365 Days of Drawing Challenge - 358 to go...

Boldini and Sargent were neck and neck in terms of talent and what they able to do with a ordinary mortal's neck.

They painted the longest most asssured graceful necks ever.

I had this in mind for yesterday's drawing in my 365 Days of Drawing Challenge.

I found an old photo I rather liked. She had an elegant swan-like neck in the photo but I ended up with more of a duck's. I was thinking of Boldini's elongated almost impossilbly distorted 'fashion designer drawing" necks, see photo here. How did he get away with those? Or Sargent's ever so simplified and ever so assured ones. He knew exactly what to leave out.

I sat in The Met one evening last year just looking at a Sargent neck for ages after my mentor, the esteemable Everett Raymond Kinstler, N.A., had suggested the study of necks that day in his workshop at The National Academy of Design which is very conveniently right by The Met. I saw what he meant and have had the deepest respect for a Sargent neck, and a Kinstler neck, ever since.

So I bring my neck home last night from the studio, the drawn one at least, and my husband says "It's too long". He never usually says anything so I need to listen.

Hence more time trying to make it look right at breakneck speed so I could eat dinner.

I will never be a Sargent, Kinstler or Boldini but I can get better at drawing necks. TSimplifying their complicated anatomy and pushing the elegant gesture of it more.

Turn an ugly duckling into a swan.

I didn't manage it on this one.

Anyone out there into a bit of necking in the future? Of the drawing kind...of course.

SOLD

365 Days of Drawing Challenge - 359 to go...

I AGREE with John Singer Sargent, the greatest portraitist of them all. There is often "something wrong about the mouth" in portraits, including mine. But never on a commission, ha ha!

I was reminded of this Wednesday as I was painting my head study from life, posted here. My mouth needed to be better. Softer, more lucious. Less hard-lined overall but the perfect little hard lines in the right places.

Pucker up old gal, I said to myself. Put your drawing money where your mouth is.

With that in mind, I decided last night just to draw a mouth.

Ok...truth be told I was ridiculously short on time getting my daughter ready for her epic five month trip to South Africa, leaving tomorrow. She was also cooking an elaborate organic dinner for us. Decisions had to be made. I had to chew things over.

I mouthed off a bit about my challenge to my family over dinner and then they pushed me to my drawing board and insisted I get cracking.

This mouth took me exactly 34 minutes from 8.02 pm to 8.36 pm.

The head study two and a half hours with breaks.

Today I am planning on a longer drawing and also taking pictures of my daughter- to draw her while she is far away.

SOLD

365 Days of Drawing Challenge - 360 to go...

Well, I did it! Another day. Another drawing despite a busy painting day with lots of driving around the LA freeways. Somehow I squeezed in a drawing.

And I am not cheating!

I painted in the evening another favorite sitter of my who I would paint every day if I could, the divine Heather, of "Heather's Braids", the painting that won me an Oil Painters' of America national award, so that sure helped make the day sweet.

I really did feel I was on my game with the drawing part of my evening painted head sketch. There were lots of distractions at the Open House. You know that ONE person who keeps moving around the room trying to find a PERFECT spot to paint bumping into everyone and everything??? Five times over! (There is not a perfect spot). I was finding it hard to get into the zone but my drawing confidence after just five days of doing this challenge really helped. I found myself able to rely on it.

I can only imagine if I am able to keep it up what it will be like in 360 days. Pretty excited about the idea actually. Not sure where I am going to put all these drawings though as they are quite large, on separate sheets of drawing paper, not in sketch book form.

I think I will always have to practice my drawing. Painting comes so much easier to me. But drawing IS the root of all art evil. You can't pretty up a bad painting that is "out of drawing" no matter how hard you try.

And I have tried.

365 Days of Drawing Challenge - 361 to go...

The hunt is now on early evening in my home, not for the perfect glass of something nicely chilled, but to find an image I WANT to draw. That will get the juices flowing. Last night I spent almost as much time finding what I wanted to draw as actually drawing. I was really tired after a day at the studio and didn't feel like drawing at all.

The search was a good idea. The drawing came fast and easy unlike the night before. Not that I didn't want to draw Keri the night before, because I did- and do.

Previous nights I would cook a nice dinner, enjoy maybe a glass of wine, that has gone out of the window for this challenge so far. It is taking time but I am enjoying the discipline. I also have a renewed respect for Julie Powell (Julie and Julia movie) who cooked all those complicated french recipes after a day at the office. She gave me the idea to do this.

This next drawing is of a young lady I met at Cafe Noir in France during my recent painting trip there. She didn't speak a word of English but was incredibly gracious when I got my big old camera out. I must have shot 50 frames of her. Smoking a cigarette, eating a baguette. I wouldn't let ANYONE photo me that way. I surprised she didn't slap me. TantePis!

She was also incredibly natural in front of the camera which is kind of rare.

Today will be a REAL challenge to get the drawing in. I am painting at the new studio during the day. I want to get an hour of post-holiday exercise in (long overdue) before driving one and a half hours in rush hour traffic to paint at the Open House this evening at The Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art to push my teaching class next week, and then 60 minutes home late. And I want to paint NOT draw at the Open House in prep. for my public painting demo on Sunday.

