How To Draw A Hare And Tortoise

For our prompt of "Turtle" today, since my mind has been on bunnies, I first thought about the story of the tortoise and the hare. So, we have a quick little doodle of the moment after the hare wakes up and the tortoise is triumphant. This is one of my favorite little tales. The cocky hare challenges a tortoise to a race, decides to really show him up by taking a nap along the way, while the tortoise continues on slowly, step by step. By the time the hare wakes up and realizes the tortoise is ahead, he can't catch up and loses the race. I also like this story because I had the starring role of the tortoise in kindergarten. Indeed, I've approached my life in both ways, both like the quick to act hare and the slow and steady tortoise. For my art journey, I'm the tortoise all the way! I've taken a steady daily approach that means I'll one day win this race. I'll ever so slowly, but surely, improve and so I can illustrate like I've always wanted to, ever since my acting debut as a turtle all those years ago.

Though I have to admit that the hare in me sometimes gets very impatient with things. Especially when it comes to being able to DO the things that I want to do in my art. And even after I learn how to do something, especially when it comes to watercolor, I struggle doing it the next day. Or, like today, I simply didn't have any time at all so I felt a bit rushed. But, the cool thing? It really doesn't matter. I still get that rush each and every time I sit down to sketch stuff. It's a joy! And each little sketch isn't the race itself, it's just one little tortoise step along the way. Once I realized this, everything got a lot more fun. I can play and do whatever I like with little daily steps. So, in case you haven't noticed, my inner child is in full control this month. I'm making little scenes and I'm doing them in a few different styles to see which I enjoy most.

Time, however, is not my friend and I don't have much of it lately. So, I'm typing this extra fast as well as I need to have it finished before dinner. Philippe is making something delicious that I can only just now smell and it's helping me along. I'm like my dog Phineas when it comes to food. I'm always up for a treat! Indeed, Phineas is up for more treats than his fair share lately. He's been rolling his treat ball that we got him, in order to slow him down, across the floor for the past few minutes. This, and a little show starting in the background is pretty much every night in my house. And, part of the reason I don't have time is that I always make time for my little family. I could sketch and write into the wee hours of the morning, but I choose to spend my time with them instead. That crazy little dog and my amazing husband. It's a beautiful evening each and every time. So, I'm not going to rushing through life. I'm quite happy being the tortoise, not the hare.

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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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