Judy Fox Master Class

My clay sculpture of Jake. Master class with Judy Fox. Sculpting with a giant piece of wood and a butcher knife.

Man and Beasts - Lulu Reclining

Lulu Reclining, Ink on Paper, 9"x 12", 2016

I got to play with a kangaroo today! Even more fun we got to draw her.

This is Lulu.  She was pretty incredible to see so close.

She reminds me of a giant rabbit. (Isn't that the plot of a Looney Toons cartoon?) The same nose flares and sniffing that a rabbit would do, she did. There are also some structural things about her face that are very reminiscent of a hare.

Her handler let her out of her pen and she explored the room we were in. Almost like a dog exploring the world with her nose first.  But most memorable for me where her arms. Everything in the room she would grasp with her front arms and steer towards her nose. She also tried to eat everything in the room: from the gum stuck on the floor, to coffee cups and bagels.

A student told a story about Lulu eating her kneaded eraser then vomiting up and presenting it back to the student like a gift.

At one point Lulu bolted down the hallway. It was surprising to see how quick she could hop when motivated.  It was after that escape attempt that she was corralled back into her pen for the afternoon. Like the owl that also posed for us, Lulu was tired in the afternoon session making for a steady model.

Man and Beast - Sleeping Eagle Owl

Sleeping Eagle Owl, 9"x12", Ink on Paper, 2016

I had a blast at the Man and Beast class today.

This is an Eagle Owl. This Owl was a character, vocalizing with assorted hoots of all kinds. It also was huge. Its wing span was close to 5 feet. The two feathery "ears" give it such a distinct character.

I drew this in the afternoon, the owl had fallen asleep after an eventful and active morning of visitors streaming through the classroom.

I worked with my fountain pen doing sketches in the morning and in the afternoon switched to a collection of tombow pens and wash.

I love how this drawing came out. I am really working to work the balance between the colors. The black tombow ink is very powerful and controlling that color is really important to making these drawings work.

Figure Drawing 03/28/16- Naked Folk Dance

Figure Drawing 03/28/16 - Megan - Morning Pose,  Ink, Shellac and Oil Paint on Paper. 18"x 24"    

So I have been playing with sharpies and Shellac, then painting the surface. This Monday's figure drawing class was no different.

In the morning the model was Megan, who has become a regular model this semester. The morning pose was a long 2-hour pose. I spent half the time working on each figure. Going through yellow, green  and then a blue green sharpie.

I am finding the yellow sharpie electric on a white page. To the point it is difficult to look at. Works great with this process because the amber shellac leaves them as a delicate ghostly lines.

This was a standing pose where Megan was holding on to the model stand. I wanted to draw multiple figures and changes to the left hands to make them look more interesting. I had the El Greco hand gesture at one point but choose sometime a little more naturalistic.

When I was done I was originally planning to make  two overlapping figures. Until the model come by and said, "It's like a naked Folk Dance." A fact I did not see or plan for really until that moment. So instead of overlapping figures they became interacting figures.

I have been having a obsession with Gerhart Richter after seeing a few of his paintings at the High Museum. I used a painting trowel to make the background of this. I am happy with it although the purple may be a little dark. I may rework it with a white green scumble.

I am enjoying this process.