EPISODE 11 - "Muslce head"

I made Episode 11, the third in a series, in order to show more detailed rendering and to bring my charcoal study from the mini plaster cast. Check it out below or on my you tube channel :D

EPISODE 9... the latest is up!

It was the long week-end and I assigned my self some additional homework to help illustrate how I get started and going on a sketch from life. Watch it below and/or share this link: https://youtu.be/AUhWN8zCFiY

EPISODE 8 "no rest for the wicked"

I was reluctant to put this one out after realizing how tired working myself to the bone has got me. I wasn't going to post it but I decided to do it anyway for you. Hopefully it goes to show you how hard artists can work and the time lapse gives a bit of insight into my process. Check it out on my You tube channel/below.

I have a lot of things coming to a head, classes and jobs are coming to a close in the next month and a half, comic expo is on the horizon,  another free sketchy sounds night at Local 510, instructing figure drawing at Body worlds, the publishing of this years Blackfoot Graphic novel, a big trip to Japan and much more!

figure drawing tonal studies

 Last week my students began tonal studies with our male model and a few came in on the week-end for the free session Continuing Education offers enrolled students on Saturday afternoon. This evening we had a lovely female model to inspire our tonal studies this week. My students toned their paper by rubbing in charcoal and smoothing it in with paper towel, chamois or other such tool.

One student in particular really raised his own bar and created the best drawing he's done so far to date. It makes me proud to see their personal improvements and achievements with each passing week. Well done guys!

Sounds Sketchy - Sacred Geometry

I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to host the first "Sounds Sketchy" a Local 510.  For a first night, it is always a bit scary that no one will show up, but I was happy to see people came out to fill the house!  Thanks to everyone who participated at the first "Sounds Sketchy" event last night!

I designed a fun class for any level of drawing experience. We worked on creating the sacred geometry pattern "the flower of life" using whatever we had, compasses, coasters, shot glasses and/or string.

Everyone had their sketch books ready to go and began with drawing a point and a simple circle. From there we built outward; the tripod of life, the genesis pattern, the seed of life, the egg of life, the flower of life etc.

The remaining pictures here were taken by Jay Woolley, who is also the event organizer. Here I am with the flip chart I whipped up the night before explaining each step on the progression.

I brought art supplies to share, a bunch of books as reference, and some copies of notes for those who want to grab them and learn more.  The best way to learn with this kind of work, is to learn by doing.  I'm standing in front of the start of my creation of Metatron's cube.

Here Linden and I are getting deeper into the meaning of all this fun sacred geometry stuff and discussing the platonic solids and how they all can be created out of the Metatron's cube drawing.

I was really impresses by how into it people got and where they took it, great job everyone!

I like this final pic from behind my explaining how to continue on with the drawing. Preach it brother!!!

If you'd like to attend a free session they are every last Monday on the Month.
Silas is hosting the next one in February and the theme is "Regrettable tattoos!"
Be there!

Shaded skulls on toned paper

There is no light, only dark and light.

In my Drawing 1 class shut down the overhead lights, to see new forms emerge in by the use of shadows. I set up some still life skulls so we could experiment with mark making to bring out the visual form.

I demoed how to see the shadows and light relationships by big form modelling the values. We worked on our paper which we toned by rubbing in powdered charcoal.

I placed the display items in front of my rich burgundy bed sheets to help establish a middle value from the get go.

Here you can see by focusing on the dark shapes and building from there the form emerges as if coming right off of the drawing paper.

Evrey drawer should practice these types of exercises and realize the importance of how we actually se and how we can translate that into drawing with out hands.

Without relying on line, simplified shapes of light and dark relate the form and its proportions convincingly and with great beauty. This is where art begins to happen.

Here the artist is not only contrasting the dark and light value she sees, but also how the material is soft or coarse on the drawing surface.

These students two drawings are tackled with their own individual touch and technique for two convincing yet individual takes not eh subject matter.

What do you see and how will you push and pull this image from the papers surface?

By the end of the class we turn don't he lights and had a look around the room at what everybody accomplished. I was very proud and very happy to see the work the entire class completed by the end of our time together.

Figure drawing sketch book warm ups

In preparation for tomorrow evenings Wild and Free figure drawing session, I spent the last week drawing in my new sketch book for 30 minutes each day. Each session begins with a number of 1 minute gesture warm ups, then a few 2 minute poses followed by some 5 minute poses. I admit I am rusty but I am finding the practice exhilarating. I look forward to it every evening instead of Netflix or chores or whatever else distracts me from spending time drawing. You can probably relate?!

