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We are off this morning for a mini beach vacation. When we return, I will post my last two sketchbook pages from Every Day in May, and hopefully lots of travel sketches in my new recycled book.
At the end of a long day, with two hats out next to my bag on the bed, I decided that I was only capable of getting these two hats sketched and painted. The colors really also clash in real life.
Real life schedules got in the way of daily posting again this week, so I have 3 days of journal pages being uploaded this morning.
I made lemon squares for dessert on Tuesday right before bed and was too tired to draw anything except the small, very fine strainer that I used to add the powdered sugar on top of the squares.
No time to even consider something more than a 5 minute figure drawing sketch at bedtime. When will I learn how to guage the size of the paper, or scale down my drawing even more? It is really hard to make ballet "turnout" convincing in this position unless you can see the position of the back foot!! Another lesson learned. This was sketched with a watercolor pencil and then "painted" quickly with a waterbrush when my timer rang at 5 minutes.
A full day at work yesterday and then to the theater to see Jeffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon to see "Exit the King." I planned ahead for my daily journal page and doodled during a 90 minute morning meeting. I usually don't leave drawings unpainted, but it was fun to sketch in pen (without a quick pencil sketch) and I wanted to remember my graphite-free page.
My husband and I planned a quiet holiday weekend exploring Central Park. On Saturday we walked uo to the Harlem Meer on the Northeast corner of the park. Today we walked up to the Northwest corner of the Park, called the North Woods. I have never been more surprised. Even the woods that we visit in New Hampshire each summer aren't this dense.
Anyone who has followed my blog over time, knows by now that landscapes definitely do not excite me when I'm looking for something wonderful to draw or paint. But I thought I should at least post photos from the walk today for anyone who has never been northeast of the Central Park reservoir. These specific photos were selected because they show the wildness and density of the trees and foliage. I don't know the person who happens to be standing at the waterfall.
Since I didn't even pull out my sketchbook on our walk, tonight I used the Virtual Sketch Date photo for June as inspiration. I needed some figure drawing practice anyway this week - and note that in 2009, I am brave enough to put faces on my figures.
This morning we went to the Boat/Duck Pond (officially called the Conservatory Water) in Central Park for coffee. While I sketched, my husband read the NY Times. The refreshment stand is open this year and there are tables, chairs, and umbrellas on the patio. There were owners and dogs at tables adjacent to ours, so I quickly sketched them and then my husband's cap above the newspaper.
Then I discovered the ornamental poppies that were in bloom - and they were so magnificent that I had to draw and paint one bloom and one bud before we came home.
We love holiday weekends in New York City - because it is relatively quiet - emphasis on the word relatively. It never seemed like fun to join the masses escaping this island on Friday afternoon and trying to get back on the island on Monday evening. This year we decided to explore some of the areas of Central Park that we rarely visit. Today we walked up the Eastside of the Park to the Harlem Meer which is at the Northeast Corner. While my husband did the Saturday NY Times crossword puzzle, I did a sketch of the Dana Discovery Center - an educational center where children can also participate in "Catch and Release Fishing" in the Harlem Meer with rented poles and instruction and bait provided by the Center.
I painted the front entrance to the Center but somehow made it much more squat than it really is.
Did you know that Central Park (843 acres) is the first major public park built in America? A competition for the design was held in 1858 and it took 18 years to build it in accordance with Frederick Olmstead and Calvert Vaux's plan. There are 50 miles of pedestrian paths, so we will never run out of new pathways to explore.
We picked up my grandson from nursery school, had a picnic in Central Park, and then went into the Met to see the newly reopened American Wing. Before it was closed for renovation, my grandchildren learned about pennies and fountains in that space and we really missed the pool.
There is a newly designed pool in the same place, this time with two fountains. This is a quick sketch of the back of the Frog Fountain - done while my grandson was throwing pennies. There are three frogs spewing water around the base - but I had no time (or space) to sketch them on this visit.
The sketch was done with a watercolor pencil and the water was added later at home.
I did a 5 minute pose figure drawing (i.e. I set my timer for 5 minutes and sketched a nude figure photo) after my Book Group left late last night. I drew with a medium wash graphite pencil because there were very dark shadows on the model, but it was darker than I expected.
I saw a small oil painting of 2 rows of lipsticks at the Contemporary Art Auction at Christies (Wayne Thiebaud), and wondered how many lipsticks I had in my drawer. Tonight, I found 2 empty lipsticks and 3 "almost gone ' lipsticks to sketch.
My schedule is currently out of control and I'm trying to catch up with posting. These were quick sketches from May 18th and 19th.
My Flash Drive - the amazing thing that allows me to carry all of my files from home to the office and back. On Monday I was preparing the final med student exam and used this little guy all day!
EDM Challenge #224: A Pitcher
This is such a cheerful rooster pitcher that I keep it on a kitchen shelf. I'm not sure that he has ever been used!
Yikes - my book group is arriving in 20 minutes to discuss The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips.
