Portrait Pose

So….I arrive in class after missing it for 2 weeks in a row….and lo and behold, my instructor had other obligations.  Since they like having us around, they set me up in another room with a table and “great light”.  There was a newly graduated college art student leading the kids camp and it just so happens….her favorite art media is Colored Pencils!  My lucky Day!  She gave me a few quick tips on drawing the pattern of the shirt then ran off to attend to her excited students.

I only got about this far….when fear set in!  I really need to observe someone drawing a pattern.  They don’t have to go into a lot of details….but just enough for me to get it.  So…this sketch has been shelved.



I had not brought any extra paper to start on my next pose.  Thankfully….my college-teacher-helper-friend was available to show me her favorite paper in the store.



Cut down the big sheet into workable pieces.  Since I had already done the grunt work earlier I was ready to get started.



Apparently, I need to use more color when I color-sketch.  You know, more color, more wax….thicker! 



This is not what I’m used to doing….and I’m a little unsure if I can make it work. I need to see what these pencils can do…their limits.  Experiment time!

Candid Continues

Colored in the ears….will need to go back in on that left ear, cuz it looks folded!



Spent some time around the eyes….will need to go back in on that left eye’s upper lid and un-sag it.  And go in around that “lacrimal caruncle” of the right eye and sag it!  Haha



I have been told that: to draw teeth…don’t even think about drawing them individually….just hint at the gums.

I drew 4 lines in a box to attempt the pattern [see tiny blue lines on right collar]…..I have no clue how to draw this shirt’s pattern.  Hopefully, someone who knows more than me about this sort of thing, can explain [or show me] how to imitate that shirt pattern.

Candid

Wow!  It’s been about 12 days since I last posted something here….that’s what happens when I go off and play! Haha. 
If I really had my act together I’d prepare some posts ahead of time and have them preset to post….but that’s if I had my act together.



I was able to sketch a bit while out on vacation. Which was good. I woke up early one morning and got a good 3+ hours of sketch time in…undisturbed! Coffee pot full, view of the beach out front and the bay out back….Heaven!



Just before I left on vacation one of my friends approached me about my open-offer to sketch a “picture for practice”.

So, I did the grunt work at home (scanning, enlarging, templating the picture) before our trip.



The head angle in the picture is not straight on… go figure!



Still need to shade in around the face which will help to unflatten it. I’m always so tentative!



Candid photography!  Usually I love it but this may prove a bit challenging!   I had to extract the subject out….then enlarge him about 300%.  I think I’ve lost lots of details to the guy due to the smaller image….my imagination will have to play a part to make this work.  

It’s teacher-help-me-please time!

Twilight Zone

You have now crossed over…..





into….The Twilight Zone.


It’s been awhile since I did a regular Art Journal page…well…I don’t know if there is such a thing as “regular” when talking about the wacky world of Art Journaling. I thought I’d do a page of funny little sayings/statements that amuse me.





This one made the list because it was so unexpected.  I overheard this in Art Class.  You see there was a “kids camp” going on in a few rooms next door.  The kids are quite energetic after lunch (especially the boys) and they start checking out the other rooms.  Well, we’re all sitting there working on our pictures in the main studio and a couple kids come bopping into our class.  One of them yells out, “Hey, there’s my lunchbox”.  I never did look up to see who said this, but it cracked me up…I’m assuming that the child didn’t even know he had lost his lunch box.





I can’t take credit for all these statements.  I’ve been collecting them over at pinterest.





Another pinterest pin….





I hear this a lot at home….just replace the “he” with a “she”.





This one is for the “dog lovers”.





And last but not least…..”Never let someone drive you crazy…..it’s nearby and the walk is good for you”.


Enjoy your day

Color-Sketch Towel 4

Had to bring that hairline down over an inch…which is a lot in dog years sketching.





Training my eye….I’m sketch saturated with usually goes along with my paper saturation.  When the paper stops taking my colors in the way I expect then I know it’s time to move on.  However, if I had gotten it right the first time (…or second time…third) it would be more forgiving!  Haha





Looking at this now…I think I could’ve enlarged the left eye….And…I think I made him more serious…but was unsure where to apply the curve in his lips….


In defense of the drawing…it looks better in person!

Color-Sketch Towel 3

What is there not to like about this towel?  Just look at those gorgeous colors… Really!





Well, he needed eyes so I got to work….I like this eye enough…but that “philtrim” area [area between the nose and the upper lip….had to look that up…who knew?] was not working for me…at….all!





