Year of the Fairy - online course

I am really enjoying this online course - "2014- the year of the Fairy" taught by talented artist Carla Sonheim.  It's a year long online course about illustration. Each month we will be exploring different fairy tales and illustration. So far I am loving it!  I drew this one night in my sketch book while watching TV.

another face

charcoal on paper

5" x 8"

A quick sketch that I did tonight while watching TV. It doesn't really look like the intended person, however, it's not bad. I enjoy drawing faces, even when they don't exactly look like the model. Still working on that. I like the eyes and the nose.

ballet drawing

Chenoa

charcoal on Bristol board

 

My daughter gave me a photo she took of my granddaughter posed in one of her ballet outfits. She was 11 at the time. This is an attempt at copying the photo. I really enjoyed working on this, as I thought about my granddaughter as I worked on it. She is now 12- will be a teenager in August...how is that possible??

6th drawing of same face

female face #6

5" x 8.5"

charcoal on sketch paper

Practice makes better...this is the 6th attempt at this particular face. I am getting closer to the reference. In this one, the eyes are almost where they need to be- a little too far apart. But the face below the eyes is too long, once again.

I read something last night that I'll try on my next go-round. It's about drawing the nose. This little nugget of info comes from the Drawing Magazine, Summer 2011 Portrait issue, in an article where Susan Lyon gives advice on drawing the face: "When you're measuring the length of a nose, don't only measure to the bottom of the nose- that will lead to the nose being too long. Measure against the entire length of the head and other landmarks as well." That's exactly what I was doing- just measuring to the bottom of the nose. Must be a common mistake. I look forward to trying again and applying her advice.

If you want to check your own drawings- scan them along with the reference, then layer them in photo shop, placing the reference above your drawing on separate layers. Then reduce the opacity on the reference layer and then you can compare them. It's a great way to see where you got it correct and where a drawing may be off.

The whole point in learning to accurately copy a picture is that once I master it, I can then begin to break the rules. But first I must learn the rules! Copying is, in my opinion, the best way to learn how to draw. There is no 'magic' to drawing, it's a learned skill, just like riding a bike or cooking.

charcoal drawing

charcoal on paper

 5" x 8"

I've been doing a lot of drawing and I finished this tonight. It's charcoal on paper. The original reference is about 2x3 and the finished piece is 5x8, the size of my sketching book. This is the 5th time I have drawn her and this one is good, but her nose and cheek area is too long.

I tried something that really helped me see that the nose/cheek area are too long- I scanned in both images, the reference and this finished piece and superimposed them in photo shop and then dropped the opacity of one to see both. It's a great way to really compare. Try it!

My whole goal is to improve my overall drawing skills. To really draw what I see. The classic way to do this is to copy. Copy, copy and more copy. So be it!

if I were queen...finished

 

If I were Queen,

everything would be different

5" x 8" mixed media collage on paper

 



Using Anne Bagby's technique of copying your own drawing, cutting it out and then incorporate it into a collage, I made this piece. The background uses a stencil I bought from Stencil Girl Products. The background is painted. Her dress is collaged, as is the face. I used color pencil to color her face. The Roman numerals are painted on using Venetian Gold paint. The numbers have a nice shine that doesn't show up on the scan. If you have not seen Anne Bagby's website, head on over and see some beautiful artwork!

drawing a face for a collage

I plan on making several collages of men for a small series, so i needed some man faces...I did two last night. I made them dark and brooding. I'll add color and more of the body as I go along in the collage, at least that's the plan!

what do you do all day??

click to enlarge

Now that I am retired, some people have asked me, "What do you do all day?". Well...besides sighing because I no longer am a part of the corporate rat maze, I draw... a lot. Drawing is one of those things that will only improve with practice. And practice takes time. Just like learning to play an instrument and running scales over and over again...same thing.

Time is now a commodity I actually have and I choose to use a large part of it to improve my drawing skills. I generally draw everyday now, which is a real treat for me. Some of my drawing is akin to doodling, as there is no composition and some pages are a little more thought out.

I love to draw woodsy, flowery, fairy, Fae, make believe but-not-too-cutesy. So I've been drawing frogs (with crowns), flowers, mushrooms, leaves... things that would be in a fairy setting. My long term, bigger picture is that I want to do some Fae, woodsy, flowery, fairy watercolor paintings. So, to that end, I am drawing, drawing, drawing.