I spent this morning at the new "Model as Muse" exhibit at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was a seamstress most of my life and love to see construction techniques and elegant fabrics in couturier clothes. I was less interested in all of the information about the supermodels, but some of the large photographs were wonderful. The lighting for the exhibits was great, but it was almost too dim in front of each to sketch.
The entrance to the exhibit is a display of Dior's dress for Dovima as immortalized in a photo by Avedon.
I sketched a few other garments that I liked, and imagine that I will return to draw some of the other exhibits, especially all of the mannequins in one room that are hanging from the ceiling.
I had breakfast with my friend Istar and then we joined the Meet-Up Central Park Sketching and Art Group at the Central Park Conservatory Garden at 5th Ave and 105th St. This was the first time that either of us attended, and in spite of the earlier rain, the time there was delightful.
This group selects an area, everyone sketches for 30 minutes, and then gets together to put all of their sketchbooks next to each other for everyone to see. It is wonderful to see what others choose to sketch - and how many interpretations there are of the same spot.
I sketched a fountain during the first period, and may still paint it.
The flowers in the gardens were wonderful, and irises were a topic on several blogs this week, so I had to paint one.
During the 3rd and final period I sketched a large fountain with three dancing girls - overly ambitious for the time period we had. I did finish a pencil sketch, but it didn't scan well and is on a double page spread with a wide shadow on the scan over the center fold. Although I could work on the scan in Photoshop, I'd rather return to the garden to draw them again over the next few weeks.
This was a difficult challenge for me. I could think of lots of sounds I really like (my grandchildrens' belly laughs!), but nothing I wanted to draw or could draw. I could also think of lots of sounds I don't like. After several days, I realized that one specific tape I made for my original old Sony Walkman got me through many long airplane trips and could still relax me instantly.
We took our children to see the musical Cats the first year it opened on Broadway and I loved Rum Tum Tugger's performance by Terrence Mann. Several years later we saw Les Miserables where he originated the part of Javert on Broadway and sang the song "Stars". Then he made another performance in Scarlet Pimperal and was the first Broadway Beast in Beauty and the Beast. I love his voice and recorded his songs from these show albums for my Walkman.
I stopped using my Walkman in the last few years, mainly due to the extreme limitation on size of carry on luggage (especially when we were traveling back and forth to London in 2006-07) and my need to carry my camera and charger, and art supplies, sketchbooks, etc in my carry-on bag. I'm not someone who wants an iPOD in my ears all day long so I never spent time trying to recreate this music selection. It may be time for me to learn about "itunes".
Full day at work today and less time for drawing, so I set posemaniacs.com for 90 sec and sketched 5 of the figures. I actually don't focus on the time as much anymore so I think this is helping me relax while I draw. It's really fun because the pose that comes up after 90 seconds is random - and the poses are so improbable. These are all bodies without skin and hair - similar to the bodies in the poster for the exhibit of the same name.
The last few days were so busy that I am just finally uploading my journal pages from yesterday and today.
Yesterday was Grandparent's Day at my grand daughter's Pre-School and while she was making a foam picture frame, I was drawing her project and a cartoon figure of her. She insisted on a "big smile" and drew on her mouth herself.
Tonight I took 5 minutes to draw a figure for more practice. I select a photo, set the timer for 5 minutes, and then sketch with a watercolor pencil.
We visited MoMA today with old friends and I sketched details from a few paintings while walking through the permanent exhibit. It gives me an opportunity to learn a little from the drawings of masters, and allows me to create a journal page to remember the visit.
After a week of rain, the sun was glorious and Central Park was full. We took a long walk through the Ramble to Bethesda Fountain with visiting friends and on the way saw several geese near the edge of the Lake. For Mother's Day, two of my children, their spouses, and four of my grandchildren had a picnic on the Great Lawn. Life is good.
My Feet
I'm delighted to put away my winter tights and heels and pull out my sandals - finally. Katherine Tyrrell reviewed Bert Dodson's book the Keys to Drawing, and I thought that it looked the perfect project-oriented art book for me to study this Spring. I have his book Keys to Drawing with Imagination too, but that one has never looked as interesting to me.
Dodson's Project 1A is to draw your feet, something which I have done several times before. I wasn't supposed to paint them, but couldn't resist. I also wanted to document the nail polish - last week I was the only one walking in my neighborhood, in sandals, without a fresh pedicure.
We picked up Robbie and Sydney after school today and then had a picnic at the Turtle Pond in Central Park. Sydney picked the yellow flower and the very small white flower for me - and then wanted to add a three-leaf clover to the drawing. A red-winged blackbird (who I had to identify by Google search) kept us company and ate some of the cheerios the children left for the birds. Bethesda Castle is across from the Pond and made a nice backdrop for our afternoon and my drawing.
I had a very quiet day at home today, so I did "figure drawing practice" for my daily drawing. It has been weeks since I painted from one of my friend Bunny's India travel photos, and I was attracted to the quiet pose of this seated woman.
