I Dance because….

This is my inspiration picture for this drawing.



Contour drew the dancer in…..and listened to how she wanted to be drawn.  I’d already decided she wasn’t going to be sketched.

 

I wanted to draw flowers like Alisa Burke, (all free-handed).  I almost did them all that way.



My idea was to make the figure BOLD (using markers) and the background soft (using watercolor pencils).



It took a lot of restraint to keep those background flowers all light in color. I would’ve rather they were more vibrant….but the point of the picture would’ve been lost.



This was fun!  Still in my whimsey- color- mode.   May just stay this way for awhile.

Who Does Your Hair?

Who does your hair?  Haha….I have to laugh because I get asked this question about once a week.  And it’s not because my hair looks great….Quite the opposite.  Usually I hear this on a Saturday….after I’ve slept in…woken up…then bee-lined it for the coffee….hours later… I turn the corner and there he is!!  My main man….sarcastically implying that he’s seen enough and it would be best if I brushed out that mess.



Don’t know if this kind of drawing will help me to actually sketch curly hair….but it can’t hurt…right?



Found another rock-statement in my stash…..I forgot I had these.



This drawing is inspired by this picture I spotted on pinterest the other day…..Now this artist has talent!!

The thing I like about drawing with color and all whimsical et al….is… it’s not for profit, not for gain, doesn’t have to be all beautiful, and it really doesn’t have to have any meaning or make any statement.  It just lets me play!

Balancing Botanicals

I seem to need to balance my sketching with color!  It was color time.



I wonder if I’ll feel that way if I actually start sketching in colored pencils….hmmm…



The image that inspired this drawing is from flickr……one of my favorite resources



It was hard…but I only allowed myself to use these Faber-Castell Pitt pens…no Sharpies nor Bic’s allowed.



Picked up this button while at a sports event about 8 years ago…..I need this gentle reminder….so easy for me to just keep my head down…and to the grindstone.  Just the way I’m made.



I like the negative space apparent to show the word here…Ideally I didn’t want to outline that word, but could not see another way around it for this drawing.



I’m happy with how this turned out.  I like the vibrancy of all that color balanced with the black and white on the other side. 

I am a huge fan of BALANCE. 

1. I need to balance my Duties-----with Freedom
2. My Work-----with Play
3. My Creativity-----with Analysis/ Science
4. My Color-----with Negative Space
5. My Research/ Study-----with Vegging Out.
6. My Losing it-----with Finding it….passion!

What surprised me after I started drawing this piece was what was showing up in my google reader.  Yep, many other blogs started talking about “balance”.  I think that’s the good ‘ole monkey effect of synchronization that I witnessed.  Love it!!  

And here are a few of the posts I’m referring to:

1. Creative Carmelina- Finding Balance
2. Daisy Yellow- What is your focus?
3. Shutter Sisters- Equal Day...Equal Night
4. Zen Habits- Change Muscle
5. Christine Kane- Let your body teach you about balance  (from 2009 but a good post)
6. Jeff Goins- How to improve your writing in one counter-intuitive way (2 mos ago)

Have you found your balance?  Do you sense when you’re getting out of balance?  I sure do!

Wave Swimmer….Complete

After 58 pictures of this “Wave Swimmer” sketch-in-progress, I’d have to say THIS is my favorite shot.  And it’s not because the picture composition is all that great.  It’s because I’m doing my favorite part.  Outlining with my Copic 0.05 gray multi-liner permanent pen.  It’s at this point that the image starts to round out.  Starts to show dimension…substance….3D-edness. 



Had to take the picture outdoors.  I was getting way too many shadows inside.



Ok, here’s what I learned:

1. Kids (under 11) tend to have a rounder belly….which I did not make.  She’s pretty lean.
2. Kids (under 11) have a bit larger heads.  Not so insanely out of proportion like an infant.  I  have made her all-in-proportion.
3. Her features are just a bit smaller than the original.  (Boy did I go back and forth with those eyes… big eyes…erase…small eyes…erase.)  And the more I erase and apply lead…the more I abuse that paper.  No matter what, the paper will not go back to it’s “ true white” after all these attempts.  So…the really good artists see things as they should be much earlier.
4. How in the world did anyone learn how to draw before digital camera’s and computer monitors?  What wonderful tools these are!

I’m still in need of much practice.  I’m just grateful I was given such a sweet subject to sketch.  It’ll be hard to part with this sketch….but I’m running out of room to display these sketches in my house.

Age Progression Sketch

This is going to sound a little sick….but I think I’d be a better sketcher for the milk carton kids.  You know, the ones that have been kidnapped (majority by the non-custodial parent).  I seem to have a way of adding on years to my kids.  Probably because by the time I start a sketch and then finish it…it’s been a few years!  Well….feels like it anyway.



I probably need to apologize to my friend now…because I think this is as good as it’s going to get.  The paper is not as forgiving now (weeks later) as it was when I first started.



Ahh….but just look at her smile!!  It makes me smile

She’s not complete yet.  I’ll be fussing around with her a bit still.   I haven’t gone in with my permanent marker to add that pop that I so love yet, either.  I’ll be grounding her as well with a semi circle or something.

