Back to the Drawing Board

Daryann / ebony graphite and white conte on grey paper / 24x18

After having a rather rough week of painting, I decided to leave the oils at home and take only drawing materials to the Wednesday portrait session. It might be that I am low on motivation. I have been painting up a storm recently but now I think that a break may be in order to refuel and refresh my creative energies. Perhaps returning to a medium that I have not tried in a while might be just the thing. To be honest, I did enjoy myself immensely and felt freer with the pencil than I have lately felt with my brushes. The model had a lovely tilt to her chin and her face was washed perfectly by the light. I am happy with the top drawing - it was the first time I tried out Strathmore gray toned paper and liked it very much. The paper has a nice tooth and it accepted white highlighting with Conte in a subtle and pleasing way.

I am less pleased with the second drawing, which was done after the model had been posing for over 2 hours - perhaps by then she did begin to look tired and not quite as happy with posing for us after all!

Daryann in Profile / 17 x 14 / graphite on white paper

This is one partially completed figure from a piece I began earlier this week and ended up wiping off - it is one of many canvases that ended up in the recycle pile. Oh well, as so truthfully stated one fine day by Picasso "“There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun”.  And so, keeping those words in mind, I am off to my easel to try again!

And Now a Drummer!

Tony Savage / Sepia chalk on tan paper / 14 x 11

Tony is a local big band drummer and band leader. He posed holding a cymbal from his drum kit but I chose not to include it as I wanted to focus on his features. I tried out a new chalk dark sepia pencil from Koh-i-Noor. It was medium hard and nice to draw with but did not erase well so I was forced to be precise with my lines.

Wednesday Morning Portrait Session

Chuck / graphite on tan toned paper / 14 x 11

Chuck / graphite on white paper / 24 x 18

There was a really large and boisterous crowd at the life drawing session this morning making it a lot of fun. Our model was Chuck Shapiro, owner of a fine restaurant on the Truckee River in downtown Reno called The Wild River Grill. He was a fine model although I kept having the feeling that he would rather be just about any pace else rather than sitting still for over 3 hours. He seemed to have a ton of bundled up and barely contained energy!

A Real Live Cowboy and a Bashkir

Cowboy Brad / graphite and white charcoal on tan paper /14 x 11

Brad / graphite on cream paper / 24 x 18

Back home from my trip to Los Angeles just in time to attend Wednesday life session with a real live cowboy. Brad owns a ranch and breeds Curly Coated Bashkir horses and also breeds paint mustangs. He is deeply involved in  charity work and frequently auctions off a paint foal in order to give the proceeds to a children's cancer group that helps families pay for treatment. He surely will have a special place in heaven. He was a very rugged guy with a well tended mustache and a flat brimmed hat. The hat challenged me the most as it was deep black with very little nuance or color and seemed to absorb rather than reflect the light. The tassels hanging over his shoulder are called a Storm Chaser and apparently work to hold the hat in place in case of high wind! He was a great model. Never having heard of curly coasted bashkir horses, I did a Google search and this is what I found:

Drawing and Painting

What a joy this mornings portrait session was! Jeff was a perfectly composed model and somehow he neglected to bring  his parrot, his dog and his pony to the studio! He, did, however, insist on wearing his heavy tortoise shell glasses - but  no matter. Although I could not see his eyes and this session was so well attended that there was no hope of moving my easel, I feel that today was a success. I allowed my mind to fill with thoughts of Jeff and how they might translate into marks made upon the paper.

Jeff / graphite on cream paper / 24 x 18

Jeff / graphite and white charcoal on tan paper /  14 x 11

 In a week filled with family dramas, I found time to dash off a quick portrait study on cardboard and to begin Ballerina painting # 31. Its been a while since a ballerina called to me and I was most definitely caught by surprise!

James McNeill Whistler study / oil on cardboard / 12.5 x 12

 I love this concept of her and can't wait to work on it again - however, tomorrow I am flying to Los Angeles to attend to some family matters so she will have to stay in her unfinished state a while longer.

Ballerina 31 start / oil on linen / 24 x 18

To keep myself grounded and occupied in quiet moments, I purchased a used copy of Ray McMullens definitive biography (written in 1984) of Edgar Degas to read and absorb - Degas: His Life, Times and Work.

I would also like to take a moment to thank everyone that follows my blog, reads my thoughts and comments on my artistic endeavors. I value each person that takes a peak and each person that responds. You all leave deep impressions on my heart and I am so grateful to you all.

And then there was a Shepherd

Jim and Bella / graphite

Jim / graphite

"The heart is an instrument that rusts if it is not used. Without a heart, can one be an artist?" Edgar Degas

And Then There was a Parrot!