Winter Weary

After watching Pam Carriker's newest video about self portraits, I used her technique to draw this image. She is one of those goth/heroin fashion models, and to me, she looks very tired and weary...and that is exactly how I feel about winter- weary and tired. So, this is not a self portrait in the strict sense, but this is a portrait of my feelings about this 2011 winter of winters. Spring can't come soon enough...

so much for fancy or expensive art tools

Myrna Wacknov (link below in my list) is an artist that I regularly follow on her blog. She posted this youtube demo of her drawing with a coffee stirrer and ink...on a piece of paper. So much for expensive art tools that we think will make our art better...she is amazing.

drawing from memory...

Degas Sketch

If I close my eyes and get quiet I can conjure up an image of my deceased grandmother. I can see her clear as day in my mind's eye. But can I draw a picture of her from memory? No! Why is that? There are those who can draw from memory. Personally, I believe they have a bit of a photographic memory to be able to do so. However, that said, I can draw some hand gestures from "memory". I've drawn the same hand gesture gazillions of times in my quest to get hands right. The end result is that I can draw a basic hand gesture from memory.

But is that the same thing? I don't think so. I think the hand drawing is a response to hours of practice. Perhaps I am drawing from memory. And does it really matter? Not really. But I often wonder why it is that I can remember an image of my grandmother, yet I can't seem to draw her. I remember her hands. I remember as a girl asking her why they were so wrinkly with their paper thin skin. I think I remember the FEEL of them the most. The dry softness. It is also said that our other senses can help us remember...things like smells or music. I think so; as I think about the rose scented hand lotion my grandmother used, her hands get clearer.

But I am not sure if we really draw from memory. When I draw, I focus on what is front of me- what I SEE, not what I REMEMBER or IMAGINE. I draw what I SEE. So isn't that in direct conflict with the idea of drawing from memory?

Degas lost much of his eyesight in his later years. Many of his later sketches were drawn from memory as he just could not see much anymore. So I guess he was drawing what he imagined he was seeing as he watched the ballerinas stretch at the bar or the horses running the race. I don't know the answer here. Just thinking out loud... what do you think?

drawing

Constant practice devoted to one subject
often outdoes both intelligence and skill.
~ Cicero.



I am told over and over again to draw what I see. Doesn't that sound so logical, so simple?

But it really is a valuable message because so often we draw what we remember and not necessarily what we see. Drawing what I see means really looking at the subject- all of the nooks & crannies, shadows and little spots. Even a leaf- one of the gazillion that cover our lawns each autumn is a study in uniqueness. When I really 'see' a leaf, there are so many little curves, spots and veins. And each one is different. Each and everyone is different.

OK, I am babbling, so I will stop. But really, next time you see some leaves, really look at them...

The education of an artist is the result of his or her experiences of drawing...

pewter creamer,

pencil and gouache

How does one learn to draw? By drawing...sounds so simple.

It's not the paper or the pencil or the teacher or the latest workshop that creates a drawing. It's the person who is drawing. Yet how many times have I run out to buy *that* particular pencil and *that* type of paper in hopes of creating my masterpiece? And lets not talk about books on drawing...they multiply like rabbits before my very eyes.

It's kind of like saying Tiger Woods is such a good golfer because of the clubs he uses. If I were to use his brand of clubs, then surely, I would be as good a golfer as Tiger...right? Not so much. Yet faithfully, I clip my Michael's coupon and buy yet another type/brand/shade of pencil to help me draw better. Thank goodness it's only pencils and not golf clubs that I keep buying! (And the act of drawing for me, is just like a game of golf in that I am always trying to improve my own performance.)

The education of an artist is the result of his or her experiences of drawing. Drawing is self taught. Yes, we are taught theory on light, value, perspective and such, but in the end, it's actual drawing that teaches us to draw. Much like riding a bike. We can tell our kids all about riding a bike. How to get on the seat, peddle the peddles, balance, push off and go forward...but it's the actual riding of a bike that teaches us to ride the bike. Learning to ride a bike is self taught too. Children learn to walk and talk by experience, not by taking a workshop entitled "Walking & Talking - you too can do it!"

Learning anything is an experiential process.

Why do I so often forget this fundamental idea?

I want to have amazing drawing skills like this. Which brings me to another saying I say a lot to myself... "In order to become a good artist, I have to be willing to be a bad artist." Now, if you will excuse me, I am off to do some drawing!

the eagle has landed (almost)

eagle, 8" x 10", charcoal

I drew this drawing some time ago. I wanted the feathers to look like feathers- that was my goal. The eagle was from a photo. The branch I made up...that's the fun part- making stuff up!