Man and Beasts 03/22/16 - Leaf Cutter Ants

Leaf Cutter Ants,  Ink On Paper, 9"x12",  2016

So today in the Man and Beasts class we had a lesson from Kate Javens on mounting insects.  Her passion for art making was palpable. 

It was kind of a interesting process. The act of piercing the bug with a needle was difficult. I did a Stag beetle.  Unfortunately the dampening process to make the movable makes them difficult to handle until they dry again so I could not draw the bug I mounted.

I did this drawing of a leaf cutter ant in the afternoon. I think I was able to get a motion from the insect.

Friday Figure Drawing 03/18/16 - Luther

Luther 03/18/16 , Ink, Shellac and Oil Paint on Paper, 18"x24"

Working with this Sharpie, Shellac and Oil Paint process again.

The Friday figure session was a single long pose of Luther.

My red Sharpies died in this drawing. So was working with the green in places.

I really like a couple things about this painting. I like the contrast of the white of the page and the off white of the background and the table he was leaning against is really compelling to me.

I also really like the play between the yellow orange of the shellac and sharpie mixture and the purple of the shadows I used.

It is a simple painting, but I like it.

Anotomical Drawing #2 - Devin 03/16/16 - FINAL

Devin 03/17/2016,  20"x30", Graphite and Shellac on Paper, 2016

Day 4 and Final day of this drawing.

Devin was unable to come for the morning. Amaya did a lecture on toning paper with Shellac. there then was a period of drawing where I really was able to work on the background. Adding the details of the  heater and the other room details.

As I was working on the drawing the main parts that had to get punched up really started becoming obvious. I created a checklist for when Devin came in.

Job #1 was the feet. The lighting had changed over the week so they were brighter in this pose but I decided keep with my original thumbnail.  It actually took a while to draw them. The foreshortening of the right foot was a little maddening. 

Job 2 was the face and neck.  Devin has a lot of ornaments. I really wanted to get the details of them as done as a could. Glasses were already done. Nose ring and cowrie shell necklace check and check.

The final job was to really push the half tones of the drawing.

I am really happy with how this drawing came out. I'm looking forward to start next week's drawing.

Anatomy Drawing #3 - Devin Week 3 - 03/10/2016

Day 3 of the Drawing.

The model was late today and then there was a long demo. I was eager to start drawing.  

I took a photo of the background to work on the setting during the week. The shapes of the background are starting to crystallize. The are really useful in the drawing as the shadow of the heater is darker then anything else on the body. So it allows me to adjust his shadows against the shadow of the heater.

I had to buy another lead holder for 6H Lead. That is the hardest lead I could find in a lead holder format. I'm finding the lead holder is really dark for a 2H or maybe its just my heavy hand. That means im working on this drawing with 3 lead holders: The main one is the 2H lead (Blue), A 6b for the dark shadows (Yellow) and now a 6h (Red) for Half tones. It is allowing me to build a system for the rendering.

The Chalk is the highlights and then all the light parts of the body are rendered with 6h lead. In the shadows and turning (transition) I use the 2H pencil. Then Where i need the punch of a super dark i use the 6b. I am really happy to be building this system for myself it should make the future drawings for this class easier.

Amaya was showing me her work.  She doesn't fear the mixture of the white chalk and the graphite. She actually uses it for the turnings. I may try this in the next drawing. The model's complexion is not really conducive to this method of working. It was an insight. I have always been taught to avoid mixing graphite and chalk as the blue it creates is unpleasant. Its probably why I am so reticent to use chalk generally.

When I was starting off drawing. I used to have the bad habit of  using chalk to recover the white of the paper in intense drawings.  It took some convincing but I finally dropped using white chalk for that purpose, instead I would build line weight over time and it was not needed.

It is a natural adaptation to working a paper so much that you cannot erase the mark any more. It is actually a common stumbling block for heavy handed drawers like me. I actually have encountered others in drawing classes with this problem and it is something that you grow out of like I did. As you get more familiar with the materials and mark making this is less and less and less a problem.

So with that stumble I am a bit gun shy about white chalk. This will change.

Figure Drawing 2/29/16 - Experimenting

Mark 02/29/16, Mixed Media on Paper,  18" x 24". 

Figure drawing class today and I was fresh with the inspiration from Vincent Desidario  (I choose an image of his mountain of amazing work that utilizes this process) Working on the paper with a drawing material, shellac, the surface then building back into it with paint.

