Paper and Threads

Our Wednesday weather was unpredictable this month, and I'm now in a Life Drawing Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) Fall semester class.  Therefore my last "Flowers and Figures" pages from Wagner Park and South Cove in Battery Park City were in August. 

Figure Al Fresco - Brianna was a fantastic model - beautiful and imaginative.  These are my 5 and 10 minute poses.  Next I'll be drawing and posting drawings of nude models again.  It is months since I sketched nudes - and then I did it with my right hand holding ice on my left wrist which was drawing the model - all before I learned my dominant hand wrist was fractured!

The sketches  were done with a soluble graphite pencil (General's Sketch and Wash) and the gray tones obtained by brushing water over the figures with a "waterbrush" and clear water. 

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My favorite flowers of the season are the Dinner Plate Hibiscus at Battery Park City Wagner Gardens.  I hadn't been to the Art Programs for several weeks because of the weather, and was thrilled that they were still blooming everywhere at my next visit. 

After drawing the flowers, I walked to South Cove for Figure al Fresco - our outdoor figure drawing session is close to NY Harbor and the Hudson River as it reaches the Harbor.  Our model was Regina, an old favorite of mine because I've been drawing her, at several different venues, since 2012.

2 Minute Poses:  I'm still playing with the line of action method - drawing quick lines to establish the pose, and then "fleshing out the body."  I think this helps me with the short poses, and the complicated positions.  Drawings were done with a General Sketch and Wash pencil and then spread with clear water and a waterbrush.

5 Minute Poses:

10 Minute Pose:   

Posted by Shirley at 6:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has a Delacroix Drawing Exhibit this summer.  He is one of my favorite draftsmen and this exhibit was wonderful.  These are two patrons at the exhibit.

I took many photos so I could do a few ink drawings at home.  Here is one head, from a big sheet of head drawings.  I used a dip pen and walnut ink.

This was one of my favorite drawings because I love his drawings with a loose style.  It isn't one that I would attempt to copy as drawing practice.

The Morgan Library and Museum has a Wayne Thiebaud exhibit this summer.  I regularly see his oil paintings at auction previews, but never previously saw his drawings.  I did several sketches from his graphite drawings and then painted them at home.  I'm also including photos of several of his works on paper that were a surprise to me.

Thiebaud's watercolor of his famous candy apples theme.

Thiebauds beautiful graphite drawing of an Ice Cream Cone

Posted by Shirley at 6:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Figure Drawings from "After Breakfast:"  These are my 10 minute line of action figure drawings that are done on scraps of used copy paper while sitting at the kitchen counter as soon as I finish breakfast.  I began to do these when my dominant hand wrist was broken, and still enjoy the challenge.  These were drawn from photos from a second hand book entitled:  The Human Form is Action and Repose by Phil Brodatz amd Dori Watson (1966).  

After I cut out the figures from my 4.25 X 5.5" pieces of scrap copy paper, and lined them up on a sketchbook page, they reminded me of a photo from our family archives. This photo was taken from my college newspaper of the modern dance group, as we practiced for a performance.  I'm the dancer kneeling in front.

Dance is a big part of my life:  Tap from age 4-14, Modern in high school and college, and Classic Ballet classes beginning at age 32!  I still go to a weekly ballet barre class here in NYC (at Steps) to maintain discipline and flexibility. 

I'm not sure if the used book listed above is still available, but these are nude photos of a man, and a woman, in MANY separate photos.   

Posted by Shirley at 6:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We are having almost daily rain and threats of thunderstorms this summer, and I didn't go to the Wednesday Adult Art Programs in Battery Park City for several weeks.  These were the newest blooming flowers in Wagner Park.

Figure al Fresco is also held in Battery Park City on Wednesday - in South Cove.  Our model was Sophie and I enjoy drawing her.  I do rapid sketches with a General Sketch and Wash pencil, and then use water in a waterbrush to add the gray tones.

5 min poses

10 min

Almost 15 min

Posted by Shirley at 6:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)