This week’s illustration/painting is not really a cartoon, but I love the sentiment! Life is all in how we view it. Surely life has thorns, and just as surely there are beautiful roses.
This particular rose was painted without any model or reference. You might not know it, but if you’re an artist, you actually have an unconscious awareness of light, shadow and form (how light hits different petals and cast shadows on others). As long as you put yourself in a calm, detached mind-set (and don’t think about it!) your instinct and intuition can take over.
Pretty soon you will be Bob Ross-ing your way through forms and shapes, “a little petal lives over here in the shadow of this other one.” without even thinking! For those who are beginners, or who are just learning to paint or draw, try your hand at using a reference; a still-life model or photo first.