Paper and Threads

My week was very unusual.  I spent a total of 8 hours in 3 figure drawing sessions - my FIT class, and the Battery Park afternoon session and an evening at the Society of Illustrators with my friend Pat and Jana Bouc, who was visiting from San Francisco.  In total I sketched 45 figures!

FIT Class Week 4:  We began shading our figures and here are my 2 twenty minute poses:

These are 1, 2, and 5 minute poses of our male model in Battery Park: I sketched with a soluble graphite pencil and "painted" the clothing with water

Finally, these are the two minute poses of our two models at Society of Illustrators.  One of the models had very red, very long, very curly hair and I then did a 10 and 20 minute sketch of her:

Posted by Shirley at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I started a sketchbook for my grand daughter Annabelle when she was born.  Since she lives in DC, I printed out my prior sketches from around her neighborhood and collaged them on the first 2 pages.  Since then I fill a sketchbook page for every day that we visit her - and now her little brother William.  Some previous blog posts from this sketchbook can be seen here. 

The sketchbook is a Cachet Linen Watercolor Sketchbook and because I could use both sides of every page, I completed 50 pages. 

We visited Annabelle and William last weekend.  She is now 5 and loves to draw and paint, so we spent lots of time together at the dining room table.  I collected leaves and maple seed pods on our walk home from her school and we painted them in the evening. 

Annabelle is an official Nationals Junior Fan and has seen more baseball games in her short life than I saw in in my whole lifetime. She wanted me to add their mascot to the sketchbook, so that became the next page.

Annabelle told me that Henry, another kindergarten student, is her boyfriend and she wanted to build a castle for them to live in when they are married.  The problem, the castle is going to be built in her cellar.  We also talked about her dance classes.  So I had to combine her castle, a crown, and her ballet shoe on the final page.

Posted by Shirley at 7:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pat, Benedicte, and I visited two 57th St Galleries before our Figure Drawing session in Battery Park City. 

Pace Gallery:  There is a Dubuffet show of 52 of his drawings from 1975 to 1985 - and most of them are wonderful black and white doodles.  I sketched figures from two different drawings, a tree from a third - and then the red car from another.  The exhibit ends on October 26th.

Marlborough Gallery has over 80 Matisse Prints which were done between 1900 and 1950.  There were simple line figure drawings and more detailed prints of women in his classic clothes and settings.  I love the simplicity of his classic figure drawings and always hope that by drawing them, I am incorporating some of his skills into my drawings.  Wishful thinking!

We were in DC for a few days visiting our family and while everyone was at work or school, my husband and I spent several hours at the National Gallery of Art East Wing.  There was a small, but terrific Alexander Calder exhibit - with mobiles, wire sculptures, and 6 animobiles.  I sketched a bull - and then the wire cow.  The cow is only about 12 inches long and 6-8 inches high - perfect size for an apartment!  More wishful thinking!

Posted by Shirley at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I saw this book structure in several of Alisa Golden's bookbinding books and decided that I would learn how to make them as my September Challenge.  The first one was made by Arthur Stone, a Princeton Math Graduate student and through the years math geniuses added to these geometric book types.  See a brief history here.

I started with a simple Square Flexagon and had a little confusion about how to "open" the pages.  I made it from an 81/2" square and when folded it opens into 4 four inch pages.   

If I close my pages, and rotate the square clockwise, the next page continues my story.  Just to test it, I made a little book on using primary colors to make secondary colors.  Here are the 4 pages that open from my 4" square.  I'm going to take it to my grandchildren this weekend and play some more!

My instructions from Alisa Golden made a flexagon with 4 Pages - or sides. Here is a video I found that is the same square flexagon with 6 Pages - or sides. 

Here are two YouTube videos about Trihexa and Hexahexa Flexagons.  These are the toys of mathematicians!  I plan to try 3 more flexagon structures and will add more information when I do.  The challenge, however, is developing these books as artists' books by adding words and drawings.

Posted by Shirley at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last Week Pat and I spent 2 full days out and about.  On Friday we went to Christies to see the previews for the South Asian Modern + Contemporary Art in the morning and the preview for the huge Interwoven Globe   exhibit at the Met in the afternoon.  Lunch in Rockefeller Center was a wonderful break between these two events and I sketched a few of the flags while we were eating and resting.

On Sunday I went to the New York Public Library to return a book, and couldn't resist standing in the sun and sketching one of the Lions that welcome visitors to the Main Library on both sides of the stairs. 

I was returning a book to the Mid-Manhattan branch (a circulating branch across from the big Research Library) and I found two terrific books in the drawing section.  I brought home one to read and will borrow the other one on my next visit.

The first is:  More Than Words:  Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art.  Liza Kirwin, 2005.

The second is: Queen Victoria's Sketchbook by Marina Warner.  I looked through the entire book and was surprised to learn that she kept a sketchbook during her entire life.  Many drawings are in pen and ink, others also were painted with watercolor.  She sketched people in her life, opera characters, ballet costumes, and occasional places. When I have time, I'd love to read it.

Posted by Shirley at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)