I have been using sharpies a lot for drawing, I bought a large colored sharpie pack from staples because they were on sale. There were some odd colors i thought I would never use until now. 

This piece was part of an afternoon pose. I drew the model three times rotating around the room to create this image. I liked how the layout of this page worked then shellacked the surface. The Sharpie began to run and smear, tinting the shellac with the sharpie ink. 

This made sense in hindsight. I remember doing craft projects with sharpies and using alcohol to turn them into a wash. Shellac is an insect excretion that is thinned with alcohol. I stumbled into this but I really like the result. I will try how a few other colors to see how they react with the shellac. 

The painting is working on many levels. I am liking the interaction with the drawing then the painting the toned shellac. 

View from a Starbucks 02/26/16

View from Starbucks on Walker and Avenue of the Americas, Ink on Paper, 9"x12", 2016

I was waiting for my class to start and had about an hour of time to do a sketch. So I drew this picture trying to get as much detail as quick as I could.

The store is Soho Pharmacy and is the nearest Pharmacy to the school, So it has become a regular stop for last minute office supplies, toothpaste and umbrellas. It's kind of expensive, but so is most everything in the city. 

I probably should work in a few more colors for these particular sketches of environments.

Anatomy Drawing 2015-02-25 - Lecture Sketch

Anatomy Drawing - Sketching During the Lecture 9"x12', Ink on Paper.

I think I'm getting sick. I can tell because 6 hours of drawing is not seeming as appealing as it normally is. I will power through it.

I did a great sketch during the demo today. Amaya was demoing building tones. I should have included the drawing.

I'm loving the Tombow Pens again. I think I will be using them for a stretch. I'm loving how I'm able to quickly capture a location with the pens. Not only creating a figure, but a setting and a room.   

Anatomy Drawing #2 - Devin Week 2 - 02/25/2016

Melvin Day 2 of 4, 20"x30", Graphite and Shellac on Paper, 2016

Day 2 of the drawing.

Got a lot blocked in today. I worked on the model breaks to add the background of the drawing.  I think the semi organic shape of the cloth pinned in the background adds a lot to the drawing.  I really want to give more space for the model to exist in.

I worked today mainly on the half-tones of the drawing.  Half tones are all the areas of tone between the highlights and the shadow shapes. That is probably what I am going to be working on for the remaining 2 days.

I also added the highlights with white chalk to key the lightest light parts of the drawing.  This method of drawing operates on the fact that marks are relative to there surroundings. So having a representation of the lightest lights of the figure allows you to gauge them and adjust them slowly.

These classes zip by when im in them. I feel like the 6 hours of drawing evaporates like it was nothing. I'm sure that's not the case for the model.  

Anatomy Drawing #2 - Devin Week 1 - 02/18/2016

Melvin Day 1 of 4, 20"x30", Graphite and Shellac on Paper, 2016  

We are starting a new pose this week in the Anatomical Drawing class.

I got new paper with a better tooth for this drawing and it made a very big difference

I also toned the paper with Shellac. I bought the Shellac for painting and Amaya said it may be too potent for drawings. As I began to draw with it, I instantly understood what she meant. In the shaded a part of the leg, the shellac is keeping the graphite from being easily accepted by the paper.

The Drawing process is very Bargue Method I did manage to get a lot done in this class period. I completed the contour drawing and began to block in the shadow shapes.

This drawing is going pretty well.   

Sketchbook 2/18/16 - Woman on the Bus

2016-02-18 - Bus Ride Home, 9"x12" Ink on Paper.

When your back is to the wall what else can you do but fall back on what you know?

I was out of ink in my fountain pen. My sketching has been furious in the past few days. I've been having to refill my fountain pen every couple days.

I was riding home and there was a woman on the bus that I wanted to sketch, there was something about her coat and her stance that I had to sketch.

But my poor planning almost stopped my creative desire. In addition to my fountain pen being out of ink my light brown Tombow was dead dry. I have been keeping my Tombow pens around for long periods of time after I should toss them because there is a line texture and almost dead pen gives a drawing that is really fun to play with. But when I wanted to sketch I had a completely dead pen. I adapted from my normal process and drew with the sepia. It's a little cold.

This drawing is done with sepia and black.

I have to be so sparing with the black because it is so powerful and intense.

"An artist is alone with the brush."
Maggie Murphy