An undeveloped lot between my favorite coffee shop and a nearby day care has been full of sunflowers lately.  So, I've taken the liberty of picking a few and sketching them on my iPad.  This first sketch is actually a store-bought Rudbeckia, which is in the sunflower family.  All the rest were picked from the lot, which has a For Sale sign on it.  This time next year, there will probably be some small business there instead.  All these were drawn on my iPad Air 2, using the Sketch Club app.

#sunflower #ipadart

Above, see a normal Black Eyed Susan

One secret to being an artist: notice what's in front of you. Seriously, take a look at what's beyond the tip of your nose. Glancing is not the same thing as looking. The amazing thing: once you have noticed something for the first time, you find it again somewhere else. An example:

I had never seen this phenomenon before. Then, Spring in Central Texas, I come across it for the first time. I had to do a little research to even find the term!

From Wikipedia: "Fasciation (or cresting) is a relatively rare condition of abnormal growth in vascular plants.... producing flattened, ribbon-like, crested, or elaborately contorted tissue... Any occurrence of fasciation has several possible causes, including hormonal, genetic, bacterial, fungal, viral and environmental causes."

At first, I thought a black caterpillar was on top of the flower. Nope. Fasciation! So, never having seen this rare condition before, I run into again, several miles away, only a few weeks later.

You see, I had actually noticed the flower. Noticing: to take note. To actually see what's beyond the tip of your nose.

Below, see a normal example of a tiny flower called Daisy Fleabane. Followed by an example with fasciation.

On your next visit to an art museum, observe how long people actually "look" at a work of art. Count "one thousand one..." Calculate the average amount of time given. Then consciously just triple it as you approach the piece. What do you see? The details that jump out may surprise you. Think about it.