Saving sketches

Over the years, I have taken many life-drawing classes. This has always been important to me. The human figure is the most challenging and the most rewarding process of creating art. For art, involving the figure or the face must present knowledge. When people view art of the figure or face there is a critical view, everyone knows what makes a person or face seem believable, whether consciously or subconsciously. Even when a painting or drawing leans toward abstraction, the key elements are up for criticism. The more I draw the more I learn about expressing the figure.

Most life drawing courses involve what are called warm ups. The warm ups are several one to five minute drawings, then a longer time to make a completed drawing. I save almost all my drawings for reference. Sketches that at the time may seem like failures, often when reviewed later, in a different frame of mind, show potential. Those simple drawings I enjoy playing with digitally for ideas. Often there is a line or shape the stands out in those quick drawings that will inspire new work.

I thought I would share some of these with you, rough sketches, digitals and finished works. Hope this give you new ideas for some of your older drawings....that hopefully you saved?

A time for play and a time to study

A time to Play and a time to Study

I just wanted to share this project with you, to show there are many ways to approach a painting. My first and favorite way is spontaneously, but occasionally I do plan. Working on a portrait that will eventually be part of another painting, an art instructor suggested working on studies to determine what would work for my project. I was not happy about the idea because I tend to jump head first in to an idea. However, it was a good suggestion, and I thought I would share the process her with you. I worked out many little problems that now will not plague me on the large project. The colors of acrylics paint used are Payne’s grey and white, on wet media paper. Now having completed the painting in the size that I will need for the project and having worked out the values, I feel much more confident and ready to go on to the larger project.

Insomnia

Insomnia

What to do when you just cannot fall asleep. Give up and put it to work.

The other night I just could not fall a sleep. Not particular reason why and luckily I did not have to be up early the next day. I gave up, got up and then went to the studio and started messing around.

I have a few tubes of water-soluble oils but really know very little about how to use them. Being curious as to how well they mix and how long they take to dry I set up a chart. Using a cheap canvas panel sectioned off into a grid, I started mixing colors with a pallet knife, making notes on colors and brands. I dated the chart, and have left it to dry.

So far, I have learned that Holbein Duo dries the fastest about 4 days, unless mixed with white. Artisan is the slowest. White seems to slow the drying process mixed with any color. I also found that mixing a small amount of water into the oils reduces shine and dries faster. Also that mixing a small amount of acrylic white paint in really speeds up the drying process but produces a matte finish.

I also did a small painting with the oils…not bad for one nights work. After that, I fell soundly asleep form 6 am to noon, and did not feel the least bit guilty. After all, I did accomplish something that night.

Just thought I would share my insomniac adventure with you.

Confessions of an art supply junkie

Pictures, Wolf; wax and silver point

Crow; wax and watercolor

Abstract; watercolor, ink and collage

Dragonfly; acrylic, litho pencil, and watercolor

There are two phases in the growth of art, learning and experimenting.

I am a firm believer that to make good art you need to know the basics.

A good painter needs to know how to draw. Value sketches, design plans are foundations to a good piece of art. Knowing color will develop richness and emotion to a painting.

Phase one you learn the rules, phase two you break the rules.

The art junkie habit grows with every new or different art supply I stumble across. The new material has properties that take some time to learn. That is simple enough but then I have to see what it does with other material I already have. Rules start getting broken experiments happen. Soon the conservative watercolorist is venturing into the scary new world of mixed media. I try to give the new addition a safe name, water-media, and that works for a while. Then the oils and waxes start sneaking in and I have to confess I am on my way to a life as a mixed media artist.

I hope my family and friends will forgive and that moments of pure watercolorist will still emerge. The adventurer in me is not going to stop, so here is to experimenting and breaking rules.

Some of my favorite places to learn and get supplies are on the net and locally.

Locally:

Boundless Arts, Grand Blanc, MI

FIA, Flint MI

On the net:

Wet Canvas

Robert Burridge

more motivation

Fall is moving in here fast, October feels more like November this year. Knowing the fall season will move

too quickly, I used what good days we have to get some reference photos and some outside painting in.

The last wild flowers to bloom in my yard are the Jerusalem Artichokes, so the weather determined my subject matter for me this week. The last blooms of these flowers I captured with acrylic outside.

While working on this I noticed my neighbors starting to put away the wonderful lawn decoration

they use all summer. They have two large metal birds that I have admired all this year, and contemplated painting. So before they could drag them in for the winter I ask permission to get some drawings done on them.

With paper and pencils and charcoal, and grabbing as an after thought some ink and sumi brushes

I headed for they’re yard. After sitting and just viewing the birds I realized the only media that would work

was the ink. So to make a long story short… I let the weather motivate me and the subjects determine the media.

Sometimes you just have to let things happen, everyday life can present an abundance of motivation, subject and creativity.

go with the Mood

Let the moment grab you

There are moments that are good to grab, and sometimes they grab back. It is too easy to look pass the small glories of everyday life.
There are small garden patches and wild flower areas in my yard. They are there for two reasons , one less to mow (main reason), and two they are kind of pretty. I get up with a coffee in hand each morning and if it isn’t raining just walk around the yard. Each day the patches grow and bloom and I finish my coffee, then go in to deal with the day. Today I set the coffee aside, got out my paints grabbed a few flowers and painted several pictures. Still inspired I got the camera out and took some reference photos. Why today the bug grabbed me, who knows, but I do know it felt good and is something I should do more often.
It is good to let that a nice moment flow over and touch other things. What emotions you are feeling, will spill over to what you are creating at that time.
Also sharing a couple figure paintings that I let a moment of good feeling help me paint. Hope you enjoy the reference photos and the paintings I shared today.
Oh and by the way those big (10 foot tall) flowers are Jerusalem artichokes and I hear you can eat the roots, they are suppose to be like little potatoes.