“She was not quite what you would call refined.
She was not quite what you would call unrefined.
She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.” 
― Mark Twain

I was so excited to attend life drawing this morning! I got up with thoughts of truth and sincerity abounding in my mind and rushed off to the studio with lofty goals of rising above the mediocre, of guiding my pencil to hint at the complexities of emotion and substance of my model. How funny that I should be so taken aback by the presence of a parrot! She was a glorious green with a yellow head and one or two red wing feathers and was a paragon of mystery - warbling softly to herself, laughing heartily at her own jokes, crunching mightily on toasted oats, occasionally bobbing her head in wonder at the action around her. Oh, to draw the truth of a parrot! And so, confronted with the enigma that is her mind, I decided to focus on her owner instead!

Milo and Linda / pencil on cream laid paper / 24 x 18

Linda / pencil on cream laid paper / 24 x 18

Truth and Sincerity

Owen / 18x24 / ebony pencil on cream paper

After a lifetime of drawing and painting, I remain awed at the marks left behind as my pencil nervously moves over the smooth grained surface of the paper, connecting here and there, linking blank spaces, creating hard tension and soft grayness. The hand of the artist is so apparent but this is, in the end, a pictorial equivalent of the model. I have been thinking a lot lately about the model, about how much more he/she is than the curve of a nostril, the line of the mouth or the play of light across the skin surface. And so today, as I guided my lines, I tried to hold foremost in my mind the truth of this sitter, the unique aspects of his life and personality as shown in his face and posture, I desired to try and draw him with utter sincerity and respect for his uniqueness in the universe and without flattery. 

Life Demands a Profile

This has been a very difficult few days for me in my personal life and, although I forced myself to go to the portrait session on Wednesday morning, my heart was not in it. My first two sketches were so forced that they failed miserably - one I erased entirely and the other I felt like tearing into tiny pieces after struggling with it for a long and frustrating time. Finally, I moved to the corner of the studio and quietly composed myself enough to do a quick profile. This one I am happy with as there is a good likeness and perhaps a little more.

The Purity of Life

Genelle left profile / 20x18 / graphite on Strathmore 400 series drawing paper

Genelle  right 3/4 view / 22 x 18 / ebony graphite on Strathmore 400 series drawing paper

What an adorable, beautiful, lovely, fresh and personable model we had this morning!  Genelle, the granddaughter of one of the portrait artists in the group, will be 11 years old on Friday and begins 6th grade on Monday morning. Having just returned from an adventuresome vacation in Oregon, she was eager to tell us all about it and found it hard to stay awake unless she was chatting. I wish I had drawn her yawning - her yawns were priceless and she had a tendency to randomly say things like "I can't wait to get out of here and run around!" It was a most relaxed and delightful morning and I feel very pleased with the likenesses that I captured. This week I used a more grown up paper than the newsprint I have used for so long. It is a cream colored 80 lb smooth surface Strathmore drawing paper. I like how it grabs the graphite but I had trouble with my hand smearing the lines quite a lot and found I was using my eraser much more than usual. Perhaps it will just take some getting used to.

Life Sketches

 Back at the Portrait Society, Beatyanne was our Wednesday morning model and I was able to sketch her twice. Both are graphite on newsprint about 18 x 16.

I am feeling like I should try a higher grade of paper for my life drawing sessions as the newsprint does not have a flat surface but is kind of ripple-y. It does not make for a good finished product and does not photograph very well. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good smooth textured drawing paper? I would like to try a slightly toned paper - perhaps a cream or tan color.

Occupying a State of Rest and Some Life Sketches

Occupying a State of Rest / oil on linen panel / 14 x 18

 Having some fun with bright sunlight and large shapes.

Kim / graphite on newsprint

Kim modeled for us during last weeks portrait session at Nevada Fine Arts.  I sketched her in profile and then a slight 3/4 view.

This has been a very exciting weekend for me. On Friday night I attended the cocktail reception of the Coeur d'Alene  Western and American Art Auction that is held annually here in Reno, NV.  There were 308 paintings up for sale and I spent a long time viewing the art. It was so inspiring. The auction was held yesterday and it was more exciting than I can even begin to describe - the bidding is so fast and furious and the prices skyrocket in  a matter of seconds! I took a few photos and will try to put them into my blog over the next day or two. I even found myself bidding on a charcoal drawing by Nicolai Fechin that caught my attention! I was very quickly outbid but it was a grand experience!

Life and a Laugh!

Cyndi in Repose / graphite on smooth tan paper / 35 minutes

Today was the end of this current session of life drawing and I am so sad! There is something so magical about drawing the human form from life and I always wish it would never end. The poses today were excellent as our model was very intensely focused. I once again went for the view with extreme foreshortening and am happy how this sketch turned out. I think 30 or 35 minutes is enough for me to catch the essence of the pose without going into excruciating detail. This drawing is on smooth tan paper with a few white charcoal highlights here and there.

Cyndi / 20 minutes / ebony graphite on newsprint

We did two sitting poses and eliminated the  long standing pose today. I think the instructor had a fear of the model falling off the platform and wanted to reduce the risk of that happening again! In any case, each one was a great pose and I was happy.