So….I erased the lower portion of the nose and redrew…and worked it down as best as I could.





Ahhh…the “over the shoulder” view….my favorite!!  If only I had bigger hands…I could hold more pencils.  It’s such a tweak-fest…this color sketching!





I really, really want to go in with my markers and straighten things up a bit.  Make things pop…but I’m being a good-girl and holding back.  It’s always best to save that part until the very end!  Of which, I’m not there….too much left to do on that head of wet hair!

Color-Sketch Towel 2

Well….I went back and decreased the depth to that fold on the right…but why-o-why did I think the highlight went up like that…must remedy!





Just a close-up of the face in progress.  Possibly you can see just how many colors are used here.





On the way home from dinner I was telling my husband how much I’m enjoying this sketch of our son….but confessed, didn’t know if it’ll look like him when I’m done!  Haha

Color-Sketch Towel

Time to revisit an older drawing.  I did this Doodled face from a picture of my son (taken 10+ yrs ago) for the Sketchbook Project almost 2 years ago.  I was experimenting with watercolor pencils and doodling shapes to contour the face [inspired by Rebecca Anthony].  It was fun and I liked the way this turned out.  But that picture is now long gone and since this is one of my favorite pictures…it gets to be color-sketched next.





Started out trying to duplicate the texture of the towel….as you can see, with the very tiny circles.





Then I gave up on the tiny-circle effect and just tried to get those folds right.  I know I’ll be working more on that left side, cuz that fold just isn’t that deep. Ugh!





I have to admit…that I really like sketching loved ones (or people I know).  Because as I go thru the motions, I start to think about them.  I remember things I may want to ask them next time I see them.  Or I sit back and feel blessed that they are doing well.  Figuring their path out.   Happy, Healthy, Productive!  What more can a proud mom ask for?

The Backstroke….wraps up

I knew that I had to figure out this “water” situation.  How best to mimic it’s appearance….over the shoulder, in the pool, with the splashes. So, I did only as much as I dared before I cried for “Help”.





My Art teacher showed me a few techniques to mimic the water.  Here’s my playful piece.  Lots of different stuff going on here.  Not much detail, broke it down the way he suggested I see it.  I broke it down in 4 sections.  Bottom….2 mid levels, and top foamy portion.





Started out very hesitantly…





The water was still missing something.  I liked working with the colored pencils over graphite.  Not as cotton-bally since the color adds more dimension.





Gave up duplicating the photo a long time ago [for this water].  Once I started to apply water droplets….it helped.  I had to show haphazard water movement in some way and my shading in [puzzle piece technique] wasn’t working.  Grounded the image above the lane-lines with watercolor pencils.  I tried to match the lower portion (done with colored pencils only).


Such a sweet face….on a very sweet young lady!

Backstroke….Continues

A close-up of the goggles in process.  I first went in with the blue…then the orange (it’s opposite), and finished with the black.  I may have to use a black marker to darken the area thoroughly. 





What a joy!  I could draw goggles all day.  They don’t have to be exact to look like themselves.





I have no idea what I’m doing to reflect the water coming over the swimmer’s shoulder.  May have to work on something else for awhile until I get guidance.

Backstroke….starts

Last week I got an email from my daughter’s friend.  She had noticed that I liked to draw and she said she had a picture that she’d like me to do.  So….she sent me the link to the image. [See the above]  Her link sent me to her school’s picture site.  Ugh!  I thought she had an individual jpeg.  Wonderful photography but…. how in the world could I replicate the image with that huge watermark-logo plastered all over it?  


Some people suggested I just sketch around it….you know, work with the image in this state.  No way…..I would not be a “happy camper” having had to train my eye to draw what is there and then Omit what I see when I draw.  I’m nowhere near that good.





So….I broke down and bought the 4x6 of the image.  Once I received it in the mail, I  scanned it and started on my drawing. 


Since I’m really all about “coloring in the image”, my Art instructor said with photo-realism it is perfectly acceptable to cut out the image and use it like a template, like you see here.  Remember….it’s harder to erase colored pencils… I am limited with my flexibility once I put the color down.  The paper can just take so much abuse.





Did the acetate grid trick again and started with the nose.





Worked on this for about 3 hours yesterday.  This was coming together better than expected, so nice to go straight into coloring.  Best to keep those expectations low!





Doing my best to keep these pencils sharp.





There is a huge advantage to drawing swimmers…….I don’t have to worry about getting the eyes right.  Yea Baby!