Sketch Skool

Here is the first page in my new Moleskin journal of work inspired by /Andrea Joseph. This paper seems best for using the many new ballpoint and Micron pens that I have purchased. Oh boy, so many more pages to fill!!

Seeing the Figure

Friday morning figure drawing sessions have begun again after our summer break. I joined this group because of inspiration from members of the Everyday Matters group. Slowly I can see progress and its so relaxing to sit with other artists. Being around some very talented artists helps me to set goals.

Now I'm accepting the idea that it is OK to draw from images in magazines. Onward!

After Ron Barrett

Following the advice of Tommy Kane in one of his Sketch Skool lectures, I copied the work of an artist whose work I admire. Ron Barrett is a cartoonist who has published several books. These figures came from one of his children's books, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.

The idea expressed by Tommy is that you continue to learn and will eventually pull out your own style of drawing. I certainly admire Ron Barrett's style!

In the previous post I presented a zentangle done in my moleskin. Well, I decided to add more. I am just more comfortable with the added lines. Basically, I continue to learn.

Seasons challenge

My art quilt group issued a challenge with the theme of "Seasons" in a 20 by 20" format. My mind went to dividing the space into four sections and depicting each season. Nope. Then I thought of doing a picture of my neighbors crab apple tree in full bloom. Not just what I wanted to do. Then I found a quote by Helen Hayes: Childhood is the shortest season. Perfect. While visiting the grand kids, I took them to a park. The twins were swinging and enjoying. I did a close up of Isla and added the lettering.

We had our reveal last week and it was delightful to see how many different ways "Seasons" could be presented. To see work by the others, go to: Pins and Needles Art Quilters. Yes, drawing can be done with more than the traditional media:)

Sketchcrawl

There was a sketchcrawl gathering in Davis, CA yesterday. I only managed to get one complete drawing done as there were other demands on my time. However, I needed to be grounded and drawing helped.

Sketchcrawl in Davis, CA

Saturday, under the leadership of Pete Scully, we met to sketch at the Davis Arboretum. A delightful treat was meeting Barbara whose blog is One Happy Fool. She drove over an hour with her trusty sidekick dog, Demi to attend her first Sketchcrawl.

If you check Pete's bog you can see a drawing of me, Barbara and Demi. Below is the piece I drew while he sketched me. I was afraid to reach for another tool, so I left it as a pencil sketch.

No matter where we go, our eyes are opened to new scenes to draw.The journey continues.

Another Concert in the Park

This may become our summer routine. Sunday evening band concerts in the park. Give me a Sousa march anytime! As I drew the tree I realized that sadly, it has very few leaves. Think that comes with old age. I see that I draw older people. The kids are having fun on the play equipment which is behind me and they are to fast to sketch. Nice excuse.

We are family that is interested in the World Cup games. Of course, there is no way that I want to watch 64 games. However, the USA plays tomorrow and I'm hoping for a win. I'll worry until the game is over. Having a son in South Africa at the game, makes me more attentive. At least the boy knew to take two jackets. The temperatures have been around freezing for some of the games.

By the way, I have some comments done in Chinese characters with what, I believe, are not nice messages, so I've changed the way to comment. I have no idea if this is better or worse. I'll find out as the days progress.

Beautiful weather here in California. This is why we put up with the politics.

Band Concert in the Park

One of the joys of summer is the band concert in the park. This first weekend in June is a band festival which gives us two days of music, without charge. You can bring your chairs or blankets and enjoy a picnic while bands give us their finest sounds. Kids are attracted to the play equipment and the rest of us get to relax. I do take my sketch book and this year I'm seeing some improvement in "my people".

 Of course I'm still much more comfortable drawing the backs of people. They are somewhat in proportion which is a big step for me. Wait, just maybe those session of figure drawing are beginning to pay off. The bluish drawings were done with a Sanford Noblot Ink Pencil 705 -"a bottle of ink in a pencil". The color has been darkened in Photoshop so that the images would be easier to see. The gray sketch was done with a Derwent Sketching Light Wash HB pencil. The color did not move a much. I believe that I need to make my marks heavier to get more action with the water. Geez, move out of my comfort zone. What a concept.

EMD Challenges 1, 2 and 3

OK, I'm saying it out loud. I am joining in the EDM challenge to draw from the EDM list, numbers 1-30, each day in May. Apparently, once you have committed yourself so that others hear your words, it's harder to back down. A continuous line drawing was very freeing. I plan to do more. Little by little this wonderful group of artists at Everyday Matters keeps encouraging me to push beyond my comfort zone. Thank you!

Mackintosh study

My Retreat is over and, as usual, it was a time of renewal. For me, the days were not as productive as I would have hoped. My aching neck controlled my activities. I'm going to a physical therapist about that this week. Anyway, someone had brought a book about work by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 1868-1928. His style was similar to Frank Lloyd Wright's. You might check it out at www.crmsociety.com. Mackintosh was a Scottish architect, designer and watercolourist. The above piece was my copy of one of his botanical drawings.

Yes, the ATC's were well received and I, in turn, received a variety of keepsakes, from bookmarks to a small hand made book, pens, and origami. The final treat is to see the wall on the last morning where people post the work they have created over the time at Santa Sabina. Maybe I'll post a couple of pictures after I download them.

Cat drawing

Recently I returned from Ohio to visit my two year old grandson (and his parents). The family has two hairless cats. I was sitting in the sunshine on a chair and Loretta thought that my lap was the perfect place to rest. Drawing a cat while it is on your lap is a good challenge. I showed this drawing to the two year old and recognized exactly which cat I had drawn. That is the approval I needed!