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2023 was a pretty amazing year overall, but 2024 is already looking pretty great. And we’re less than a week in. 😅
For me, this year will be about facing fears and making changes that are long overdue – from everyday things, to major life things, to ukulele things. Strummin’ is one of those things.
All I need to do is find where the capuchin monkeys live, find their secret island kingdom, infiltrate it, then teach them how to strum, just like Matt did. Easy peasy. Also, take the strumming courses on Rock Class 101 and Matt’s Patreon. 😅😂
@katazumiri, heck yes! I’d love to hear those tunes. That sounds interesting. Just playing it a bit, D sounds really nice instead of D7. I was even thinking I could do a “b section” that is the “major version” of those chords to mix it up anyway. What you’re working on this month also sounded intriguing! So look forward to hearing what everyone does! 😊
@Andrew, thank you! Hopefully I can keep improving it, adding to it, and make it more interesting. 😊
That song with the tapping is crazy! I want to learn that at some point, so cool. 😯
I wanted to share what I have so far of the “orig” I’m trying to create. I could barely even wait a few days to share… I amped up about this challenge, man. 😅🥺
(Sorry for how quiet it is and the weird… sounds… at the beginning. 😅)
This is sort of the “base” of the song that I’ll use to create different variations and such. There is also another potential melody I have. I’m really trying to only use the chords G minor, C minor, and D7 but it’s so hard to not stray from that.
I have tried several different things with those chords and with the melody, but this is just a small sample of a kinda done-ish maybe part. There is no guarantee that this won’t contain clawhammering. There’s a risk of it. But I have some ideas of different ways to use the clawhammer technique that hopefully will blend with what I have.
I’ll share more after working on it for more than a few days ………………. 😅😔
So exciting to see what everyone is going to work on! Especially a couple clawhammers and @gi_gi_ ‘s song, but everyone’s choices are so interesting so far. I’m just as excited to see those things unfold as working on my own thing. I’ve already started working on it, but it is………….. okay, so far. 😅😂🥺
I forgot to say, but I think I would say I’m still overall between beginner and intermediate, according to the RC101 measurement. With some things, I am way more proficient; others, still a beginner. With writing original songs, I would say I’m a seasoned beginner, maybe? I have tried to write a couple, but I just would like to get better at that. I just remembered there’s a little e-booklet that comes with Premium Membership about songwriting so I’m going to go back and reread that. 😅
Happy 2024 everyone! 😊💕🎊🥂🎇🎆🎉
Sorry to double post but I figured out what I want to do now. Obviously I’m not excited about this challenge at all… 😅
1. Execution: I think I am pretty okay at coming up with a simple arrangement of most songs now, learning most simple arrangements, as well as turning a simple arrangement into clawhammer. As much as I really want to do those things, I think it would be more challenging to come up with an original song, which I feel like I’m not as good at. So, my goal will be to come up with an original uke song using a randomly generated chord progression from this site: https://ukulelego.com/ukulele-chord-progressions/#c-g-am-f ( @lisadmh introduced me to that a while ago)
2. Application: Come up with an original song using that chord progression, working on adding to it a bit every day and practicing what I come up with. Bonus points if I can write it down. 😅
3. Evaluation: Play / record the song by the end of the month and share it here.
Hopefully I understood what to post for this first post. I also already picked a chord progression (attached). Thank you for this challenge! Also happy New Year everyone!! 😊🎇🎆🎉🎊🥂
@lhamilton, that’s so cool! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! 🙂
So exciting!! I’ll have to think for a bit about what to do. Now that it’s open ended, I am overstimulated by the possibilities, man. My brain’s going crazy, lol.
