I Raise My Hat...365 Days of Drawing...

Gauzy mesh sun hats, in a teaching situation, can lead a teacher to drink! Tricky shadows, tricky fabric. Teaching required...well...derr...

My class demo at The California Art Institute yesterday and my drawing for the day. There was plenty of drawing going on yesterday! And some good work in the room.

I will not be posting for a few days due to travel but I will be drawing each day.

"Mesh Hat"

9" x 12"

Oil

Day's End...365 Days of Drawing.

Took Black Hat Guy to the finish line with about an hour and a half of paint on top of yesterday's charcoal drawing. Busy day in the studio before that trying to finish up a commission. Migraine the size of Miami by day's end but I met the drawing challenge with this little composition sketch for a painting...just!

"Day's End" (Black Hat)

8" x 10"

Oil on Linen

Black Hat Day...365 Days of Drawing...

It is a black hat day for the drawing challenge which is seeming VERY long at this point.

This is charcoal on linen and I plan to paint it.

In The Pink...365 Days of Drawing

Today's drawing for the daily challenge is of a little girl with a coronet in her hair. I was inspired by the ballet I went to yesterday, Sleeping Beauty...there were so many cute little girls in the audience...pretty in pink. It reminded me of when my kids were small.

Ahhhhh....I love tutus! Great show by the Ventura County Ballet Company.

I will put paint on this charcoal sketch now..

Rush...rush..365 Days of Drawing.

Note to self: 45 minutes is not long enough to do a portrait painting demo in front of 140 sets of eyes.

But I had a good time anyway. Last night's portrait demo for The Downtown Center For The Arts dinner fundraiser in Oxnard, CA.

Thanks to artist Shelley Smart for the pix!

This is my drawing for the day (and then some...)

My sitter is Mr. Armando Lopez, President of The Downtown Center For The Arts.

Gives us a Kitsch...365 Days of Drawing

This little china kitsch vase given to me 24 years ago in the hospital when my first daughter was born and it made the perfect little tiny teaching demo for a class of teens on a Friday night. Teens love fun stuff.

Unfortunately, the drawing was not photo'd for the challenge as I was busy teaching those teens. But you get the picture. So get off my back and give me a kitsch, now!

A Moment's Grace...365 Days of Drawing

A Moment's Grace...we all need those...

A drawing challenge certainly does. Today's effort, turned into paint.

"A Moment's Grace"

8 x 10"

Oil On Linen

Stunt time...

Prep time...I will be doing a painting stunt, a.k.a. portrait painting demo, Saturday evening at a dinner for The Downtown Center for The Arts, Oxnard, CA. I have only 45 minutes and no safety net.

Mr. Armando Lopez, the lovely gentleman who will be sitting for me, who heads DCTA, will be fun to paint.

Catch me if I fall ok???

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/apr/08/downtown-center-for-the-arts-announces-benefit-din/?yournews=1

Class demo...365 Days of Drawing

My teaching class demo at CAI yesterday. The beginnings of a head study... I didn't feel inspired so I didn't finish it.

Can't really explain why. The model was nice as could be. But important to be inspired. Don't ya think?

Another drawing down...but who's counting?

Another day, another drawing down, the daily drawing challenge met. But who is counting? Certainly not you, dear reader.

This is a study I did last night for a subsequent portrait. Bic pen...I need to do more work on it...

Penny For Your Thoughts...365 Days of Drawing...

Here is my drawing for today and the finish....I knew those little hands were going to be tricky before I even began. And I was right.

But another drawing to do today and studio paintings to get to...

I let it go...and am pretty happy with it anyway.

"Our Father..."

5 x 7"

Oil on Linen

Bic Pen...365 Days of Drawing

My Bic pen was acting up last night...but I met the challenge at least.

I may re-draw this later today...but there is a portrait commission I need to get more work done on!

Decisions...decisions...

Betrothed...365 Days of Drawing

I think something has clicked for me in this drawing challenge. I am now really realizing the benefit of four and half months worth of solid drawing every day.

I am also now trying to carve out time my during my work day instead of drawing in the evening.

Today's drawing - and finish...it took me a while to get the mouth the way I wanted it...the expression of someone moments before their wedding day. That was what I was after in my head.

"Betrothed"...

Oil on linen

9 "x 12"

Thankful...365 Days of Drawing...

I am calling this little painting "Thankful". Especially thankful that the earthquake last night was only a 3.9 - centered only 10 miles from my home. I sure felt it!

I really spent time on the drawing of this one, the big shapes, and decided it was worth putting some paint on. This was a model I used ages ago for my teaching class that I had a picture of.

Without a good clean shape, a drawing is lost. The angle of the head/eyes looking up was something that was key to the whole feel of the thing. I spent time catching that.

