Figure drawing event in Alpharetta. It feels great to sketch from life. Model was good, lighting was good, I wish I could have worked all night.
Apple Pencil on iPad, app is Paper53, the fill tool is my favorite. I will post some of those tomorrow.
Lots of walking around her to get these drawings.
Sheets of blank paper taller than your thumb and to big for my backpack all screaming at me to get to work. For some reason the tooth and feel of this book is more attractive to me than the super thick and slick Bristol board book, or the 140lb cold press watercolor paper book. I’ve figured it out… it’s the same paper (but way bigger) as my first sketchbooks back when I was at DASH (design and architect senior high) in Miami. Mr. Milanez would hand them out like candy. I would burn through them in a few weeks, chewing them up. Nothing great but I couldn’t get over the fact that they just handed you another one.
A bag full of markers and this book that reeks of high school made it easier to let go and have fun. I brought this bag with me thinking that I was going to do rock some ill outlines, pieces and fill-in, but I couldn’t get that started. Here are some bikes, dogs and other things that did come out.
Drawing on kinda crappie and large paper changes something. I think it’s the need to ‘finish’ that usually comes with larger formats. That feeling is gone. Another weird thing, the markers which are great for filling in large areas felt limited on this large format. I would fill the whole page with color in my 8×10 black book (ask me to show you). So line work became super important. I tried incorporating washes but the cheap paper didn’t like that. So line work is king!
I’m still learning that I have lots of hang-up. Getting free and removing myself from the work is going to take a minute, it was easier with this book. The more I work, the more I understand (maybe). I need to practice F$#king up stretched canvases. Media surface shouldn’t hinder the work, but stretched canvas vs found cardboard influences my work in profound ways. Similar to working on post-it notes.
Big clouds blow away to reveal a b-boy on a bicycle, chased by a dog who would’ve been happy with a bone, and a girl who likes robots.
And odd one eyed four legged kids, following friends who come from nowhere.
Today lots of work in my head that needs to come out.
Tonight the house is quiet, dishes clean, and the kids asleep. In that stillness I blow the dust from a large 11″x14″ sketchbook.
goofing around with Windsor Newton watercolor pens. I have been sitting on these things for a while. The foam brush is nice.
Really liking the marker ‘brush’ on this watercolor maker. When you are super fresh, show and prove.
Some markers…
Yes, up late and making marks on paper, today I’m rocking a red sharpie, a red dry erase and a red Windsor Newton watercolor maker. Dogs and peaceshocka for pages.
All tiny little thorny. Small micro dogs stitched and fat. Dogs thin tiny little… again and again.
lots of red. Peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace, peace….
all red then I switch to using a strange black ink brush pen, foam tip style… not my fave, it might be a bit dry.
This week was destiny came to model for us. I was teaching my Street Art class till 7:30 so showed up a bit late. I missed the one minute warm-up poses. Great lighting as always and the snacks are good although right now i’m working on my heath so no cookies.
I got there just in time for the last two five minute poses.
Line drawing in Red ink of Destiny stretching with hands forward. Five minute pose.
Hunched and resting, line drawing with red ink of Destiny, five minute pose.
One leg forward, sitting on a large black cushion, Painting with shapes using the roller tool in Paper 53 in pink and mauve tones. Destiny, ten minute pose.
This painting of Destiny resting on one hand, using orange tones, last ten minute pose.
Painting with purple tones, while Destiny sits in a large chair.
Painting with red pillow, a twenty minute pose while Destiny naps.
Last Pose of the night, a purple toned painting of destiny while she rests with her feet up.
I have been using these little yellow squares like crack, little doodle yellow scraps of sticky paper.
Loving the ‘Stabilo’ point 88 markers.
Doodling while kids are at karate. alway carry markers.
I might make a Block, for printing out of this one. I have never done a multiple print block print, But…
Expanding ‘There’ and ‘Their’ to Oscar (6) while in the middle of a monster doodle fight.
Having a great day and doodling it in small moments of time.
Looking around on YouTube and found online figure drawing videos. Very neat stuff, I felt a little clumsy with the remote, iPad, Apple Pencil, and sitting on the couch. The videos are timed and the lighting is nice.
Stay tuned for more drawings
Completely bonkers. I was cleaning my desk and kept finding little drawings mixed in with meeting notes. well this is all of them. Some of the Post it notes are from 2012 when I was working at WebMd.