And that’s quite the prize. I already know exactly what I’d want to work on with either Andrew or Stephen if I’d win. >:)
@muzikmama, yes, it really helps to do a light sketch of the whole figure, then start adding in more shading / detail. I really think it looks good, though. Like I said, you did a great job with the form (shape) and that’s often the thing people struggle with the most. Even if you’ve been drawing for a while, it is tricky to get that perfect and you did great with it. You should try some different kinds of pencils. Some pencils are just more limited with how dark you can get the values, but something like graphite pencils or charcoal pencils, you can get those very dark without a ton of effort. So yeah, maybe try some different kinds. That’s always fun. 🙂 And I don’t know if you could still even add more pressure – Maybe try on a different sheet. You can add more pressure than you’d think to get the values darker (with some caution, lol). That’s really cool that you’re doing so well with drawing without a ton of experience. That doesn’t happen often, lol. You definitely should keep going with it and share it here so I can see it, ha. Also, I don’t know where the smilie face menu went. I’m lost without it. :S
Thank you so much for the kind words about me drawing! I’ve sort of gone through phases with the creative things I like to do, many different phases, because I love to try different creative things and I think it is a way I am able to connect with people and also try to express myself, obvs. All of them are a pretty big part of who I am. I actually have a lot of my drawings from high school; I think they’re at my parent’s house, but I don’t know if I have my childhood drawings, which, rest assured, are quite bizarre, LOL. I may have to recreate some of them because some of them were pretty hilarious. I do have a lot of the drawings I’ve done from high school, onward, and all the ones I’ve shared here span a fairly wide range of time. The most recent ones are the acrylic paintings, the strawberry, and some of the portraits. The oldest one is probably the one of Frodo Bag(gin)s.
Confession… I just bought a cheap pen tablet because I’ve wanted one for a long time and it will help with creating new “uke drawings.” The next uke-related drawing may have to exist after that arrives, because I am struggling to draw on the mousepad on the laptop I have now. But it should be here very soon. You didn’t need to know any of that, but now you do. LOL.
But for now, here are a few drawings I did in high school:
1. Gandalf, done with graphite pencil, if I remember right. Possibly charcoal pencil, too?
2. A random Australian person I used to know in high school. At one point I was doing commissioned portraits online of random people and I sold at least four of them. I don’t think this one sold, but I like it. He looks nothing like this now, as this was a long time ago (probably close to 20 years, eesh) and I’m pretty sure you couldn’t identify him based on this drawing, LOL. (Charcoal pencil)
3. Another portrait of this British girl who lived in Kuwait and she actually did buy this, or rather her parents did because we were both in high school, lol. Again, close to 20 years ago so this isn’t identifying her whatsoever, nor did I include her name, along with the accuracy of my drawing being imperfect. (Charcoal pencil)
Hopefully that wasn’t TMI, but it probably was. Thanks for the good discussion and for sharing! 🙂
@muzikmama, haha that’s completely understandable. I normally don’t do as much crafty stuff like that either but that’s one I can get behind. 😅
Thank you so much for liking my drawing! That’s one of the few completed charcoal/pastel drawings I’ve done. Your drawing is so beautiful, really, really well done! I’m sorry, I forget if you said, but how long have you been drawing? That’s Cillian Murphy, isn’t it? I sometimes have facial recognition issues. 😂 Yeah, I think the only thing you could do to improve it is darken it up a bit and maybe add more shadows and such, fill it in more, but it’s really lovely as is, too.
This is the last non-uke drawing I’ll share for a bit, too. It’s the actor Eddie Redmayne, done in MS Paint.
