Category Archives: Sketchbook

Marc and Jessica

It is great when the models take their work as seriously as the artists. Modeling is hard work and some amateur models do not anticipate that and some experienced models get complacent. I have really enjoyed working working with Marc and Jessica independently, so it was a rare treat to work with them both in a joint modeling session.

All drawings are done with iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Procreate.

The image below was a 5 minute sketch. Drawing one person in 5 minutes is challenge enough. Trying to get each figure and their relationship to each other in 5 minutes is just masochism. I’m always inspired by artists who draw quickly. I find that the spontaneity and economy of line on fast drawings make them feel less static.

I wasn’t sure about this drawing. The height and size difference made this pose s but awkward for Jessica. But once I got into it, it feels kind of like a superhero pose. Both heroes locking arms in stalwart defense against a villainous onslaught. It was a 20 minute pose

The following pose was my favorite for the evening. There was just a tenderness to this moment that I could see developing into a full sculpture. 20 minutes.

This last pose was longer, about 50 minutes total.

Julia and Brian

This Sunday’s drawing at the Whit was really fun. A rare treat to have two experienced models working together. And yes, drawing two models is more than twice as hard because you have two capture both figures and the relationship between them.

Their casual intimacy was really beautiful.

All drawings done on iPad Pro, Procreate, Apple Pencil

I was inspired for a number of sculpture ideas. Most of my figurative work is solitary individuals. I like the idea of a series of intimate, romantic–but not necessarily erotic figures together. One of my all-time favorite sculptures is the Rape of Proserpina by Bernini. The technical and emotional detail is exquisite. Unfortunately, as beautiful as the sculpture is, the canonization of rape is not my forte.

I would love to create sculpture that celebrates the intimacy love. More like Rodin’s, ‘The Kiss’.

What are your favorite romantic sculptures?

Sunday Drawing at the Whit

Today was unusual in that I got to join the Sunday evening figure drawing group at Whitaker Printmakers.. It was nice to see lots of familiar faces. I wasn’t sure how much room there would be to draw or paint, so I just took my iPad and figured I would be able to sketch with the least fuss.

I’m still learning how to make what I intend with Procreate. I’ve been focusing on using the Narinder Pencil in Procreate. What I realized tonight is that it is really three different brushes (a linear pencil, a hard light charcoal, and a soft dark charcoal; each selected based on the angle of the pen.

I didn’t find that pressure made much difference once I got the angle right. I’m going to spend more time doodling with this brush to see if I can develop some more subtlety, transitioning between the edges, reliably getting the edge I want, and getting some value gradation. From these drawings, you can see I experimented with each of the three angles, and then attempted to merge all three into one drawing. I wouldn’t say that any of these (or the many not pictured) were entirely successful, but they were all good experiments.

The dark soft charcoal and light hard charcoal.

The line

And a little bit of all three:

I was so focused on manipulating the angle and pressure of the pen, that I really only got down basic shapes and values with these quick sketches. With more practice, I hope to be faster and more decisive. Then I would have time to do a highlight pass, and then work the value transition and the edges. I spent a fair amount of time cleaning up my line work as I went because I was ending up with a lot of ‘hairy’ lines as a I struggled to get the line where I wanted. More practice!

Recent Sketch

It has been a while since I shared anything from my sketchbook, so here are a few drawings from this week.  

This particular pose is only going to be two sessions, and I was late to the first one.  It’s tough balancing time in the Studio and with the family.  This evening was a compromise.  Rebuild the living room after having our floors redone (long story), have dinner with the family, and then off to the Studio.

So I drew rather than sculpt.

I actually like to start a new sculpture with a drawing regardless.  It slows me down and forces me to look at the composition of the whole before starting to move clay or wax around.  It also allows me to make some notes about structure, form and angles.  So, these drawings are really a form of visual note-taking rather than to be finished pieces.

An Afternoon with the Greeks

Last Sunday, I got the rare privilege of going to an art museum by myself.  I spent a couple of hours checking out the closing day of the Portland Art Museum’s show, ‘The Body Beautiful‘.

greek_sculpture_outside

It is always a bit of a quandary when ‘headliner’ art exhibits such as this come to town.  They are usually packed with people elbow-to-elbow, the exhibition space is usually quite small, the information and guidebooks provided about the art is usually superficial and biased towards the perspective of art historians (rather than the cultural or artistic significance of work).

But it is also an amazing opportunity to see how people from a cross-section of life interact with art.  Most of the visitors are there because they heard, ‘this is real art–it’s important’.  Some visitors walk by, read the plaque, and walk on, noting that they can scratch ‘see Greek sculpture’ off their bucket list.  However, a few are struck by one piece or another.  And you realize that the appreciation for a particular work or artist has just extended another generation.  And that a string of those moments for over two thousand years is why these sculptures remain relevant today.  There is something visceral about this art that resonates with people regardless of their age, generation, or culture.

greek_sculpture_1 greek_sculpture_2

And then, of course, there is my own personal reaction to these works.  It is this art that inspired me to create art in the first place, and it is that moment of connection that we feel when ancient works that keeps be focused on figurative work to this day.  Below are some sketches that I drew from some particularly inspiring sculptures.

Sketches of Greek Sculpture

I was immediately struck by the resemblance of these particular sculptures to Degas’ dancers and bathers, created over 2000 years later.

degas_dancer
Dancer Adjusting Her Slipper, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

degas_sculpture
Woman Getting Out of the Bath, The Metropolitan Museum of Art 

Comments welcome

Sketchbook – 26-NOV-2011

I’m almost exclusively drawing in my sketchbook at this point.  With the new baby and work, there isn’t much time left for larger projects.  I would really like to get back to sculpture, but for me, it all starts with drawing.  The power is in the original sketch.  If the drawing is weak, the subsequent painting or sculpture will be weak.  For me, I look at drawing as practicing the beginning over and over.  It is tremendously satisfying.  I don’t have to get caught up in the fussiness of rendering or coloring.  I need to work on both of those as well, but for now, these drawings capture my intent.

I am also making a concerted effort to memorize more anatomy.  I have the major muscles and bones memorized.  Now I’m working on the smaller, less obvious ones.  In December, I’m going to focus on origins and insertions.  I really notice how much more confident my drawings are when I have an understanding of what I am looking at from the inside out.

One of my favorite things about drawing is when one line describes multiple forms overlapping each other.  In particular the way his left arm is resting on his leg.  The alternating of hard and soft as muscle rests against bone.
You can view more of my figure paintings and drawings.
As always, comments welcome.

Sketchbook – 01-AUG-2011

Darcy
I am enjoying painting in watercolor lately.  Between work and family, I’m lucky if I get a couple hours a week to draw now, so I’ve had to reassess my medium(s).  So, I’m focusing on drawing and painting for now.
I liked how the two drawings below turned out and now that I have scanned them, I plan to go back and paint them, just to add some values.
Miranda
Miranda
For the two drawings below, I was focusing on line and line weight.
Michael
Michael