Deathbed...365 Days of Drawing

I had a wonderful heaven-sent time in the studio this Saturday afternoon "painting-up" yesterday's drawing from the challenge which leads me to my future deathbed thought. Always important.

I know I am doing the 365 Day Drawing Challenge just for ME, and it has been rough- going recently. The "Who Cares?" factor set in. Does Blog-world, Twitter or Facebook need another artist spouting off while posting stuff. No.

I also know what I know about my drawing at this point, good and bad, after TEN months of non-stop doing it. Will another TWO months ahead of me, before I finish the challenge, really make a difference to that self-awareness? No.

I have learned that progress is made by doing a daily practise for sure. Ideas are created. Art introspection and direction a huge plus.

But I have also learned some days you show up, in this challenge, and it is horrible. Like you haven't drawn much at all. I get so MAD on those days but have also learned I will ALWAYS have to practice my drawing. I am NOT a natural like some.

A show is booked. That certainly keeps me going. I want to do a book. Universe catch me. But most of all, somehow I have found a stubborn persistence within me that I NEVER knew I had. I would feel SO mad at myself if I stopped at this point. I would let MYSELF down. I would be on my deathbed regretting it.

Facebook and Blogworld won't care at that point...but I will.

I have also learned I have a hard time using and spelling correctly PRACTISE/ PRACTICE!!

Coffee TAWLK...365 Days Of Drawing

I believe in posting the duds in a daily drawing challenge too and this qualifies. Quick sketch at the local coffee shop. I was in a time-bind, not terribly interested in drawing, the coffee shop was quiet, as in just a few subjects to sketch, people kept moving really fast (all that coffee caffeine tawlk), and I knew I wasn't getting anything worthwhile. Ah well...still good training for the drawing muscle. You look quickly, look away and put down on paper what you just saw. Look up again, the pose has changed or they have moved on.

Guardian Angles...365 Days of Drawing

We tried a new lighting set up in my teaching class at the California Art Institute today to challenge everyone and keep things fresh. An orange light for the shadow side and a blue light with gel for the light side. There was lots of hands-on instruction to be done. How I wish I could have taken more time on mine. I felt I was really rushing.

That never works for me. Never paint faster than your guardian painting angel can fly.

I QUIT?...365 Days of Drawing

This was one of those drawings that you want to put your fist through. I started it last night and it was painful progress. I put it down thinking "That's it. I quit. This drawing isn't going to work." The light and shadow pattern was very SUBTLE making things harder.

I picked it up a bit later and tweaked some more, thinking:"Ok. Now it has some hope. I will finish it tomorrow...maybe"

A good night's sleep and I went straight back to the drawing board this morning with my coffee in hand to have another go. I am glad I did. And I am glad I didn't quit.

Puzzling how sometimes we are just not in the drawing zone no matter what. I post the images of today and yesterday, TOTAL drawing time ...hmmm. certainly MORE than half an hour each day, the challenge I committed to ten months ago.

Taking the time...365 Days of Drawing

With just over two months to go of this daily 2010 drawing challenge, unbroken so far, I decided that I need to push myself even more to learn and stay interested.

This challenge was always for me about improving my drawing skill set, taking it to the next level. Nothing more, nothing less. It has been VERY beneficial to do a different drawing EVERY day facing different uses of line. My skill set has definitely improved from the range of daily subject matter.

Now I feel the need -and interest- to take more time on some of the drawings and record the stages. To really work on the 'finish' when the mood suits me, perhaps over a couple of days as in the case of this drawing and the last one of the child I posted.

The challenge was to commit to drawing for half an hour every single day. It was not to churn out new ones every day as I have been doing for many months.

To this end, I post this drawing today, life-size, which I finished this afternoon. I started it Friday night, did about an hour and a half Saturday and another today. I started with a simple line drawing, then doing everything I could to break down the line, thinking mass, good shapes of light and shadow around values, making the half-tone value lighter than it appears (thanks Morgan!) and lastly edges. Lost and found. Hard and soft. Yin and Yang.

Sometimes the drawing looks better to me in the early stages!

You Got the Cutest Little Babyface...365 Days of Drawing

This child has the face of an angel...I so enjoyed drawing her portrait last night and finishing it up today.

I post three stages of the drawing, the start (after about 30 minutes of drawing), the middle (an hour and a half) and the end (2o minutes today softening edges/slight drawing adjustments with a fresh eye).

I remember when I first started doing kid commissions having a hard time getting that BABYFACE. It is all in the drawing proportions of course, painting a lot of kids over the subsequent years, and learning from those Loomis books, not to mention Morgan Weistling. No-one paints a kid better than him.

www.morganweistling.com

Tutu 4 U...365 Days of Drawing

NEW SEMESTER now beginning at The California Art Institute, Wednesday morning. (805)496-6906

A new class began yesterday and good to see some old faces return to be taught by me. I find it an honor when people place their learning in me and come back for more.

