It is really interesting to be doing art again. I mean, I always have in some form or another, but after years of looking at light and working with it as a photographer, it’s interesting to see how it effects what I see when I’m drawing.
During the watercolor class, I was able to verbalize, “I can see what the light is doing on the object, but I can’t figure out how to translate it onto the paper”, and the instructor could teach me how to do that. Ten, twenty years ago, I wouldn’t be able to see what was off.
This time, when I’m at home (and one of the drawings below is a good example) I’m finding that when I go to photograph the drawing itself, that’s when I notice the light (or in the case of drawing, the shading) is off. It helps me see if and I can improve it or correct it.