IN THE BEGINNING!

Here is the latest sketch I created on my iPad with the Sketch Club application.  I am using a stylus and getting the hang of this program very quickly.  It doesn't seem as complicated as most of the others.  This is how the drawing started out.  To see the finished drawing, check out my other blog, Creativity Journey.  The next drawing I am going to try to work in color!  Loving the iPad!!!!

THE POWER OF RED!

These are some of the drawings I created last night.  One of the other participants shared with me that she had seen some "Guru" of the New York Art Scene expounding on what sells!  The "expert" said that paintings with RED were the hot ticket.  I was inspired!  Any takers?   As most of you know, I am not very interested in what the latest and greatest is.  I work with images and materials that fire my imagination and get my heart racing.  If you build it, they will come.  Even if  they don't come, I had a good time building it.

The last two figures were short poses.  I work on newsprint.  This time I painted in the mass shapes with acrylic ink and then went back with a fine brush in black ink.  I think this is a good way to capture the gesture, mass and proportion in a short period of time.  I am saving all these quick drawings.  I may try to collage with them at some later date.

3 FOR THE PRICE OF 1!

Tuesday night I went to Palo Alto for the drawing session.  The results can be seen on my Creativity Journey blog.  Last night I went to a drawing session in Sunnyvale.  It was a smaller room with fewer artists but the lighting was more dramatic so better shadow shapes and there were 3 different models, which made it interesting.  None of the models were professional but they did a pretty good job of holding a pose.   I decided to draw as accurately as I could.  If I got a good pose, I could always stylize or simplify it.  The female model was very pretty and slender but her clothing didn't work well for drawing the figure.  It draped oddly around her hips and was difficult to make it "read" properly.  The two guys were beefy and the foreshortened large muscle forms were interesting to draw.  This drawing group will try to meet once a month.

NOT SO MUCH!

Here are a few of the drawings/paintings I did today at the afternoon life drawing session.  It was a loooooooooong pose and difficult to get reved up about.  I played around with different ideas and materials.  I like drawing with the long dropper.  These long poses are too static for me.  I am going to have to find another venue for figure drawing.  Perhaps just sketching in active places.  Fortunately, Tuesday night is dedicated to short poses.  

INSPIRED!

I really liked the model we had last night at the life drawing session.  I like a model with curves or muscles.  Somehow being inspired by the model didn't produce great drawings!!!  This is my favorite for the evening.  Here is the first drawing of this pose where I threw in everything but the kitchen sink, with poor results.  I decided to draw it again keeping things simple.  This drawing was done by drawing with the dropper to the acrylic ink bottle.

Here are some of the other drawings with uneven results.  For the last pose I decided to do blind contour drawing with each liquid acrylic color and then do an accurate drawing on top with ink.  

THE SECOND TIME AROUND!

                                          

I went to a life drawing session tonight, and dragged more supplies with me.  I wanted to try out the oil pastel resist idea.  I found the model very uninspiring and I think the drawings reflect that.  I did have a great time playing with a new combination of materials.  I am liking working with the oil pastels.  I have about 3 sets of very cheap oil pastels.  I decided to use them up before purchasing some quality ones.  They aren't very creamy, to say the least, but they do act as a decent resist.  I posted my favorite first but the correct order starts with the second image.  I put down a red pastel line, then went back with a black ink brush pen.  After that I used some ink washes.

The second painting I decided to use two different colors of resist, then the ink brush pen.  Lastly I added a little blue color along with the ink wash.

Next I decided to put a wet wash of color on the page, let it dry and then did  the brush pen and ink.  Lastly I added the pastel.  I wasn't thrilled with this order of applying the pastel.  

Next, several drawings with different colors of pastel over a washed background, then ink, then I painted stronger color over the body.  Starting to get somewhere here.  

The next idea was to strengthen the color around the body...that is my favorite.

Then I decided to strengthen the color on the body and the outside areas, leaving light forms around the edge of the figure.

The last idea I played with was to use all light pastel lines.  I think I like the more contrasting lines better.

Most of the lines were multiple blind contour drawings of the same pose.  

IN THE BEGINNING....

 My goal this year is to work with the figure.  Tuesday nights there is a live model session at the bargain price of $5 for the evening!!  I decided to drag myself out of the house and go every Tuesday night I am at home.  Last night was the first evening I have been home this month.  These sessions start with several 2 minute poses, progressing to 5 minute poses, then 10 and finally several 20 minute poses.

I found this exciting new book "Expressive Figure Drawing" by Bill Buchman.  He has a different approach to drawing the figure.  I brought the book along and tried to follow the progressive exercises he suggests.  The first was actually the most difficult for me.  Using the edge of a conte crayon, draw the mass geometric shapes.  I don't think geometrically, so I don't think I got the essence of the assignment. The next one was to use the side of the conte crayon and draw the main masses.  This was easier.

Once the poses became longer, I was able to do several drawings of the same pose.  Here I was trying to see the shadows.  This model was very thin with tatoos all over one shoulder (and various other places).  The tatoo made it difficult to see the shape and contour of her shoulder.  Very annoying.  I think I exaggerated the extension of her body, especially the horizontal pose.  I was not taking any measurements but just drawing fluidly what I saw.  I was not interested in making it photo perfect.  I was more interested in capturing the gesture and the weight distribution.

This exercise was different from any I had done before and I really like the results.  You use the side of the crayon and draw the contour of the NEGATIVE SPACE beside the right side of the figure.  Then you show the connecting inner contour lines next to the negative space.  You are supposed to do this several times across the page.  Naturally, I had to try the idea on the left side of the figure, too.  She decided to add a ratty stole for this pose which obscured much of the right side.  Improvise!

 Here I was trying to simplify and be selective.  An interesting challenge.  She actually had a lovely nose.  Ink is unforgiving so she looks a little like Pinocchio.  I am using a chop stick which has been shaved down to a point on one end and thin flat wedge on the other.  It has become one of my favorite tools or drawing with ink.

This pose never looked right to me but I gave it a good try.

 Fast gesture with ink.

 Trying for minimal here.

My favorite drawing of the evening.

Next week I will be in Portland.