Cyndi /  30 minutes / ebony graphite on newsprint

As a warm up, we did our usual five 1 minute poses - they are so quick, I am never sure what I am capturing with my Conte as I draw them!

Two 1 minute poses / Sienna Conte on newsprint

Three 1 minute poses / Sienna Conte on newsprint

And now that the life sessions are over for a while, I found myself wondering what I could do with these sketches. It seems a shame to just hide them away in their sketch books so I decided to try my hand at painting a few of them in oil and came up with this composition.  I am not sure what I will do with it but it was fun getting to this stage!

24x36 / oil on linen

I had a very funny conversation with my husband the other day and thought I would share it with you. Last week, after coming home from my drawing class, I told my husband about the incident with the model where he fainted and fell off the platform. I explained that he was nude and the instructor ran over with his robe to cover him and my husband exclaimed "You are drawing naked men!" When I told him yes, we draw nude men and women in life drawing class, he asked me "Can't you find a Farm Animal drawing class instead?" I laughed so hard - I had just assumed he knew what life drawing was - but apparently NOT!

Thursday Life Drawing and a New Painting Start

Ebony graphite on newsprint l4 x 17

Last week I had to attend to some unexpected family matters and was out of town for a while causing me to miss last Thursday's life session. Today is the next to the last class and I was overjoyed to be there. I missed some excitement last week when the model fainted during the sitting pose and fell off the platform! Apparently he was not hurt and even finished the session with the reclining pose! Today went smoothly with no model mishaps, thank goodness. This sitting pose was about 40 minutes and is my favorite of the session. I loved all of the many angles and sinuous curves, the foreshortening of the hand coming forward and the general complexity of the pose.

Ebony graphite on newsprint / 20 minutes

I felt like I was still warming up with this initial 20 minute standing pose. It is similar to one we did a few weeks ago with the model leaning on a pole.

Ebony graphite on newsprint / 30 minutes

I generally position my easel so I can have some fun with foreshortening on the reclining poses. This one was only 30 minutes as we ran out of time.


I also had a chance to begin a new equine painting since returninghome. Its rather large at 30 x 24. Here is the initial oil lay in:

And this is how far I have progressed so far:

As I may not get the opportunity to spent time in my studio tomorrow, I am hoping I can finish it this weekend.

And now I am off to have some fun in catching up with all the blogs I have been following and missed out on last week! I know there is lots of wonderful and inspiring work out there for me to view and comment on!

Figurative Drawing from Life

A frenzy of sketches - 1 minute each

20 minute pose / ebony graphite on newsprint / approximately 20 x 14

40 minute seated pose / ebony graphite on newsprint /  20 x 16

45 minute pose / graphite on medium brown paper with charcoal white highlights / approximately 24 x 18

A better life drawing session today than last week. I seem to have regained a bit of confidence, thank goodness :).

Back to the Drawing Board - New Life Sessions

1 minute warm up poses in sienna Conte crayon

 I forgot how nerve wracking the 1 minute poses are, and I felt soooo rusty and a little nervous with so many weeks between life drawing sessions. I tried just for the gesture - the emotional component of the pose - in these very quick sketches. It amazed me at how short 1 minute actually is!.

20 minute pose / graphite on newsprint / 24 x 18

 Gary was the model and it was his first time posing for figure drawing. He posed for the portrait workshop a few months back. He did a very nice job and held his pose well. If I thought the 1 minute poses went by quickly, this 20 minute pose went even faster!

45 minute pose / graphite on newsprint / 24 x 18

 This was an interesting pose to me - I was directly in front of the model as he was raised on a platform, sitting on a stool with his feet on another small stool (no time to draw the stools - lucky I had time to draw the fabric under him although he still seems to be floating in space!). In any case, in tying to take my drawing a step further, I tried exaggerating his forward hand and feet. Not sure if it worked or not.

45 minute pose / graphite on newsprint

I loved drawing this perspective - directly at the models head, seeing only a small portion of his face. I loved the shape of his legs and the glimpses of feet. It was a challenge and was a lot of fun to wrap up this first session.

Untitled / 16 x 20 / oil on linen

And today I began an equine painting - this is the first pass after about 2 hours of work.

Tuesday Life Drawing

Gary / graphite on newsprint

Gary / Graphite on newsprint

Today was the last life drawing session for a while - I will miss it but am overjoyed that I had this opportunity to draw from live models. Our model today was Gary, an airline pilo,t and it was his first time modeling. He did perfectly. And am I crazy, or does he look like Bobby Kennedy? Last week I seemed to draw a Toulouse Lautrec dance-hall girl and this week I draw a Bobby Kennedy look a like? LOL - oh, well - I do try to draw what I see!

Life Drawing Smiles

Lynn / 40 minutes / ebony graphite on newsprint

Lynn / 60 minutes / ebony graphite on newsprint

 Lynn, our lovely model with the bubbly personality smiled throughout the session today.