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Tête de satyre by Michelangelo Buonarroti. Since I have Paris on my mind, here is a fascinating portrait by Michelangelo found in the Louvre's collection. Michelangelo used brown ink for this drawing. #masterdrawingmonday

I wrote this after returning from my first visit to Paris in 2018. I had dreamt about the City of Light since I was a child. I finally booked airfare for my 40th Birthday, but was derailed by a cancer diagnosis, surgery, and chemotherapy. As soon as I got clearance from my doctor, my family jetted off to Paris. In 2023, I'm packing my bags to head over there a second time for an artists residency. Here are my memories of that first day.

A Kneeling Man Holding a Staff by Jacopo Tintoretto. I love the movement and freshness of Tintoretto's drawings. I was not overly familiar with this Venetian master until 2018, when I saw a big exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. #masterdrawingMondays

No one lives a life truly without regret. Regretting that we made that unkind remark or regretting our choice in which college we attended. Regret is a useful emotion. "Non, je ne regrette rien..."

This lovely study of anatomy by Domenico Beccafumi shows us so much into the mind of the Renaissance artist. By the 16th-century, artists were years away from the Medieval model of painting the spiritual. #MasterDrawingMondays

Please walk, if you are able. In the Lutheran liturgy, when it's time to stand the minister always says, "Please stand, if you are able. I love that last part....Likewise, it is often the case, that we can stand. Or in this case, walk. Walking is one of the simplest ways for most people, most of the time, to move.

This 16th-century Italian drawing by a follower of Francesco Salviati of "Christ Falling under the Cross" was created using pen and brown ink with gray-brown wash and black chalk, heightened with white gouache on brown laid paper. It is the perfect subject matter for Lent, a season when Christians prepare for Easter. One of the spiritual exercises that many Christians do during Lent is walk the Stations of the Cross. #MasterDrawingMondays

This Study of a Female Nude is by relatively unknown 16th-century Sienese painter by the name of Alessandro Casolani. What I love about it is that it reminds me of the figure drawings that we did in Richard Serrin's class back in the 1990s. This tradition of drawing the figure from life connects artists through the centuries. #MasterDrawingMondays

This week's challenge is something new: find a grotesque to copy! There are many wonderful examples by Leonardo da Vinci, Francesco Melzi, and Honoré Daumier especially. If you want to take it a step further, see if you can draw your own grotesque. I'm eager to see what wonderfully horrible things you come up with! #MasterDrawingMondays

François Boucher's "Danae Receiving the Golden Shower" is a gorgeous figure study to copy. It's a wonderful opportunity to bring out the red, white, and black chalk! I will be using conté crayons. #MasterDrawingMondays

This is a tender portrait by Leonardo da Vinci is one of my favorites. Supposedly this study was done in preparation for the 'Madone Litta,' now hanging at the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. #MasterDrawingMondays

This was one of the first Master Drawings I ever copied. It's a beautiful study of a man in a seated position. I love how you can see where Pontormo moved his lines to another spot. It really gives the drawing movement and kinetic energy. #MasterDrawingMondays

The challenge of Master Drawing Mondays is to set aside time to copy a drawing. You can either choose from one of the Dover books, or I will provide a weekly prompt from a museum collection. If you are on social media, use the hashtag #MasterDrawingMonday and tag me on Instagram @SarahHI. Let's see how many out-of-practice artists we can encourage to take up a regular practice of copying the old masters!

Master Drawing Mondays: Week 2. Gustave Caillebotte's Self-Portrait with a Hat. Gustave Caillebotte is one of my favorite French artists and I love the idea of getting to spend a little time with him while working on this drawing. Caillebotte drew this self-portrait with graphite on off-white, medium-weight, moderately textured paper. #Masterdrawingmondays

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My Perfect Morning Routine ™ I am not a morning person. I have three things that make my mornings work: take a shower and get dressed, morning pages, and syncing my Passion Planner with my Google Calendar.

Let's begin with Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres! He is one of my favorite draughtsman and I just love this study of a nude female figure dancing, for the painting 'The Golden Age' (L'Age d'Or), drawn in 1839-1862 using graphite. #masterdrawingmondays

The challenge of Master Drawing Mondays is to set aside time to copy a drawing. You can either choose from a book, or I will provide a weekly prompt from a museum collection. If you are on social media, use the hashtag #MasterDrawingMonday and tag me on Instagram @SarahHI. Let's see how many out-of-practice artists we can encourage to take up a regular practice of copying the old masters!

While it's not a hilarious review like Dave Barry likes to write at the end of each year, I break my year down month-by-month and remember the highlights.

The ways to embrace coziness are simple. Soft fabrics, fluffy blankets, dim lighting, candles, fireplace, warm tea, books, soft music, a warmth of spirit, and no electronics. Use this season to connect with yourself, with loved ones, and embrace the darkness.