Drawings From Christie's Impressionist/Modern Auction
I found several drawings that I loved at the Christie's Auction Preview last week and was also able to photograph them. It is almost my favorite part of the previews - the room full of works on paper which are 90% drawings.
I loved this Van Gogh charcoal drawing and and just knew that I wanted to draw it.
But I have NEVER used charcoal! I hate the feeling of my charcoal pencils on paper and never even tried the sticks/vines. This posed a dilemma - but I discovered that a 6B charcoal pencil was soft enough not to make my teeth vibrate. So I took a very small piece of my watercolor paper (4" x 7", 140 lb soft press) and did a quick sketch just to see if I could quickly capture the image. I used a large graphite blending tool - probably incorrectly - for shading!
THIS DRAWING SOLD AT AUCTION ON MAY 2ND FOR $722, 500 - DOUBLE THE AUCTION ESTIMATE THAT WAS PRINTED ON THE CARD!
This is a Matisse that I'm saving for a rainy day drawing:
THIS DRAWING SOLD AT AUCTION ON MAY 2ND FOR $122,500.
Comments
Good for you for trying charcoal! I love working in it, and oddly enough don't like the feel of the pencil on the paper half as much as the sticks and the vine. if you buy sticks, don't get the kind with a coating on the outside, since you can't drag them sideways on the paper,which you often might want to do to get lost and found edges. But you appear to have done a terrific job on the drawing you show us, no need for advice there!
Posted by: Liz Adams | May 5, 2012 10:13 AM
You did a wonderful job capturing the Van Gogh. I love Matisse's sketches. I may have to try that one myself.
Posted by: teri Flemal | May 5, 2012 12:00 PM
I'm not that fond of working with scritchy charcoal either, Shirley, but I sure like your drawing! Great job...
Posted by: Cathy Johnson (Kate) | May 5, 2012 4:59 PM
It doesn't seem like you need too much advice with charcoal--your drawing looks quite good! I used to use charcoal quite a bit. I never really got around to liking vine charcoal, but I found my own happy combination of sticks and charcoal pencils that I liked to work with. I think like anything else, it's a matter of messing around and experimenting.
Posted by: jenna | May 6, 2012 8:50 AM
I like that you posted a Van Gogh drawing by the way. His paintings frequently get all the love, but I really love his drawings.
Posted by: jenna | May 6, 2012 8:52 AM
I love charcoal, but I hate the pencils too. I much prefer sticks. Sometimes I cover a piece of paper with charcoal, and draw with a kneaded eraser, my fingers, and some q-tips
Posted by: Kristi Nobers | May 6, 2012 9:31 AM
I've finished mine and am in the process of posting (drat our internet speed!). I used a 9B pencil to start with, then darkened the values with charcoal. I don't like using charcoal in the house (breathing the dust), so I finished it outside. That said, I do love working with the charcoal and would use it more often, if I could. Besides my fingers and stumps, I also use chamois to blend and lighten. The Matisse drawing will be a fun one to do, too! nancy
Posted by: nancy t. | May 6, 2012 10:05 AM
These are awesome!
Posted by: Alex Tan | May 6, 2012 1:38 PM