Paper and Threads

 I'm still not brave enough to "draw" a figure with my paintbrush.  Oh well!  This can be one of my goals for 2012.

Here are 6 drawings from the 18 I did last evening.  I don't like the specific male model who posed last night, so all of my drawings were done of the woman model. 

Two minute pose:  9B graphite

Five minute pose: 9B graphite

Two 10 minute poses: 9B graphite

Two 20 minute poses:  Albrecht Durer watercolor pencils and a blue watercolor wash

Posted by Shirley at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

My husband and I went to an open rehearsal of the NY Philharmonic to hear Mahler's 10th Symphony - and I sketched the lady who was in front of me on line (reading her NY Times which was hung over the glass partition) and the cellist who was warming up on stage.  Lovely concert which is scheduled for more performances tonight and tomorrow night. 

Posted by Shirley at 6:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

There are two parts of my deliberate practice program - architecture and figure drawing.  I posted Big Ben last week after I painted it without any pre-drawing.  Today I am posting my first figure drawn directly with my brush and watercolor. I used a photo in the book The Nude Figure by Mark Edward Smith.

Will I be brave enough to draw with my paintbrush when I'm sketching live models?

Posted by Shirley at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

We are relaxing a little after our Thanksgiving cooking marathon - this year for 22 adults and 5 children (ages 2-8).  We cooked at our apartment on Tuesday, and then transported the food across Central Park to our daughter's.  We cooked at her apt. on Wednesday and Thursday - and then had a fabulous mix of family and friends for approximately 6-7 hours.  I struggle to complete journal/sketchbook pages during these days, but did two that were Holiday-related.

A Turkey - from a photo.

My champagne glass, bottle, and cookbook - from the event.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday.  My husband and I are always happy to host the event, but equally happy to rest up when it is over!

Posted by Shirley at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I am envious of artists who "sketch" models at Figure Drawing" with their paintbrush and watercolor, AND I need to develop a simpler, looser style for capturing a scene, especially when on vacation.

These are my goals for the next months-year.  Can I do it?

I decided to paint Big Ben in London for the 7th time - as a first step.  In the past I have sketched/ painted/collaged Big Ben from my photographs as I explored other techniques, so it wasn't as frightening.  This was done quickly, so I could hopefully simplify the image.

Posted by Shirley at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)