Figure Drawing Update

We've had a great model for the last two weeks. The quick poses are filled with action and grace. The 1 and 5 minute poses give me an endorphin rush. I love doing them.
In reviewing the sketches from the first week of class I think I've made progress. These are the most recent 1 and 5 minute poses and one 20 minute pose. The proportions seem better and the line a little more confident.

Stand, Smile, Sell, Smile, Sketch

This last week has been hectic. I was working a trade show all week. My cheeks hurt from smiling and my feet hurt from standing. It's good to put my feet up and relax! I managed to get to figure drawing on Tuesday and did some quick sketches that I'll post tomorrow. I have to photograph them first since they're on 18" x 24" newsprint.

Figure Drawing Progress(?)

I'm struggling a little in the figure drawing class. The figures seem a little lifeless. In this sketch I totally missed the subtle backward lean of the pose. 

That being said, I'm still having a great time renewing my skills. It is remarkable how much I had forgotten about basic sighting.

I'm thinking about buying one of the virtual pose reference series books, the kind with the DVD. I don't know how useful it would really be.

Cats, Computers and Blogs

Does everyone who sketches and blogs have a cat who thinks the computer is hers?

                                                   Nutmeg

Postcard on Project.2

My admiration for bloggers has skyrocketed! It's pretty difficult to go, see, draw, enjoy, scan, post and keep up with everything else. Whew!

I've just returned from San Francisco and the Traveling Sketching™ Workshop taught by Richard Scott. What a great experience it was, marvelous classroom instruction in the morning, practical plein air experience and critiques in the afternoon.

The first day I had a life and death struggle with the fountain pen. The second day I relaxed and went back to my trusty Micron for the ink work. Surrounded by such an enthusiastic and friendly group my misgivings about working outside in public were nonexistent. I plan to do much more of it and build on what I've learned.

A bonus to the trip was a fun visit with my son, Andrew, and his wife, Genevieve, who live in San Francisco!

Here's a sampling of what I did in the workshop.

Classroom exercise (I added the watercolor later)

Thumbnails from the first day

Thumbnails from the second day

Quick color sketches from the second day

Project.2

My second art project and reason for doing this blog is the Travel Sketching™ Workshop conducted primarily for designers by Richard Scott. I read about this workshop on Trumpetvine Travels, a blog as generous with its advice and information as it is with its beautiful sketches.

At the end of this week I'll be off to San Francisco to take this class. I'm excited and really looking forward to the experience. My supplies arrived on Wednesday and I felt like a kid on Christmas! More about the supplies in another post.

Here are a few of my travel sketches from airports, Napa Valley, Vermont and Chicago. They were all done within the last year and are quite small. I'm interested to see how the workshop effects my sketching. I always find it intimidating to sketch in public so I'm looking forward to the opportunity to draw in public with a group, safety in numbers and all that I guess!

The Adventure Begins

It seems as if everyone is blogging these days. I've been checking in regularly on quite a few blogs for a long time. They are mostly the postings of talented people from the art and design field. I've wanted to give it a try but couldn't find a reason to start. Now I have. 

I'm beginning three new art projects that are separate from my work at Remarque Paperworks but I'm sure will certainly effect what I do there. I plan to chart my progress by blogging and posting my creative endeavors. 

The first project began last night. I've started taking a figure drawing class. It's been a long time since I've been in the studio with a model, charcoal and newsprint and it shows!  It's good to be back in the studio and here in the blog world. I hope I progress quickly in both!