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.

CHANGE...365 DAYS OF DRAWING

CHANGE the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change.

Today's drawing with another nod to BIC pen and Zorn.

Shape Seekers...365 Days of Drawing

We are shape seekers us people who draw. When I forget that, I get into trouble. I was drawing this guy's eyes yesterday and instead of drawing the SHAPE of the socket I found myself drawing in the eye ball.

The eye ball goes in last like placing a poached egg in a bowl. Thanks for that John Singer Sargent.

Once I had smacked myself on the wrist, my drawing for the daily challenge came along much better - along with the finished sketch letting some of the original purple ground to show through.

I love working on a vibrant ground, don't you?

White Out...365 Days of Drawing

Snowed in today...quick sketch from the window and a head done yesterday - fast!

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