I took pics with my iPad so they are not great but they serve this purpose. The first one on the left was actually done in about 7 min with the model we had during my drawing class at ACAD. When I got home I added a paint touch up with fluid acrylic made by Golden in my favourite colour fluorescent pink.

I tried to stay away from my comfort zone which is mechanical pencil and instead, use a variety of ink medias so that I would have to work fast and I couldn't erase my mistakes. Its the quickest way to see where you go wrong. Later, I added some highlighter and drew a bird from a recent issue of National Geographic. I also filled in the background with a free sample from Golden in a Manganese blue hue, I didn't like the consistency and it was too transparent to get an even tone with one light coat.

In these sessions, I used thinned india ink and a brush as well as some graphite. Some interesting alignments happen when shapes of the body overlap during quick sketching.

I tried some pens I found in random places while tidying up the studio. Many did not work so they wound up in the trash. I have so many random art supplies, it is ridiculous. Sometimes it sucks when you start drawing with a pen only to find out it bleeds through the paper. That's the reason I haven't used my Copic markers in this new sketchbook, they go right thru to the next sheet.

I tried to use the whole page for two sessions and leave a fresh one for tomorrow which turned a bit chaotic. I like where these are going and I will try more materials and mark making techniques to get out of my comfort zone.

take a little moment to figure out.......

I'd like to take this rare opportunity to sit, breathe and update my blog.  It has been nearly two very full weeks of teaching in the days and a few nights of the week. My hand and brain are nearly fatigued from all the art doing, teaching and making. And I'd like to share part of this weeks journey into drawing the figure. All the work you see here is from just two classes (Mon and Tue) Yes. All of them!

 We started in with some 30 second gestural drawings. I was feeling super Rusty. The last time I did any drawing from life was back when I last posted about it here on this blog.

We did some blind contour. Drawing without looking at the paper to help work with line.

I'm definitely feeling Rusty!  I had poor planning in capturing the essence of the figure in the short period of time we had to capture her.


Then began working with the placement of the joints and outlining the skeletal structure.

I like some of the dynamic poses I was able to capture in these quick sketches.


 Here are a few drawings where I had a bit more time to begin outlining the body. I used black and brown conte for the first time.

 Here I am beginning to refine the accuracy of my line work, but still it is highly flawed, I wont go into details, but I'm not afraid of sharing my failures either.


I blocked in the skull taking note of the mandible and then working down the cylindrical forms of the limbs. I added some fire just to break up the monotony and my frustration.

The model did not have a gimp leg, the artist tried to fix it along the way.

There is that gimp leg again, I'm not quite getting the gravity on these angles.
 
Some of the masses are all wrong, the head is too small, the angles and muscles are wonky and the front foot is off.



 The cob webs are beginning to clear and I include detail of the stool and fabric.

 This one I braved ink to allow my mistakes to really stand out. It helped quite a bit.
 
It is said that we leave out the things that we have trouble with. Usually the head hands and feet.


I put more time into the head this one, it looks good, but it is too big for the body. It is difficult to see how it connects.  The hand is too small, as well.

I go back to conte again to loosen up and work with the weight of my line.

 Now I'm getting there. I think this time the head is too small, it is because instead of adding hair on top of the skull I cut it in and it caused me to make the features too little too.

 This angle had terrific foreshortening, and I put more time into the fabric to create a cohesive environment for the body.

 
This one I did earlier but I like how I used the color of the models hair as a backdrop in conte. The perspective on the chair is off kilter but the image as a whole is working out.

Any questions or constructive comments are greatly appreciated, thanks for checking this out =:D

Botero Show at the Glenbow.

Went to the Glenbow my AYAP class on a field trip this Friday. The museum really did a good job this time. There was a Fernando Botero show and the collection of grand scale baroque paintings and stellar bronze pieces was amazing.  I had been looking forward to seeing his work in person and I was impressed to say the least. They were so simple in their majesty, soft rotund characters in bold colors on a grand scale. This exhibition inspired me to work on larger scale pieces in the upcoming spring.

 Here are a few quick sketches I made while in the show. It was busy and I was running around supervising my students so I didn't really get a chance to draw as much as I would have liked.  My pens all ran out, so I had to work in ball point. C'est la vie. My Faber Castells have been retired.

I got the last copy of the BOTERO book sold at the show, it was damaged so I got 10% off. Not a great deal, but it was the last one and if I hadn't picked it up then I probably never would.  All the works in the show are in the book, including his masterful sketches on paper specially made for him by hand.


Ran into an old friend John Will, who also had an exhibition there, did a little catching up. It turns out he has a studio by my place in Ramsay, I'd like to go over and visit him sometime soon;)