A Sketch with a Thousand Faces

One face in a million!  That’s what I’m trying to accomplish.  Even though they say with the 6 billion people on the planet, that we have a twin out there somewhere!  I have yet to find mine. 



Here’s the scoop.  

1. The last picture in the previous post.
2. Changed up those eyes, they were a little too wide or open.  First the right eye.
3. Now the left eye.
4. The mouth was too big (I can sure relate to that)
5. All over the face here….the eyes AGAIN, the chin, the mouth, the nose.  A little spastic.
6. Coming together somewhat.

I can see another place I need to narrow…..the right side of her head…..just straighten that whole head a bit.

Such a pretty girl.  I really hope I can keep her that way!

The Three Faces of Eve

I’m thinking I could have drawn 13 more faces and it would’ve been the 16 personalities of Sybil.  But these aren’t really Eve’s or Sybil’s faces.  They’re mine.  I came across this picture of a blind contour mirror drawing and it looked easy enough.  The rules were:

1. Look at yourself in the mirror while you draw
2. Don’t lift your pen from the paper
3. Don’t look at the paper.

Well, I broke all the rules!  This was not as easy as I thought it would be.  Number one, When I drew my first figure (red), I couldn’t believe how small she turned out.  I thought I was using the whole page.



I think I like this green girl the best….even though she is shedding some tears.  That cheek was calling for something.



Not quite sure what nightmare this blue guy came from.  He’s barely human looking.  Possibly related to Picasso.



This one looks like a Carol Burnett caricature.  Love that chin!



After I got done, the faces were just kind of hanging there….I looked again and  they reminded me of Mardi Gras masks… so that’s how they got their black strap.

This was a fun exercise to let me play with color.  Used those wonderful watercolor pencils to get that variety of color.  Then I just went in and doodled with black, green, red, blue and white markers.  Another simple fun piece.

Figuring out Flat Faces…

Yes, the whole trick to sketching is figuring out how to make the 3D figure flat (2D)…That’s the crux of the matter….  That’s it in a nutshell….That’s really all we have to do!!….haha



Yea…Yea….I know…you’re all tired of hearing me belly-ache about how hard faces are…but THEY are!! And if I’m to go forward with this sketching it’s time I took up the challenge…..(why must I always be challenging myself?)

1. Obviously a pretty poor rendition of this lovely young ladies face…but my faces always start out a little scarry!
2. Erased it all away…and redrew that mouth.
3. Turned the image upside down, and tried again in that contour way.
4. Still trying
5. Right eye too low, adjusted up.  Nose too long, shortened.
6. Mouth a little small, enlarged
7. Face narrowed a little and minor markings applied

WOW!…now I can see so much!  I can see the errors, the flaws, the work I have left to do!

If I didn’t frequent my blog too, I wouldn’t be showing this….but I need to get familiar with the two images side by side.  The eyes are too open…the nose still too long… the lips too full!  It’s like you guys are the teacher, and I’m the student! 

Thanks again

Colorful Contours

Needed to step back from my sketch that I’m working on and get some COLOR in.



So, I thought I’d have some fun with contour drawing.  For me, the first step is to get that contour down.



I used watercolor pencils for coloring in the clothes.



It was time for markers in the background.  There’s no better way to fill up that white space than with some definitive pattern…..which I get to color in.



I love those little thought bubbles.  I knew what I wanted to say in the right one.  Wasn’t so sure what to say in the left one….I debated with “I like people that can cook” with “I like people that make me laugh”…and then I thought I’d use “I like people who don’t take themselves too seriously”….but nothing stuck so I’ll leave it blank for now.

I’d love to hear your ideas for what that second thought bubble should say

Over Here…three

Roughed in the hand.  My-oh-my there are lots of little itty bitty lines that go into those hands! 



Shaded more around the legs, arms and suit.  Outlined the emblem and added what lines I could see to the hand.  More tweaking needs to be done.  At least it’s taking shape now and that’s what I like.

Look at me Mom….two

So, I’m sketching along….ever so merrily….then I step back and see that I’ve made the arm too short.



Started erasing….and elongating!  Ahh…much better!



I avoided this as long as I could….I was getting a tad bit bored shading, even though that’s what I really wanted to do.  But the picture wasn’t progressing…so I had to contour draw some more.  Hands!  Ugh!  Contemplated putting her in mittens but… well…that just wouldn’t have been proper.



Passable enough!  Since I’ve got momentum….I might as well go on up there and start that wave.

Hi Mom…..one

It’s so nice when the kids notice us in the stands!  Just made my heart warm to see how much fun my kids had when they were off doing their thing.



This is a child of a friend.  An adorable child… with an adorable smile.  Which I did not capture here.   I have to erase faces like a HUNDRED times before I get it right.  Please look at this comparison (below) from my first sketch of me as a child.



I am unbelievably proud of this first sketch…and it’s really not that good!  Yep, doesn’t take much to keep me happy!



I haven’t sketched in the suits previously (I didn’t feel comfortable with my graphite gradients)….but this time I will Darn It…I will!