WCC Drawing Class 02/15/13 - Ashley

It has been a while, about a year, but I made it out to the Figure Drawing class out at Windward Community College in Kaneohe, near to my house. Such a great campus.  I saw my friends Snowden, Norm, Larry and Jonathan and it was good to see them all again. I have been away too long.

Above is the first pose of the day. I think it's my favorite despite some problems with the legs. There is a really nice feeling and motion to the drawing. Flow.

Above is the second of the four long poses. The way I drew the expression on her face makes me giggle when I look back at it. She looks so lost in thought. I am always surprised by the gifts that come with creativity.

This was the last pose of the morning. There is a nice feeling to everything, although I think I put more focus on the face then I should have.

"I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious." 

~ Andrew Wyeth

Brett's Desk

So, another drawing around the offices of Kailua High School.

I began this sketch, fascinated by the reflection of the wooden jalousies in Brett's framed diplomas on his desk. The rest of the drawing evolved from there.

I think I could have pushed the contrast a little more. The front of the desk is looking a little bright, but that's something to watch for in my next sketch.

“I paint the spirit and soul of what I see.” 

~ Brian Froud

Oddfellows- Jerri and Norburt

There was an odd fellows meeting on Tuesday. I was there sketching and I did this portrait of Jerri and Norbert.

Norbert is my dad's friend from the VFW, Veterans of Foreign War. Norbert in fact was the man who sponsored my Dad into the Odd Fellows.

His wife is Jerri. She is always very nice to me. I always feel welcomed when she is around.

When I gave them the sketch, Norbert exclaimed cantankerously, "You made me look fat." 

I blame it on the jacket.

Dolinda

So this is Dolinda, the aide on the bus that my students ride.

I really like this portrait. First and foremost, it is a good likeness, which is regrettably difficult to achieve.  I do like the play between the sharp contrasts of the cross hatching in the glasses and the soft gradual changes in the ink wash. 

"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music-- the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls, and interesting people. Forget yourself."

 ~ Henry Miller 

HMoA Drawing Class 02-11-13 - Kat

Kat was the model this week at the Honolulu Art Academy.

I had a rather spotty day. I am a little unhappy with the pages that I did that night. Above is my favorite. There is a neat, I'm gonna call it "painterly" vibe to the above drawing. I liked how I used the pastel to define the shapes more then the details of things. There is also a pretty nice likeness-- that is always a plus.
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I am debating using the purple ink as a backing for things. It does look nice but it does some wierd things with the oil pastel. In some cases I really like what it does in others I really hate it. I chose the color because I had such success with the blue ink and wanted to find other cool colors to dye the paper with.  

This is my other favorite of the night. I am really surprised how much I like this drawing.

This is a page I use for about 10 drawings, over three weeks. If I was unhappy with the ending page, I'd scrape the oil pastel off the page or douse it in thinner. Hoping for something better on the next go around.

I really like how this one came out. As I was drawing it, I was making a real mess of things. My hands were covered in blue-black filth. I'm really liking the areas in her body that the blue is coming through.  

Overall there is a really nice mood to the drawing. I'm not sure what it's coming from. I will have to look at this drawing a little more.

I am not really that happy with the two drawings above. Not my best work. I really messed up Kat's face in them.


This life drawing class is on Monday at 7PM. It is located at the The Honolulu Museum of Art School, formerly the Academy Art Center at Linekona. There is a $10 class fee.

"Bad is called good when worse happens."

~ American Proverb

Tomoko's Desk

An art teacher once said to me, "An artist can make an interesting painting of a brick." In other words, it not the subject, but the technique that makes something interesting to look at.

I thought it would be fun to start sketching random areas on the Kailua High School campus. This is Tamoko, the Speech Pathologist's office, still in flux as she settles into the space.

I started by wanting to catch my painting on the top of the file cabinet. I then put in more and more of the setting. Tomoko just painted the office. I let her use a painting I did for decoration.

I had a lot of fun doing this sketch. It's a little on the illustrative side of things, but it looks really neat. 

“What is real to me is the power of our awareness when we are focused on something beyond ourselves. It is a shaft of light shining in a dark corner. Our ability to shift our perceptions and seek creative alternatives to the conundrums of modernity is in direct proportion to our empathy. Can we imagine, witness, and ultimately feel the suffering of another?”

― Terry Tempest Williams, Finding Beauty in a Broken World

Zwick Studio - 02/09/13 - Kat

So, I went to Zwick Studio. Honey was unable to make that morning session, so we had another model in for one pose. The model was Kat and she did one three-hour pose for the morning.

I did two drawings that day. I used very large paper for the sketches. Each of these is 24"x 36" I spent one hour on the above drawing and two hours on the drawing below.

I like the picture above a little more; it was the second drawing I did that morning. I really like how I used the blue background in some of the shadows of her body.  I also am a little happier with the proportions.

I really like how I did the hands in this drawing. Interlocking fingers are always rough to render correctly. I think I did a good job here.

I have been asked why I enjoy drawing nudes. Every artist knows that drawing the human figure is considered the best way to learn how to draw. The human mind is really good at picking out the human form, which is why when you look at abstract shapes, you often see faces and figures in the shapes.

Zwick Studio is located at 1041 Maunakea St. Honolulu, HI, 96817. His open studio is on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm. There is a $15 class Fee.  www.williamzwickart.com

"Naked is a human commodity. Nudity is God's art." 

~ David Allio