I had a wonderful vacation day today in my own town - browsing at the Housingworks Bookstore and Cafe and The Strand for $1.00 books to recycle as watercolor journals and buying a few art supplies at Dick Blicks Store in Greenwich Village.
I had lunch across from the Strand so I could sketch a cropped view of the front corner entrance.
EDM Challenge #222: My Favorite Art Tool
I love Niji Waterbrushes! I started playing with watercolor paints approximately 5 years ago and bought a series of round brushes from size 00 to 12. I learned how NOT to spill my water containers, but never felt completely confident that I could paint in my sketchbooks in the living room, bedroom, or friends homes. I was an "early" convert to the Niji waterbrushes and now even use them with watercolor pencils in the museum - where only pencils are allowed. This year I found the large flat one which is perfect for painting large areas - and not getting too fussy in small areas.
I'm so nervous that I might lose one, that I have a new set of 4 waiting for me with my art supplies at all times!
This is the week of the Impressionist and Modern Art Auctions in New York. I love to go to the viewings to see these collections - pieces usually moving from one private collection to another, or museum to museum. Today I met a friend at Christies, and after we explored the galleries, we sketched two very small Picasso drawings. I then went off to Sotheby's to see their exhibits and sketched an Egon Schiele nude woman. These drawings become my journal pages for today and also allow me to learn more about how these artists created their lines and color. I always worry about drawing hands - neither of these artists worried about the hands - at all!
Pablo Picasso: Deux Couples Dansant - approximately 5 X 8" - a crayon drawing which I did with pen and watercolors pencils:
Egon Schiele: Seated Female Nude with Tilted Hed and Raised Arms:
Each of the Lots has an estimated auction price and it is fun to go back to the Auction Houses' websites on Thursday to see what the selling price really was.
We were at a wedding this weekend, so both of my journal pages are from the event. The wedding was held in a church and the reception in a wonderful hotel conservatory - full of beautiful flowering plants. Just before the cocktail hour I was able to make a quick painting of one of the many floor to ceiling trellises.
This morning I painted one of the roses that I brought back to our hotel room last night. The red-orange-salmon color was spectacular.
This is a double page spread and the grey line down the middle is the center fold.
This is my 3rd year participating in this challenge. I already complete one journal page per day, but I only upload a small number of those pages to my blog. Shouldn't be a surprise that I don't upload drawings and paintings that I don't like. This challenge forces me to upload each and everyone for 31 days - the good, the bad, and the ugly. At the beginning of the month, this makes me a little more careful about choice of subject and may even make me less spontaneous. Midway through the month I can usually overcome these feelings.
Here is my journal page from yesterday May 1st. We eat dinner at a restaurant in Grand Central Station before going to the Broadway theater - and almost always have Ceasar salad, a thin crust sausage pizza, and a glass of chianti. Last night the play with Matthew Broderick got a bad review, so we savored dinner even more.
Here are several journal pages to finish posting from April. The first is from a Gauguin drawing that was a study for his Dancing Girls of Breton. The Morgan Library and Museum had the 5th installment of the Thaw collection drawings and I loved this one! The second is from a reading at Barnes Noble by Arthur Phillips - author of the Egyptologist. My book group is reading it this month. He read from his new novel, but it was still fun meeting him. This image is from the book cover - the colors are mine.
EDM Challenge 221: Hand-held game
I'm not a game player, but have a basket of cards from my children's childhood, occasional games of solitaire, and "War" with my grandchildren. This set of cards has a figure skater from the 1984 Olympics, so at least drawing it game me practice with unusual persepctive with the skater body.
I fell in love with the concept of recycling old, "ready for the garbage", books. Most of the ones I've used cost $1.00 and were on the cart that was ready for disposal. This gives them a completely new life and provides me with a fun watercolor journal to use for daily sketches. I recycled 7 books, previously posting a detailed set of instructions and photos on my blog,and then took a short bookbinding workshop to make my own watercolor journals including the book cover.
Here are all of my blog posts re: both recycled and non-recycled books I made:
http://www.paperandthreads.com/bookbinding/
Here are my instructions for recycling my books:
http://www.paperandthreads.com/2008/03/recycling_an_old_book_as_a_wat.php
I used my Michaelangelo Sonnet book for figure drawing practice, and then one called Painting Made Easy. Last month I made my 8th recycled book as my 3rd volume for figure drawing practice and this one is called The Illustrator.
I use a 5 hole, modified coptic stitch to stitch the signatures together and then glue the spine using paper and mull - a technique I learned in my bookbinding workshop. But there are still small gaps using 140 lb watercolor paper that I can't avoid, although they are so much smaller that I don't cover them with strips of the endpapers as I did previously.
When using book covers from old books, you have a fixed size for the pages and some waste watercolor paper. I decided to use the waste piece for the first pages of my new recycled books and used these slightly smaller pages for some 90 second figure drawing using Pose Maniacs.
I love the freedom of selecting a size for my watercolor journals when I make my own covers, but as a book lover, I also really love searching for a book with an appropriate title and/or theme and giving it a new life and prominent place on my bookshelf.