Rise And Shine

For our optional World Watercolor Month prompt of “Shine,” I thought of the phrase my mom used to always say to me when I was a kid. “Rise and shine!” she’d say which was meant to lure me out of bed somehow. It’s actually a military phrase that originated in the late 1800s and came with a rather nice message that meant “act lively, and do well.” Words, alone, however, could never lure me quite as much as donuts, so that’s what I ended up doing a quick and loose sketch of today. This is paired with my current morning friend, which is a cup of coffee. Okay, it usually takes a few cups of coffee before I’m remotely coherent. I have to envy those who can actually rise and immediately shine. I’m not even to the point where I can bother with “doing well,” I’m just happy to be doing anything at all. This is because I’m not a morning person. And I rarely ever get donuts so I constantly crave them. Perhaps, if I did get them each day, I could be a morning person after all.

Of course, that wouldn’t be a very healthy way to wake up each day. Even as a kid, I only got a couple donuts a month. This is what makes a treat feel like a treat, after all. It’s wonderful to have something special right after waking up in the morning. I’m always inspired by people who can leap out of bed and immediately make some art. That’s a super healthy way to start one’s day. But, I just can’t do it. My thoughts are still bouncing into each other and trying to discern the difference between reality and the vivid dreams I just had. It just takes me awhile to sort it all out so I can think and imagine a bit more clearly. Today, I was running way late and only had about 30 minutes to make something, so I chose things I already know how to sketch well. The fun part comes in trying them a bit differently with more splashes of color and no real plan. Yeah, okay, that’s how I approach all of my sketches, but it still felt extra fun today.

And for those of you who tune in to see what I’ll make next, I’m giving you a huge virtual hug right now. I know it’s a bit random in both subject matter and sometimes approach, but I hope you’ll always find something fun. More than that, I hope you’ll always spot my style, which I define as the hand of the artist, not a particular technique. I bounce between techniques at will, and I’m not entirely sure I’ll ever land on just one to exhibit each day. That’s just fine! It’s equally why I tell artists that their “style” has already found them. I can spot the work of artists in our lovely community the moment that I see it, even if the technique or medium changes. I love this about making art! Our own styles are inescapable. Now though, I’m pretty much just craving donuts. It’s been several months since I’ve had one, and I think that’s something I should fix soon. In the meantime, I’ll stumble out of bed each day in my usual incoherent fashion waiting for that wonderful time when I’ll finally rise and shine.

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Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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