Will I pull it off? Will I hit a stumbling block? Wait and see.

Please post!

365 Days of Drawing...Jan. 4th

Walking in molasses- that was what this one was like. Took me way too long. And in the end I abandoned the hood of the cape. I just had to do something else. Watch a TV episode of Law and Order, The Biggest Loser, eat cookies, or...

Why is it that sometimes things flow with art and sometimes they just don't? Yesterday's drawing felt like I had just begun drawing even though I had painted much of the day. I was glad no-one was watching. My block-in was good, but my work-up was slow and my features went South. Way South. Looked like a five-year old was in the room trying a Halloween portrait for the first time.

When I draw, I always want to be able to look at it later and say, "I like that!". This could be a problem for me on this challenge because a quick 30 minute sketch when I am not 'on' with my drawing, even when I am on, may leave me very dissatisfied. I like a certain degree of finish. And then the thought of posting it publicly. Well, that adds a certain pressure. But that is the point of this too.

I think drawing is a "feeling" thing. You have to really "feel" what you are doing and respond to it for the flow to happen, much like painting. All the best draughtsmen/women I admire have that.

I also think even on a bad day drawing or painting is worth doing. Let's hope that feeling continues.

This head sketch is of a new favorite sitter of mine, Keri. I have painted her from life before and am doing a painting of her right now. She is also sitting for me at my public portrait demo this Sunday for The Santa Paula Art Group in California. And yes, she will be wearing this wretched red cape.

She doesn't have the easiest face to draw or paint I have decided. No cookie cutter features. But this is what makes her beautiful and appealing to me. Piercing eyes. Lovely lips. Heavy french bangs. She is also very intelligent with a certain spark.

I sure hope the painting demo goes a lot easier Sunday than the drawing of her last night. One and a half hours to paint her head, flying by the seat of your pants and talking all the time. Hmm...we shall see.

I hoping my week of drawing will have really sharpened my skills. Think POSITVE.

Tomorrow is Open House where I teach at The Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, a free painting session if you are around. Class starts next week on Wednesday. I may draw instead of painting.

I know there is an artist reading this in Paris. Bonjour! I love the fact people are reading this from so far away. It makes me want to keep on...

Thank you for all the great emails. Please post too!

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365 Days of Drawing...Jan. 3rd

My daily drawing challenge for the year continues. Here is yesterday's effort. Drawing number two done Jan. 3rd. I started this project January 2nd.

This drawing, life size, is of a model who sat for me in my teaching class. When I have time, I take photos of the pose/sitter for a later rainy day to paint or in this case draw. How convenient now to have them to draw from for this challenge.

I am getting into a routine which is important. Probably drawing at night as I usually paint during the day, and post early in the morning.

For those of you who have emailed me or posted 'techie' questions, my technique is as follows: a mixed media drawing approach that I have grown to like and develop after first seeing the beginnings of it on the streets of Barcelona. The portrait painters there, all the street artists in fact, were humbling.

I use a quite large filbert brush, dipping lightly into black oil paint, building up my form slowing on regular thick drawing paper that can take a bit of bashing. I like the rough side of the paper some days, smooth others.

Then I use a black charcoal pencil toward the end to put some really crisp lines in. Under the nose, chin...that old Yin and Yang thing. Soft versus hard.

I will also use a white charcoal pencil for highlights, along with gouache either on its' own, or mixed with a high pigment watercolor.

For some reason, I am really enjoying the effect. My other favorite drawing way is a blue Bic pen and white chalk.

Let me know what you think. Please post. I love emails too.

365 Days of Drawing...

January 2nd, 2010...

I got this idea following on from my previous blog entry, and the great response I got from the drawing I posted, long distance phone calls even, that I should follow through on my New Year's resolution to draw more. I say this every year.

I also just saw the wonderful movie "Julie and Julia" about a young female chef-fan of Julia Childs, Julie Powell, who, looking to spice up her fairly ho-hum life, committed to 365 days of re-creating a recipe, one each day, from Child's famous bible cookbook about The Art of French Cooking.

It got me thinking yesterday, the first day of the year when I was feeling really lazy after a late night party and the inevitable New Year 'toasting-in' champagne. I didn't draw. I broke my resolution on the very first day. I did eat cake though.

What would happen I pondered in severe couch potato mode, what would I learn if I committed to a year of drawing EACH day, using the same medium, no matter what just like the girl in the movie did with her cooking? She cooked after a long day at work come hell or high boiling point water.

So I have decided to set myself a challenge. I will draw, no matter what. Even if I have to get up with the birds. And post it each day. The good, the bad and the ugly. And there will be ugly, especially if I try birds! For 365 days starting today. Even if I have painted all day (drawing and painting are separate disciplines to my mind that hugely compliment each other), even if I have taught a long class, even if I have...

I don't think it is going to be easy.

Here is my first drawing done this afternoon of a favorite model of mine, Holly Rose. I have set my self no rules apart from it has to be at least 30 minutes a day, no less, whether it be an apple or airport sketch. It can be a copy of a Master, it can be from life or it can be from a photo. So long as I draw. If I get serious flu, I will just sketch the Kleenex.

Want to do it with me?