Update: Three woman paintings, they are working out. I have been finding moments to paint. Clem reminds me while she finds a warm spot on the floor in the studio. (Thanks Steve for the great easel). Three woman paintings, 30″ x 40″, acrylic on canvas. I have been going to a open sketch group and working up painting based on some of the sketches.
Every painting is getting more pumped to get to the next one.
The patterns in this one is making me happy, slowly I go.
This is Clem’s favorite painting.
The shadows tonight were great, the light was behind her and she was bathed in shadows. I had to really work to see the subtle changes.
I have finished this book, next book is a bigger spiral bound, I’m very excited to wreck a new one.
The HANDS! She had great hand, holding wonderfully, casting shadows, and interesting archs… nailed it.
Three minute sessions:
When you go from One minute poses to three minute… you feel like you could finish every drawing.
Great poses, the negative space made my job very easy.
Kate is back, trying again with red pencil. Fat lines are kinda working. I bought a bunch of markers and pencil to try out, But I think I like the red pencil best. For more sketches join/follow me.
Information about the Drawing event, more info.
More figure drawing. I skipped into the figure drawing event today, like a kid going to get ice cream. The model was super and the lighting was challenging (in a good way).
The short 3 and 5 minute poses came first, then a cookie break and then back to drawing with some longer poses.
This time I didn’t forget to note the times for each drawing.
A three minute pose.
Getting into the 3 Minute thing, But I miss my blue pencil.
This one was super awesome, the model was doing a scary ‘ROAR’ pose but kept laughing. Looking at again I think I was able to get that in the drawing.
More three’s
Now some five minute drawings, the light is good on this one. going from 3 min to 5 min feels decadent.
The model has a pole, really focusing in on the hands and fingers.
Another pole 5 minute pole.
A 10 minute pose and I didn’t know what to do with myself, I spent the extra time on the hair.
Toes are very important. I continued working on the head (on the next page) after i ran out of space
Head hair and face, part of the previous 10 minute.
A twenty minute drawing, up went the hair. A had lots of time to think and see shadows.
The model picked up a guitar and I couldn’t resist working on the feet. They very rarely sit still. 20 min to be continued on the next page.
A quick Fun Fact: When I was in school our teacher, Mr Wyroba, had us draw 50 hands and 50 feet. At the time was was perplexed at the breath of such an undertaking. I remember the Michelangelo hand drawings and photocopies out of the ‘Anatomy for the Artist’ hands being passed around like they where cheat sheets. There were also the empty threats to do all fifty as middle finger salutes. I am so grateful for the support of my classmates and that lesson. I talk about the importance of hands and feet as a form of expression when ever I get the chance.
With 5 minutes-ish left I wanted to work on her hand holding the guitar.
Back to the feet for the last minute.
With this 20 minute I wanted to map some color. The light was taunting me with blue shadows.
Yes that is a giant guitar, very flat and it was hard to change my paradigm so I wrote it in.
A nice outline.
The last 15 minute, I think the model fell asleep on this one, I was able to focus on the face here.
Lots of figure drawing lately. It is good to draw like this again. I went to a class in Alpharetta, the ‘Alpharetta Figure Drawing/Painting Group’. They have a nice academic format, ten to twenty one minute warm ups, then some five and ten minute drawings. Oh and did I mention the cookies, lots of cookies. Then after a cookie break we do some longer poses.
On this day, my first time at the event I forgot to note the times for each drawing… fear not I will fix that in the future.
This was a short pose, I felt like warming up with hands. First time sketch live models in two plus years.
More hands to warm up, feeling good now.
I am able to get some back and face in this one, I think the lighting was very challenging, that’s a good thing, so it took a minute to find my values.
Now some feet.
Shoulders and chest.
Toes, need to do some toes… Fake means from memory. While she was changing poses, maybe..
Ahh a slightly longer pose. I like the ‘lay’ of the hand in this one.
Again the light was challenging I remember trying to find shadows.
This was a long pose 10 or 15 minutes, I think…
The model was switching poses and seamed so naturally at rest while she rubbed her hands, I think it might have been cold in the studio.
Last and longest pose.
Doodling while eating my noodling. More from the sketchbook, I have had little time to work on paintings but that is because my studio is in a state of neglect becoming the dumping ground for lots of great ideas that need to be worked on.
Internal combustion, eat berries, and creating pink methane.
Then you fall in love buy a sofa.
When your away your dog is sleeping in your spot.
The reindeer have EPA restrictions, and green camouflage. Deer are color blind that’s why they have stylist. A good stylist get kisses.
Love is like a reindeer kiss.