Time was short in the class yesterday but I did do this little quick sketch of a ballerina in a tutu from the Bolshoi Ballet which our lovely model/dancer Leah brought in. I love tutus. Not sure why.

Making sure I got those feet on the canvas, at exactly the point I wanted them, all came down to measuring. My first attempt got wiped off because I wanted to include more of the back of the tutu.

TUTU 4 You

9x12, oil, $200

Rashness...365 Days of Drawing

Who can resist a child with a knitted beanie hat hugging a bear? If cuteness is what it takes to get another day of drawing done for the daily challenge, I am all over it like a rash.

Rough...365 Days of Drawing

This weekend's drawings whilst on a brief trip to San Francisco...nothing fancy...time was short. Just meeting the challenge of doing a daily hand-to-eye drawing repetition for a one-off, never to be repeated, 365 day experience.

The last pic shows the wear and tear of a late night then meeting the necessity of getting a drawing done really early in the morning to meet the challenge before the long drive home. Motel coffee in hand for fuel.

I look rough - and it was. You don't realize how many days there are in a year until you do something every single day even when you really don't want to.

Thanks to Zorn. That book has helped me through a few rough spots in this challenge.

Pass The Pastel...365 Days of Drawing

For the first time in my daily drawing challenge, I tried pastel rather than my usual charcoal/oil/gouache combo along with a different heavy-weight drawing paper. I liked what I got although this drawing took me away from what I should have been painting this afternoon. I let myself relax and take time to smell the drawing roses, although I need to re-do the earring on the left tomorrow.

Drawings from the weekend will be posted tomorrow.

Keeping Abreast of Things...365 Days of Drawing

I am keeping abreast of things in my daily drawing challenge this week. Are you?

Won't be posting this weekend. Off to San Francisco. Guess I will have to draw that red bridge again.

No Butts About It...365 Days of Drawing

No butts about it, when you complete a daily discipline you gain. I received an interesting email yesterday from an artist asking me how I kept going on a daily drawing challenge without burnout. How did I stay inspired? Let me tell you, the burn out factor is huge, and very present, but then I think of the gain, and I stop feeling bummed out and get on with the task at hand.

What's in a face?...365 Days of Drawing

Tomorrow I set out very early to judge an art show for The Pacific Art Guild of about 200 paintings so tonight I really wanted to fire myself up with a good drawing. I took time on this one, a favorite model from my teaching class. Her likeness is elusive. What's in a face? A lot it seems. Don't take any thing at face value. Keep searching. Keep seeking. That's what I tell myself.

The second is my drawing from yesterday. A block in for a still life. Hope to get to that later in the day tomorrow.

A Dog's Life...365 Days of Drawing

I sat with my dog, nose to nose on the carpet and did some quick-sketch of him for the daily drawing challenge yesterday. I never knew my dog wriggled so much. I got carpet burn.

I also post a previous more finished drawing I did of Bentley in the dog days of summer, earlier in the challenge, which I really liked. Woof, woof.

A WEEK IN DRAWING...365 Days of Drawing

My sketch book from the week...travel and taking care of sick relatives don't mix well with daily drawing challenges. But I didn't miss a single day and my lovely relative got better. Not a day without line so far in 2010. Chicken soup for the drawing soul? Thanks to Andrew Loomis, my traveling companion

Thumbs Up...365 Days of Drawing

An unexpected trip to AZ this week to take care of a family member. Despite a LONG

day of driving, and a few other challenges I am still meeting the daily drawing challenge for 2010 to draw for at least an hour a day, NO MATTER WHAT.

Glad I grabbed my Andrew Loomis book as I raced out of the door for my last minute journey. Always something to draw from there when you are in a time bind.

So thumbs up. I will post images on return.

Bikini Up...365 Days of Drawing

What haven't I drawn so far this year in the daily challenge? Ah yes, a bikini. The other is my drawing from Saturday. Weekends are so hard especially with company visiting, revelry, and general distractions of life.

Practice Makes Perfect, Kinda!...365 Days of Drawing

My first drawing for the tenth month of this unbroken daily challenge was from a photo I had taken assisting Morgan Weistling (www.morganweistling.com) at his dynamo Weekend With The Masters workshops. I had also done a drawing from life of this model Chelsea from EXACTLY the same angle as the photo between my assisting duties. I struggled somewhat with that drawing, posted previously. This one I was much happier with. Practice makes perfect, kinda. I was glad I revisited.

SERENE

8x10, oil

Paypal

$300