Paper and Threads

I looked through my sketchbooks and decided that I had several drawings of my grand daughter Sydney that I would like to combine on a double page spread.  I scanned and printed 3 images -two from her life in London as a 2 year old.  The drawing on the top left was Sydney and her brother Henry (age 3) in Hyde Park when she insisted that he hold her hand.  Right below it is a similar painting from Central Park, NYC from this year.  On the far right is Sydney wearing a "dress-up" hat at the Victoria and Albert's Children's Museum in London.  As you can tell, I'm most comfortable drawing my grandchildren from the back.

The monkey drawing was done right on this page, to celebrate her "lovey" who still goes places with her.  You can probably see him in the drawing of her in Hyde Park as well.  And the drawing of Sydney was also done right on this page - from a drawing I did in May as a Bert Dodson Exercise on drawing foreshortened heads. 

This page has lots of layers, including collaged text papers under my cut-out drawings, paint, gesso, stamps, waterproof ink calligraphy ink, Pitt pens, and more paint.

Posted by Shirley at 6:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

My art buddies brought their sketchbooks to the Met when we went to see the Picasso exhibit and I told them how much I loved their mixed media pages.  Melly said - try it, put more than one thing on a page.  Pat said add layers, many layers.  I had an 8 X 10" journal that I made from Teesha Moore's 16 Page Journal You Tube video several weeks ago so I decided to use it and to accept their challenges.  However, I wanted to make collages from my own sketchbook pages and add at least one new drawing to each page.  

I pulled out all of my random art supplies and played for one week - just letting the pages evolve from printed sketchbook pages.  Here is the front cover, and the first 2 pages.  The collage painting on the cover was from the Poiret Fashion Exhibit at the Met and she reminded me of a muse.  The Picasso page has several of his Barcelona artist caricatures collaged in one of the layers and a Picasso inspired drawing on top.  My Maternite page has several of my pregnant model stamp images which I cut out and added as collages and the drawing of mother and child on top.  Both drawings were done with acrylic ink and a dip pen.

 The next page is a double spread and will need to be photographed, not scanned, so I will probably add it within the next few days.

Posted by Shirley at 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

I spent the day yesterday, with my art buddies Pat and Benedicte, at the Central Park Zoo.  It was a beautiful, but hot day, and every school class in the City was there for a field trip!  I love sketching at the zoo - it is a real test of how fast you can achieve an image of some type.  I sketch in pencil and then take a photo so I know how to paint the animal when I get home.  These are the first 4 pages (out of 6) that I painted.

Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins

King Penguin - These are new penguins in the exhibit and they are bigger than the others.

Three Scarlet Ibis:

Tortoise and Hornbill

Posted by Shirley at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Our Journal Study Group is going to the Central Park Zoo to sketch on Wednesday, so I decided to play with my Neocolors II crayons and previous drawings of the Zoo penguins to get ready!  They have Gentoo and Chinstrap varieites which are drawn here.  I had to use white and black acrylic paint, not my usual transparent watercolors, to paint these little guys over the crayon.  We'll miss you Melly and Susan.

Posted by Shirley at 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

 Only one more day in May to post a daily sketchbook page! 

Yesterday my husband and I went to the Museum of Modern Art early to see the current Henri Cartier Bresson photography show and the Picasso print exhibit.  This is the 3rd HCB exhibit I've seen and it was by far the largest - and included photos from many of his photojournalist articles in major publications.  I really like his photographs, probably because they are such quick snapshots in the lives of people around the world.

The Picasso exhibit has a few of the same prints that are in the big Picasso exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art - but I never get tired of seeing his drawings, prints, and linocuts.  I remain fascinated with his ability to capture so much in so few lines and sketched his drawing of Francoise Gilot - I think hoping that I will achieve his skill through repitition!  I still have to draw quickly in pencil before using the dreaded Pentel Pocket Brush Pen.  My added color is from a Neocolor II crayon.

Posted by Shirley at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)