The next thing will be uke related, promise. 😂
That’s so friggin’ cute! So special to pick up that beautiful uke in person and meet the The Uke Kings themselves. Congrats again @joe150! 😊
@jbmills07, very, very lovely playing and fun to see both your puppo friends, along with Ziggy of course! How many doggo / catto friends do you have… total? Have we seen them all? 😅
Congrats again to @joe150, so amazing to win that beautiful uke! And everyone did an amazing job playing this month, lovely to listen to. 😊 Happy New Year to all! 😊❤️🎊🎉🎆🎇
Sorry I got a bit carried away with that reply. I get overly excited about creative topics. 😅🥺🤐
@muzikmama, welp, guess I’m getting myself a late Christmas present then! It’s going to be one of those uke-painting kits. You’ve sold me with “wall art,” that’s exactly what I was thinking.😂 That’s really cool, I love handmade things like that. I want to paint one with a cow print / theme for my Wisconsin-born love of cows. Oh and I need a cheese one too! I’m an adult. 😂😭 Would you ever get one of those? If so, would you share it here if you painted it? Ha, thank you, first I have to make the drawings / writing exist for those little “collab” projects. The hardest part of any project is starting and finishing it. 😅
Yes, agreed, really appreciate Andrew creating this community and also going along with all the nonsense. 😅 And also putting up with many of the cringey things I’ve done and said. 🥺😖😅
You’re welcome and thank you for all your lovely contributions to this! So much fun. I’ll have more uke-centric arts soon and again anyone who would like to share their (uke) arts here, feel free! 😊
Happy New Year to all! 😊🎇🎆🎊🎉🎈🥂
@johanna2509, no worries about the delay! What is the subject you’re studying if you don’t mind me asking? Drawing with a grid is indeed tedious, but if you want to be really accurate without tracing, it’s good for that. I have only drawn with a grid a handful of times and not with my digital drawings (I’ll attach a charcoal / white pastel drawing I did using a grid method to this reply at the end). That’s so sad, I’d love to see that portrait, but I understand if you don’t want to share. 😅
Some people “hate on” tracing but it saves so much time to get to the fun / important part, which is creating a more completed drawing with color and value and all that. I know professional artists who trace just because it saves so much time. They can create the sketch without tracing but choose to trace simply because it’s faster. But whatever the reason, I see nothing wrong with it. 😊
Your drawings are so beautiful! My favorite is the dragon. I love that so much. That would make a very lovely tattoo, or did you already get it that way? I actually have an idea for a ukulele tattoo; I should draw that out, even though I’ll never get it as a tattoo. 😅 It’s so much fun to create art based on shows and other things you find meaningful like that. That drawing of Celeste is very cute and well done. I’ve liked to make drawings from movies, The Lord of the Rings was one I liked for a while for that. Also, celebrities just because they often take really beautiful, artistic portraits of celebrities that make for fun drawings.
Those uke backgrounds are so cool! I love that. I’ve never done anything with 3D modeling but it looks really neat!
Thank you for your kind words about me drawings! That was kind of my “main thing” for a while but I like to do too many things. 😅 Thank you so much for taking the time to share your drawings, they’re absolutely beautiful! 😊
I’ll be back with another uke drawing in a little while–of my imaginary ukulele tattoo. 😅😂
But here’s the drawing I did using a grid; it’s a drawing of one of my photos (I have too many hobbies, yet still too much time on my hands… 😂):
@anikali, gorgeous! I love how jazzy it sounds. So beautiful, thank you for sharing this! 😊
@muzikmama, oh my gosh, absolutely amazing! I can definitely see that you got the idea behind values / shading. That looks really good! But also that’s just hilarious. I love that it ended up atop your tree. 😂😅🎄💚❤️
The other uke art I want to do also might take a while. One is a project I still want to do with @jbmills07 and one is another art project I’m hoping I can coerce Matt to help with in a small way, but I haven’t asked him yet. 😂
Maybe I’ll create something small in the meantime because those other projects will take a little bit longer and I already know this week / weekend are going to be non-stop insanity. 😂🎄🎀
If you have anything else you’re working on please share it here. So much fun. Again would love to see other’s (ukulele) art, too!
Oh wait, one more thing. Did you know that they have ukuleles on Amazon that you can assemble and paint yourself?! I’ve wanted to get one of those for so long but couldn’t justify buying it. It may sound like trash but boy would that be fun to paint on a uke… Maybe at one of my family’s painting parties coming up I’ll do that instead of a 2D painting. 😂
