Hi Brenda,

I just wanted to thank you for your website. I am a severely disabled person, as my doctor put it, and am restricted to my bedroom/living room. Often, I don't leave my bed. I have severe arthritis. My future holds many operations. Here is where you come in. Since I have been put in this position, I have found your site and studied lots of different lessons. When I can't sleep, I found doodling an odd way to just escape and find a "zen' type of relaxation. And, I am also learning something from you.

I was not drawing everyday, just sporadically, as the spirit moved me. Today I picked up my mechanical pencil and did the canine eyes and nose...and somehow, caught the spirit of my dog, Quebeley, in the picture. We were all stunned! It was uncanny seeing my Quebs looking at me from the paper!!! I held the picture up and asked my son what he thought, and it bowled him over. It's amazing to see someone look stunned at your work. I nearly cried; really. I wish I could scan my picture or take a pictre of it, but I don't have that ability right now. I know that you would be proud of what you taught me. My work on this project looks very close to yours. You can imagine how this makes me feel. I have to tell you, my older sister was the one that my mom always encouraged in drawing and stuff. The first child must always get that, I spose. Mom never did encourage me, and I think that I felt terrible that she didn't. I felt that my "talent" must be less than my sister's and I probably wasn't as valuable. I feel, now, that I am just as "good" as my sibling. Funny, isn't it?

Thank you for helping me spend the time I have with your exercises. Thank you for giving us real information, so that we are really building our skills. Thank you for the way that you teach. You make it easy for me to understand and follow-thru. I am amazed at how my self esteem has sky rocketed. Because this has been a success, I want to do more. I find that I can go at my own pace and just enjoy the process. It seems that as I do it that way, and not pursue it as a subject that has to be learned, like if I was in school, I retain more.

Thanks for this wonderful turn in my life, both inwardly, and in the ability I am developing. You are a God-send, or, as I like to say, a "YAMA". You Are My Angel!!!

Thanks for being one!

Annette

Well let me be the first to say... CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to this wonderfull place!! I'm glad you not only found something to keep you busy, but something you truly enjoy doing that makes you feel so good about yourself. Hang in there, pretty soon you will be creating something totally unique that is all yours and you'll hold it up and feel even better about yourself... You're an artist now, and believe it or not, the feeling will get bigger and better yet! So stick with it, and stick around, You aren't just "good", you're Pretty Darn Good, your desire to draw, learn, practice and even show off proves it.

I would personally love to see your work, and maybe even a picture of Quebeley too. Maybe someone in your family or one of your friends has a digital camera or a scanner? Or there might be a copy-center nearby where you can have it scanned for you. Heck, I'm sure a lot of people here will agree when I say: if all else fails and no one there can do this for you, mail it to someone here and we will scan it for you!! I would volunteer myself, but I have no idea where you live and it could take weeks if not months before you get your works back and I know for myself I would hate to be parted from my drawings for that long... But if you are in or near New Brunswick, Canada, I'll gladly help you out.

Welcome hun ...we are glad to have you with us ....I hope to see you in the threads and I love the YAMA ...I know Brenda will be so happy when she reads this .

Annette, I would also like to welcome you. I am impressed by your spirit and courage to not give up on life. Just the act of creating is wonderful way to heal both inside and out. The people are Drawspace are so very helpful, so please let us know what you need.

Blessings,

Judyvan

Dear Annette,

I am totally speechless as I look at your words through my "fuzzy" computer screen.

I have received thousands (and thousands) of very touching letters from wonderful individuals all over the world. Yet, I have never before been touched as deeply as I am now. Your joy shines through your words and I am truly humbled.

You, dear lady, are the reason I do what I do. You are an inspiration to all aspiring artists, and I’m so honored to meet you. You are an eloquent writer, and I sincerely hope that you continue to share your thoughts with me and your many friends at Drawspace.

YAMA. Thank you for being you!

Hugs,
Brenda

I knew almost exactly what Brenda was going to say. Many of us feel this way Brenda, we just don't say it as well.

BRB

Hi Brenda,

I'm happy to see you are looking at the forum. I didn't see a response and was wandering.

Now that I know you are listening, let me thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing so much into my life. I always wanted to be an artist somewhere inside. After 44 years, and 2 very bad trials, I found your wonderful site and kept on improving from the moment I started the lessons, and was looking at others work. I feel connected, understood and...as an artist!

You truly have done a **** of a good job in bringing happiness into people's life!

Merci!

Hi Annette,

I am very impressed by your spirit. I just want to say that many people does not realize this, but one should not draw because he/she want to be good at drawing but simply for the love of drawing and you have understood this. It does not matter what others say or think what matters is that particular moment where we are one with our pencil, sketchbook and eraser. It's is what your soul desire the most.

I have a lot of respect for people like Brenda. Being in a competitive art industry, I have come across a lot of great artist who does not realize that sharing and teaching others what we know is like attaining immortality. Your physical body will leave this world one day, but not what you taught. I had so much trouble trying to refine my art by learning from them. Not because i wanted to be like them, but because i loved drawing. However they would still keep what they know by fear that i become better than them. I therefore turned to some of Brenda's teachings to refine my art and at the end of the day I became even better than those who jealously wanted to keep for themselves what they knew.

Keep it up Annette, we hope to see more of your work in the coming days and another artist as skilled as Brenda.

Take care
Kevin