Paper and Threads

I love strolling on Madison Avenue, past the windows of the famous designer boutiques.  But Madison Ave also has its share of street vendors, and as I walked up on Friday, I sketched their wares and the street decoration that has already been added to the lamposts for Christmas.

When I carry my sketchbook and pencil case, I also carry this artist grade travel set of watercolors by Daler-Rowney, but half the time I draw when I'm out and then paint using my regular Winsor-Newton palette at home.  I plan to replace these paints with my palette, but never do...maybe next year.  The size and shape of this travel set is wonderful - and the mixing areas include the flat areas and 4 deep end wells.

Posted by Shirley at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I am currently taking Kate Johnson's "Keeping an Artist's Journal" on-line class, so I will probably upload daily journal pages more frequently to my blog because I need to also upload them to our class Flickr pool to share with Kate and my classmates.

Tueday:  Busy Day, so I sketched my lecturer at the New York Public Library Tuesday evening.  I did have paints with me, but felt very conspicuous the way the seats were set up.  I decided not to finish painting her as I experiment with different ways to compose my artist journal pages. 

Wednesday:  Melanie Testa and 3 other art buddies played with Melanie's method of tracing images from our journals, painting them, painting a background on WC paper in our journals, and then gluing the two layers together.  These were sea gull images from my summer vacation journal - and a link to the original journal image from my blog in June 2009.  Her method is described in an article she wrote in the May-June 2009 issue of Cloth Paper Scissors.

Thursday: Two leaves I picked up from the sidewalk when walking home from nursery school with 4 of our grandchildren.  They were sketched and painted when I came home from babysitting last night.  I have no idea what kind of trees they are, but every autumn I find a few of these gorgeous patterned leaves on New York sidewalks!

Posted by Shirley at 9:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Last night was my 3rd figure drawing session at the Society of Illustrators in New York City and I came home with 19 sketches, even though I really didn't like one of the two models.  This was a new experience and I had to convince myself that I didn't need to like the model or their poses - it was all an opportunity to practice drawing.

The standard format is 10 two minute poses, 4 five minute poses, 2 ten minute poses, and 3 twenty minute poses, with breaks, over 3 hours.  I'm posting one from each group.

This is the other model - small, really skinny, shaved head except for a circle of bright yellow short hair in a circle on the top of her head.  However, it was the contorted positions that she took which I didn't like, except this one.

I loved the setting, really enjoyed the live piano and double bass music throughout the evening, and appreciated the glass of red wine while sketching.

Posted by Shirley at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I signed up for Kate Johnson's Visual Journaling Class and I'm trying to focus my sketches on my daily activities for several weeks.

I sketched and painted a detail from a beautiful stained class window at the Museum of the City of New York during a visit there this week.   

The following day we took care of our newest grandchild and I sketched his "lovey" - a British Jellycat animal called Scrumpty Elly.  My daughter-in-law takes his picture with this animal every month to see Zach's growth.  I sketched him with my non-permanent Varsity pen and then just wet the elephant to create the color.

I made two new codex watercolor journals this week, and while I had my bookbinding equipment out, I made two watercolor pamphlet style journals with waste watercolor paper from a few recent recycled books.  One of them is a gift for a friend, the other may be the perfect watercolor booklet for my grand daughter.

Today we took our oldest grandchild to the New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert and I had approximately 10 minutes before the lights went down to quickly sketch the stage.  Henry and I talked about the colors so I could remember them until I got home.

Posted by Shirley at 9:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I went to my second figure drawing session last evening at the New York Society of Illustrators with my friend Istar.  On Tuesday evenings the models are nude, on Thursday evenings the models may wear parts of costumes.  I wanted to experience both - and liked both evenings equally well.  The setting is wonderful and there is live music during the entire 3 hours.  I came home with 9 two minute, 4 five minute, 2 ten minute, and 3 twenty minute sketches.  I'm just going to post examples of each.

The models posed with multiple hula hoops - the male model in yellow harem pants and the female model in a red bra and black leggings.  The addition of the hoops made the 2 minute sketches more difficult, but fun.

Two models and a hula hoop even made 5 minute sketches a challenge.

I wanted to remember the costumes in this 10 minute sketch and colored parts with watercolor pencils - but the paper didn't take water well and buckled slightly.  For this pose, he put on a black hat and soft ball necklace and she put on an umbrella hat.  And she really did have dyed shocking pink hair!

A ten minute pose, with one sitting and one standing - and in different costumes:

Both disrobed, but the male model wore his black hat and brown boots for the final 20 minute sketch.  I continue to have trouble fitting everything on the page when I'm working quickly (just one more thing to work on in 2010!), so you can't see his boots.

Posted by Shirley at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)