Paper and Threads

This week in our figure drawing class we used toned paper and black and white media- my pencils were Conte.  We had two models and two poses, each about 40 minutes to draw the two models together.  This was one of my goals, so I'm glad we did it, and I think I learned about how to add dark and light tones - with the paper representing the mid-value.  I actually made myself a sketchbook of toned paper last year and had picked out various types of black and white pencils, and tested them all in preparation for my project.  Then I fractured my wrist and that was a project I deferred.

It was Halloween and the older male model had on devil horns and the younger one had his real Mohawk hair gelled into position.  

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I'm slowly finishing more of the sketchbook pages in my London Sketchbook   All of the pages were drawn quickly in pencil, then inked with a Sakura Pigma Micron pen.  I was then able to paint them later, using a photograph taken when I was drawing if I needed more information.  Occasionally I can find a place to sit, draw, and paint at one time. 

Oxford Day:  We took the train from London for a visit to University Oxford and visited Blackwell's AMAZING Book Shop when we arrived, to avoid the rain and winds.  But the sun peaked through the clouds just as our University tour began and we finally saw the gorgeous campus and learned more about the history of their 38 colleges.

Evensong at Westminster Abbey with the Westminster Choir:  It is a beautiful way to see the Abbey during a wonderful choral program.  This was a small area of the choir that I could see from our seats. 

St.Martins of the Fields Church:  It was a beautiful London Day and fun to sketch the spire from Trafalgar Square after a walk over from Westminster Abbey.  It brought back memories of Christmas Carols in front of the Church on Christmas Eve with our family many years ago.

Elgin Marble at the British Museum:  This horse sculpture is wonderful, and I just realized that I already painted it in 2006!  I am frequently attracted to the same subjects again....

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I love to draw, and I frequently copy the Masters in order to improve my ability to "see."  My FIT Professor sent an email attachment of Raphael's painting of Magdalena for us to draw in on graphite, charcoal or Conte as homework.  I was at the Met Delacroix painting exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art again yesterday and sketched another watercolor from his Morocco series.  Here are both of my drawings.  I will add a little watercolor to the Delacroix drawing, but in the museum can only work in pencil.

Raphael: Portrait of Magdalena Strozzi Doni (oil on panel circa 1506)  Drawn by me with Wolff's Carbon Pencil.

Delacroix:  Portrait of Schmareck, Tanner at Tangier (Watercolor with red and black chalk on paper 1832).  Drawn by me with graphite. 

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Saturday at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the Urban Sketchers:  It was the perfect day to sketch indoors in New York City and we started the morning in the American Wing, even though it was partially closed in preparation of a later event.  I sketched two of the sculptures. 

I also went to see the exhibit "Art of the Native Americans" and sketched a few masks that were made in Alaska between 1870 and 1900.

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My husband and I just returned from our 10 day London vacation.  We rented a lovely one bedroom flat in South Kensington and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.  I sketched at least one page per day, sometimes two.  But I just concentrated on our activities for the day and sketched on site, took a photo, and painted later. 

After we landed at Heathrow we were able to take the Piccadilly Underground to Gloucester St. Station, and then waited at Starbucks for the owner to email us when she arrived.    

The National Gallery has the Courtauld Impressionist Paintings on exhibit while the Courtauld is being renovated.   It was wonderful wandering around Trafalgar Square area, and seeing the exhibit, before taking a long walk all the way back past Harrods to our flat. Cezanne did 5 card player paintings, one with 5, one with 4, and three with 2 players.  I painted the Met's Cezanne painting of the 4 Card Players several times, and then painted some of the individual players from Cezanne's preparatory paintings.  And here is another one from the Courtauld.

After lunch in Shoreditch we returned to Sloan Square by Underground and walked the whole area in Chelsea where our daughter and her family lived a decade ago.  At the end of the afternoon we stopped on Fulham Road for a glass of wine across from the gym where our family went and our little grandchildren took swimming lessons.  

We had never been to Shoreditch, but wanted to try a new restaurant that was described in the New York Times.  The area had lots of graffitti and murals painted on walls.  This Rooster was painted directly across the street from the restaurant.  Fun adventure and lunch at BRAT was delicious. 

We spent one day in Oxford, one hour by train out of London.  We made all the arrangements for the train and a University Tour weeks ago, and it was the worst weather we had in 10 days.  However, Blackwells Book Shop, which began in Oxford, was a wonderful place to stop, browse, and have coffee and lunch in Caffe Nero in the bookstore.  The sun came out just as our tour was beginning, and the rain began again almost as soon as we stopped for dinner before our train ride back to London. 

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