually I rather like it this way! When I revisit my drawing in later years, it will remind me of that week of weather changes as our autumn was rolling in (or trying to) and how it inspired me when I drew my, Announcing the New Season art piece.

Putting aside all this self-bragging about my perfect drawings 😉 I hope that as I share with you my imperfections and drawings with uneven lines, off balance objects, and caddywompus patterns – that you’ll understand I’m sharing these crazy, uneven, weaves because this type of art ~Line Weaving~  is meant to be enjoyed and bring delight to the artist and their audiences with the flavor of “hand-made” totally intact.  Such things as misshapen objects and all the wonderfulness of lopsided artistic expressions- well…. that’s part of the beauty in the art!

Relax My Friends, Relax

If you feel a twinge of discomfort because a square isn’t perfect or a circle isn’t smooth, a line isn’t straight, or the pattern looks different – well just remember to stop, relax, and experience your art for what it is. I encourage you to not attempt perfection in your line-art, tangling, doodling, and line weaving activities.  Instead…. Embrace and enjoy the imperfections of your art!

Proudly I share with you the wobbly,
“Puzzle Me This”
an ATC using a not-so perfectly drawn Struzzle pattern

Here’s to a Week of Carefree Line Play!
~ Cindy