Tea Time Sketch

Tea Time (Alternate title: "Dueling Teapots")
Graphite and white charcoal study on Strathmore 400 Series Toned Tan paper

It's raining here today, instead of snowing - hurrah! Good weather for a cup of tea.

It's also good weather to stay in my studio. I've been playing with these teapots all week, arranging and rearranging the composition. This started out as just a rough sketch to consider the potential of this set-up for a painting, but I ended up not being able to put the pencil down. The placement of the teapots is still bothering me though.

While there are some interesting negative shapes, many of the teapot lids, spouts, and handles are all gathered along the same horizontal line, and the little teapot kind of disappears into the big one, so I'm not done working out the grouping yet. 

Live Model Drawing

Still working on humans. Here are a few drawings out of my sketchbook from a couple of live model sessions I've attended in the last month.

Model with head scarf
Graphite and white charcoal pencil on tan paper.

Model at Sketch Club
Graphite, charcoal pencil and white charcoal pencil on tan paper.

You may have noticed that most of my sketches have the model turned away from me. It's because I'm terribly intimidated by drawing faces. I forced myself to draw this model's profile and thankfully it didn't turn out half bad. Maybe I'll be a little braver next time. Then I have to conquer my fear of drawing hands...

The cellist I painted in my last post sat for me again this weekend! The study of her that I've been working on has come a long way. As soon as I can get a good photograph of it, I'll post about it.

The Delights of Drawing

"The process of drawing is, before all else, the process of putting the visual intelligence into action, the very mechanics of visual thought. Unlike painting and sculpture it is the process by which the artist makes clear to himself, and not to the spectator, what he is doing. It is a soliloquy before it becomes communication."
                                                                                                   ~ Michael Ayerton

Drawing materials - graphite on paper

Every time I've been away from drawing, when I return I am reminded of how much I love to draw. To me, it is very soothing and comes much more naturally than painting. But perhaps that's why I take it for granted, that is until I haven't done it in a while.

Wrist Watch - graphite on paper

There are endless things to draw around us all the time and no expensive materials or lengthy set-ups are needed, so I have no excuse not to draw. When I am in a drawing phase, I like to get out of bed and draw something before I do anything else. It's a wonderful way to start the day.

Shirt on a hanger - graphite and white charcoal on toned paper.

Everyone has their preferences, but my favorite drawing tools are mechanical pencils and Pigma Micron pens, which I will occasionally add watercolor to. I prefer paper with a smooth surface. I started using Strathmore 400 Series Toned Tan paper this summer and I really love the effect of the white charcoal pencil on the tan paper. It's been a nice change from white paper.

So now that I'm done the 30 Pears project, I'm eager to get back to making daily drawing a priority.

Sketching Pears

Art does not reproduce what we see; rather, it makes us see.
~Paul Klee

Sketch of a pear
graphite, charcoal, and white charcoal on toned paper.

In preparation for my 30 Pears in 30 Days starting October 1, I've been doing some sketches of pears in various settings as part of my morning sketching routine. Getting to know my subject, as it were...

Sketch of a pear with books
graphite, charcoal, and white charcoal on toned paper.

I've never been a fan of eating pears, but I am developing a great appreciation for their form and all the different subtle colors on them. People at the grocery store must think I'm crazy, picking through all the pears to find just the right one.

A note on the sketching surface I'm using - it's Strathmore 400 Series Toned Tan paper and I really love the effect of the white charcoal pencil on the tan paper. I started using it over the summer and it's been a nice change from white paper.