"Thankful",

Oil on linen

10" x 6"

Riding Home...365 Days of Drawing...

For yesterday's drawing, I revisited my cowboy class demo from the day before, doing him on a new smaller canvas. I often do this if I feel I might learn something.

I had been somewhat unhappy with my drawing on the previous demo. I felt the shapes could have been sharper. . and there were a fair few distractions within the teaching room set-up which is as it should be.

So I sketched him again from the previous head study on a smaller canvas quietly with a ball point pen. I thought it was worth putting paint on.

And this is how he rode home...

"Steadfast", oil on linen, 10" x 6.5"

Cowboy Country...365 Days of Drawing

I am back in Cowboy Country with yesterday's drawing, my class demo at The California Art Institute.

I draw a lot when I teach along with a demo so it counts for my 30 minutes a day drawing challenge.

This model had MADE his beaded cuffs and other Western adornments. I wish I could have painted his whole marvelous set-up more.

First Kiss...365 Days of Drawing...

Just like a first kiss, there are some things that can't be repeated. I decided to repeat Saturday night's drawing because it interested me to do so, with a closer crop and color harmony -perhaps aiming for a little more sensitivity/finesse in the drawing. Saturday's drawing came off the brush fast and furious. No need for sloppy seconds.

Although I don't hate this one...I must say.

And ZEN some...365 Days of Drawing

And ZEN some....ommmmmmmm...another drawing down...I like this one a lot.

18 x 24"

Bling needed...365 Days of Drawing

I am losing my bling factor...I thought this drawing was posted earlier...

Well,,,,the drawing challenge needs as much sparkle as it can get, soon to be mid- point in the year...please God, Buddha, Mickey Mouse....whatever...

Sashaying through...365 Days of Drawing

I love movement and I love shimmery gowns. I think I am going to draw this again tonight for a close-up of back.

This is 18 x 24", and was fast off the charcoal and wash brush.

Love it when that happens.

Old and Worn? 365 Days of Drawing

Some guy has spent his whole life collecting up and shipping these old Western buildings to recreate Trail Town in Cody, Wyoming, the subject of today's drawing.

Then apparently he fell on difficult times in his life and sold the whole lot. The day I visited the re-created town looked sad and oddly abandoned.

Hope that changes soon. We all get old and worn but no-one wants to be unloved.

125th Drawing! 365 Days of Drawing 2010

Today's drawing marks my 125th sketch this year in my challenge for 2010 to draw every day NO matter what. NO matter where I am.

No cheating. No stockpiling of drawings. No excuses. Posting publicly every day except when I travel. The good, the bad and the ugly.

I am pleased to say there is now quite a large group watching it on Facebook and posting graciously with interesting feedback which has been stimulating.

When I first started this challenge I had no idea if I would get past week two. There have been moments when I really wanted to quit. But now I know, the repeated daily discipline is kind of an art miracle for me. But it has to be daily to count.

People have asked me would I do the challenge again in 2011. The answer is a definite no. It seems like a simple thing to draw every day and post it publicly but it is not. It has brought up some issues.

How are you all doing with your New Year resolutions?

Cowboys and Indians...365 Days of Drawing

No-one can go to Cowboy Country for the first time and not draw an Indian or a Cowboy. My time ran out so I had to settle on just a solitary Indian sketched before morning coffee was even served. A hectic day was ahead with no further time for drawing. Forgive me cowboys; there are plenty of you in my future I have a feeling.

BIG FAT WOW...365 Days of Drawing

I returned to the same spot the next day to see if I could organize my drawing thoughts and shapes a little better. The light was very flat so I had to make it up. In the end, I preferred the drawing the previous day. I was shown and treated to some INCREDIBLE Western art by some very kind and gracious hosts in Cody. A big fat WOW to those amazing Western Artists is all I have to say.

God's Country...365 Days of Drawing

How on earth do you tackle God's Country? Cody, Wyoming, took my breath away. A 30 minute sketch, at the end of a very long lovely sightseeing day, from the kitchen window. Humbling landscape...I vowed to do better the next day less tired.

Back and Forth...365 Days of Drawing...

These are two airport 'quick sketch' sessions to and from Cody, Wyoming. The first is the return journey home to LA when I was in "the mood" to draw. The second was outbound when I missed my connecting flight (boo to Delta) and, it seemed, the big art event I was flying especially in for. I was not in the "mood", let me tell ya, but the challenge continues no matter what. Some days it sure is a helluva discipline.

The good news is I made the event just in time with a quick switch of travel plans flying to a different airport, a hasty 100 mile drive, changing into my glamor frocks in a cowboy bar restroom. Yeeha!