The Road Less Traveled...365 Days of Drawing

When you see 13th Century monasteries with sun falling on them, casually dotted along the roadside as you are driving through, France, you really understand your tiny place on the planet and the many who have gone before. A sense of history and the road travelled by so many.

Unfortunately I sketched this from a photo last night. How I wish I could go back to this heavenly spot near Dinan and see this monastery one more time.

Drawing 4 x 6"

Paper size 8 x 10"

Hit n' Miss...365 Days of Drawing

As I shortly enter my FOURTH month of this challenge, a QUARTER of the way through this daily drawing challenge, what are YOUR thoughts. How do YOU think it is going? The hits, the misses. What would you like to see more of? Less of?

I can hardly believe I am still here doing this. No-one is more surprised than me.

Today's entry...French bangs. Oh, how I love them.

Love, love me do...365 Days of Drawing

Top 10 Reasons to miss front row seats at a Paul McCartney show to do a public demo...

1. I believe in keeping commitments.

2. Portrait demos are good for me. The skill-set of painting in public and talking about your work while painting requires regular practise.

3. I had a GREAT sitter, Gayle Sherman Hooker, stunt-double extraordinaire, currently on "Desperate Housewives". Thank you marvelous Gayle.

3. You meet some great new art friends. Thanks to The Valley Artists Guild in Encino, CA., http://www.valleyartistsguild.org/for hosting me and the friendly warm reception. John Paul Thornton and Scott Kiche, you are such gents!

4. You get a good nights' sleep the night before.

5. You skip the wine on a Saturday night.

6. You skip the garlic.

7. You get 'groomed' and out of your sweats on a Sunday.

8. You practice your drawing of the head ahead of time. I was kinda doing that anyway.

9. You get your 'daily drawing' for the 365 day challenge over and done with DURING the day.

10. After demo, you realize how extraordinarily lucky you are to have been helped so much to get to this point. A few years ago, I NEVER saw myself doing public demos. Thank you Mr. K.

I would not have missed this opportunity to paint for The Valley Artists Guild.

Love, love me do...you know I love you!

SOLD

Line Master...365 Days of Drawing

Time is short today...a portrait painting demo to get to. Here is today's drawing. Quick sketch with a heavy nod to the real Masters of line John Singer Sargent and Charles Dana Gibson.

Thanks to my dear friend Tere this week. She gave me food for thought around THE LINE. I will tell you all more later.

Stunt-Worthy...365 Days of Drawing

Public portrait painting demos are rather like stunts! You are doing a performance and can fall at any moment.

Well, I am in exceptionally good hands tomorrow for my portrait demo at the Valley Art Guild , Encino, CA painting none other than gorgeous professional stunt lady Gayle Sherman Hooker http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0393620/of "Desperate Housewives" fame. Can you guess which character she stunts for? Last night I did this quick sketch of her in preparation. I believe in doing my homework.

I first met Gayle in Deborah Leshon's Pilates studio (Deborah can kick some butt herself). Gayle is one of those women that you can't take your eyes off. Stunning. I just assumed, wrongly, she was one of those 'ladies who lunched' kinda people. They make me nervous in the first place.

Then she started talking. She was really funny. Then she started talking about her day job in a casual and understated way. Very UnHollwood. She didn't lunch at all. I couldn't believe it. She looks nothing like you would expect a stunt woman to look like. On top of all of that, along with Deborah, she is one of the most caring and wise people I have met in a long time. And also a girl's girl. And did I mention, she is learning how to fly? Puts me to shame.

And did I mention too that Gayle's whole family are in the stunt business, including her teenage sons and husband, Buddy Joe Hooker, an icon in the field.

Should be fun tomorrow. I can't wait. And I know Gayle will catch me if I fall 'cause that's just Gayle. She's good at that!

For details, time and location of demo go here: http://www.valleyartistsguild.org/pdf/newsletters/VAG-Newsletter-2010-03.pdf

SOLD

Sweat the Small Stuff...365 Days of Drawing...

Still life gives me so much enjoyment. Since the day Chardin painted his first hunks of mouldy cheese and bread, artists have been fascinated by the small stuff. Still life remains a constant source of fascination to artists which is interesting in itself. The genre has stood the test of art time.

Yesterday I did a simple class demo of lemons and red onions which will count for my drawing today. Oops, forgot to take the drawing block in photo again. I draw A LOT when I am teaching, on students' canvases, making adjustments usually in the drawing, as well as on my own.

This demo is small, 5" x 7" and only a section of the set-up. There is beauty in small.

I like what I got. I was interested in getting all the color in I could, warm and cool versions of each. I returned to the studio and did another study from this study to push the color more, although this time in a landscape.

Sweat the small stuff, I say. Especially when it comes to still life.

Sizzle?..365 Days of Drawing

This is my drawing for the day, demo from my teaching class at California Art Institute. I forgot to take a pic of the actual 'drawing' start as people were watching me, asking questions, and I had only an hour of painting time to get this done. Blogging slipped my mind!

This wasn't as good as last week's demo where I sizzled and nailed it; likeness, attitude, feel and great drawing all in just over an hour but certainly competent enough.

One can't sizzle each time.

SOLD