I don’t get colds very often…maybe one or two a year, which I suppose is the average for most people. I always think there’s not a lot you can do but get on with it, as the cold will run its course. I’ll take various medications, to help it along its way, and take good care of myself in the meantime with hot baths, early nights, hot lemon and honey drinks, and eating well (based on the old adage of “feed a cold and starve a fever” which has probably been long since proven to be nonesense, but it makes me feel better) and trying not to do anything that makes me feel any worse.
But I am also aware that some things still have to be done.
Like, commissions for people, when there’s a deadline involved. And when that deadline is looming ever closer. … .. .. .. ….. ..
The commission I’m working on at the moment is a pencil drawing of a naked woman, looking at herself in a full length mirror. So, technically, its two drawings of her – the front view, and the back view. But they have to interact with each other, and look like it’s one woman reflected at herself, and not two seperate women who are not interconnected. I know like I’m saying the bleeding obvious, but for the drawing to work, that shouldn’t occur to anyone looking at it, but if it doesn’t work, then it will scream loud and clear at anyone viewing it! And just to add to the difficulty of this drawing, I did a drawing of her whilst she was in my hosue last week, at night-time, and took accompanying photos to help me to continue the drawing after she had gone home. BUT, the finished drawing is to be set in her bedroom (which I’ve never been in) in daylight. And the mirror has to be her mirror, not my mirror, and since she felt uncomfortable being naked infront of me, and wouldn’t totally disrobe whilst she was with me, she kept her rather large knickers on, whilst she posed for me. So, I’ve got to draw her – in daylight, in her bedroom, fully naked, infront of her mirror, but looking like she looked in my bedroom, at night-time with the light iluminating her differently, wearing knickers.
Ok, this is going to be a difficult one.
And yesterday I knew I had to start the drawing of her, because time is ticking nearer to the deadline.
But, I’ve got a cold.
Ok, but you’re still going to have to start the picture, I told myself.
And, so you know what was so totally unexpected?
The drawing that I did yesterday was better than the drawing I did last week of her when I was fully fit and healthy.
Er, how did that happen then?
…….the minute I picked up my drawing pencil, I forgot I had a cold. The picture went well, from the very beginning, and although I was only doing the pencil outline, it looked great. I left it a couple of hours later, knowing that it was a good start. The minute I put the pencil down I felt slightly low with cold again, and was glad to have a quiet night, and early to bed.
This morning, the same thing. The minute I picked up my pencil I felt fine, the drawing worked, its looking really great, I could do all the mental planning that I had to for this slightly complicated drawing using various source material (some of which she had sent to me) to create something that has never existed in real life, but I have to make it look effortlessly like it has done (being of the woman naked in her bedroom, in the morning, looking in the full length mirror).
So, how does that work then?
I’ve no idea, but it does do! Thank goodness.
AND, the drawing looks better than the one I did when she was standing infront of me!