Paper and Threads

Between my Figure Drawing Class at FIT and our summer Figure Drawing in Battery Park City, I sketched 32 figures this past week.  And my friend Pat and I spent one morning gallery hopping in Chelsea, and a full day yesterday between the previews for the Contemporary Asian Art Auction at Christies and the preview of the Interglobal Woven exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I feel so enriched by all of it and wish that I could have my favorite moments going through my head in a slideshow for the next week.

These are my two 20 minute poses - done on 18 X 24" paper, at an easel, at FIT. 

The remainder of the drawings were from Battery Park City - where it was 96 degrees in the shade and a heat index of 103 degrees.  Did I capture the pouty, whining look of our model?  She just wanted to sit, and therefore I had more opportunities for these poses than ever before.

Multiple images were drawn on a large sheet of paper with a Derwent Medium Wash pencil and then "painted" with clear water.  These were all photographed - with difficulty!

1 Minute Poses:  I am most pleased with these.  When I first started drawing figures, I could barely get one line drawn in 60 seconds.

2 Minute Poses

5 Minute Poses

Two 10 and two 20 Minute Poses 

My Bookbinding Structure for September is suffering while I concentrate on figures - but it is Flexagons.  I had never heard of these books, and now that I'm reading about their history, I'm getting more excited.  I made a Square Flexagon and still have 3 more types to make: a Tetra tetra flexagon, a cross flexagon, and a hexa hexa flexagon.  Don't they sound interesting??

Posted by Shirley at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The weather was perfect on Wednesday and Judy, Pat, and I all went to figure drawing!  Here are a few 5 and 10 minute sketches, and one 20 minute sketch, using a General Sketch and Wash pencil.

Three 5 Minute Sketches

Two 10 minute poses left - and one 5 minute pose right:

Twenty Minute Pose:

Posted by Shirley at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I watched the Videos in Stephen Cephalo's Strathmore Workshop and then tried his techniques using 9B graphite and white charcoal on toned gray paper.  I used a photo reference for this very experimental drawing.

I am taking my very first art class since 10th grade in High School - and was very nervous about it.  Did I really want to "study" art in a classroom as opposed to learning on my own?  Did I want to have a 3 hour class every week from Aug through Dec?  Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) has a senior scholar program, and unfilled classes can be audited for a nominal fee.  I finally decided to take Figure Drawing I and last Monday was my first class.  I used an easel for the very first time and sketched the model on 12 X 18 " paper - both totally out of my comfort zone.  But I think I'm going to enjoy it.

Here are two 20 minute drawings. Next week 18 X 24" paper - YIKES!

Thanks Vicki for suggestions on how I could get the background photograph blue tinge changed to white using Photoshop.

Posted by Shirley at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

I really liked one of the models last week at the Society of Illustrators.  Between poses I told her that I loved her hair and she laughed.  She said that an artist at one of her previous gigs was horrified by it, and finally said that she was just going to pretend she had no hair!  I'm just posting 5 out of 18 drawings that I did.

Two Minute Pose

Five Minute Pose

 Two Ten Minute Poses

Twenty Minute Pose:  This is the third time that I used a paintbrush and watercolor to draw a figure - and at least I'm no longer scared.  Practice, Practice, Practice!

Posted by Shirley at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Battery Park Conservancy sponsors a free figure drawing session each week May through September.  They provide the supplies and the model and we all gather in the park next to the South Cove (weather permitting).

I really liked the model last Wednesday, and sketched multiple figures on each sheet of paper.  Some of them were sketched with General's Sketch and Wash pencil and then brushed with my Niji waterbrush.

Here are 10 One Minute Drawings:  I don't even breath during these!!

These are 4 of the Two minute poses.  The other one is on the right side of the next page:

There are 4 five minute sketches on the left and the remaining two minute sketch on the right:

We had 2 ten minute poses:

I am trying to "draw" figures with my paintbrush and watercolor paint.  I posted several drawn this way in the past - but they were from photos.  This is my second watercolor drawing from a live model.  PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!

My big sheets of paper needed to be photographed, not scanned.  I try to get rid of the blue tinged background in Photoshop using the threshold settings, but can't get back to white!  Any suggestions? 

Posted by Shirley at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)