Peparing to depart

Preparation is Key. I have a week long "sketchbook travels" trip to Guanajuato, Mexico coming up....... immediately. I signed up and paid most of it last year and I cant believe it is already here. My co worker Mark Vazquez-Mckay and his wife Carmen put this together. The itinerary is jam packed full of good stuff.

My fingers are crossed that I don't have any complications, hold ups or sickness while abroad. I've never been to Mexico, it should be exciting. I treated myself to a bunch of new gear to test run on this trip as well as new smaller carry on luggage, I'm packing light!

Hopefully I can put something good together for follow up episodes even though I'm not bringing much in the way of camera gear, stay tuned, keep joining me and subscribe below if you haven't.

If you'd like to know more about classes and events at my studio got
Http://Atelierartista.com

Gear:

Thumbbox by Guerilla available at Swintons Art Supply.
http://swintonsart.com

The folding CGI camping chair can be bough on Amazon for just over $20 find it here:
http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=+GCI+Outdoor+Pack+Seat%2C+Black

I picked up the MeFoto tripods for under $300 @Vistek
https://www.vistek.ca/search/-MeFoto/tripod.aspx

A dozen things from this past week

Well I didn't know exactly how to contextualize the juxtaposition of these images together. In order to improve our skills, we study a lot of different things every week at Atelier Artista. The images below are from various classes throughout this week. On the off chance I don't forget to snap some shots or  I'm not running around, instructing and/or creating work this is what you get.

 Before the long week-end began, I was tasked by the visiting artists in residence (Daniel J. Kirk and Katie Green) to create a drawing in response to the work "Mermacorn" made up by another cSPACE tenant. This is my preliminary sketch before tweaking and adding a dash of colour.

 I demoed these hard edged shapes in my" Open studio sessions" on Easter Monday.

 Here is the class room set up, the drawing horses in a half circle horse shoe shape.

 Some notes I delivered on the board while teaching the portrait students the nuances of what to look for when studying the anatomy and drawing the nose and mouth areas.

There is a lot here to cover.

 I like the ability to colour code a bit with chalk.

 Adding many points to observe as I go on with the lesson.

 I transitioning between notes on slate and the actual practical application of drawing medium on newsprint.

 Here is my handsome friend John Asaro head showing the facets and planes under lit conditions.

 And here is how makeshift studio conditions can be when working :P

 In the oil portrait class the students are adding details as we will be starting a new portrait in May.

 The students brought various objects for still lie class, as weird as it is , it is a puppet so I let it slide to add a bit more fun to the day.

 In anatomy of the figure class on Friday we are working on very muscular legs with a lot of definition. There is a whole lot more interesting stuff and fun going on all the time down here at ATELIER ARTISTA, Dont miss out, come on down and study with us as new sessions begin this May!

http://ateleirartista.com

Wednesday night figure drawing @ Ateleir Artista

These couple of shots are from the long Figure drawing session last week April 12.  I have these each and every Wednesday evening 7 - 10 pm @ATELIERARTISTA. Suite #410, 1721 - 29th Ave. SW. Calgary Alberta. To reserve your spot visit http://www.atelierartista.com/figure-drawing

Enough starch in the diet

The artistic diet consisting largely of drawing should include enough starches. Those starches should consist of well lit drapery, cloth and assorted fabrics. In still life class we broke down the steps necessary to properly study basic folds and rhythms, compressions and expansion in fabric etc.

 I did notes and a demo on the slate then began with a Notational space envelope and carved away angles to establish the overall shape ad proportion of what I am drawing.

 I toned the area of the paper that will become the drapery. I found the darkest darks, cast shadows and form shadows and built up the shapes.

I then went back and pulled out some lights and darkened some darks.

I draped the fabric over the Asaro head and clipped a sheet above the chalkboards.
In hindsight it looks phallic.

In the eye of the beholder

In todays portrait class I taught the anatomy of the eye and how to see and create realistic forms when drawing the eye.

re·al·is·tic

ˌrēəˈlistik/

adjective

representing familiar things in a way that is accurate or true to life.

synonyms:

true to life, lifelike, truthful, true, faithful, unidealized, real-life, naturalistic, graphic

We discussed the anatomy, the academic approach, how we shade the sclera to represent its white spherical form within the eye socket so our eyes don't look flat and painted on. Where to look for the the important highlights that fall on the lens of the cornea and why, where the iris becomes highlighted due to this. How the cast shadow from the top eyelid creates more depth. 

After a bunch of notes on slate I did a quick drawing demo and then the students got onto their eye studies.

If this looks good to you and you might want to come learn all aspect of head and portrait drawing or painting come on down or sign up at http://atelierartista.com

EPISODE 46 Workshop #1 Canvas Building Workshop

Hey guys and gals, I just finished a 2 week cleanse and visited the dentist twice, so Im feeling squeaky clean as I bring you this instalment. Episode 46 - Workshop #1, Canvas Building 101. Take a look!

Figure drawing every Wednesday 7 - 10 pm

I love Wednesday nights because I have the opportunity to host a great group of artists doing long pose figurative drawing and painting. This week Miss Alexia day graced the model stand. We did a few quick warm ups and then got into the long pose broken up every 20 min by a short break. Below are a few stages of my drawing followed by some of the fantastic people and their work that evening.

If you are interested in attending sign up on http://ateleirartista.com under the http://www.atelierartista.com/figure-drawing

Still life with banana

Why did the monkey like the banana? 

Because it had appeal! 

Your artwork should have appeal too!

 I think the art of the still life is appealing yet greatly under appreciated. Just gathering and composing objects in very much an act of art. Selecting and arranging items, then creating a juxtaposition that is pleasing and interesting tells a lot about the creator. There is also a lot of contrasts that can occur allowing for many different ways for the artist to explore mark making.

In this still life class I worked my demo piece alongside the students after a brief overview of our goals. One student brought a fantastic kettle, and of course his daily dose of vitamin K, a banana. 
Here is the little set up from where I was sitting on the drawing horse. Below are some of the steps as well as some of the students pieces.

If you think still life drawings are as cool as I do and would like to try your hand and strengthen your eye then come on down to Atelier Artista (http://atelierartista.com) Wednesday morning and learn the ins and outs of this fulfilling subject.