3rd entry for June 14, 2013

These are a 10-minute and a 15-minute study. The top one is black Sakura Graphic marker and cool gray Copic markers on 168 x 24" bond paper, while the lower one os the same Sakura marker with cool gray Copic markers.
The top one is especially strong as a figure study, I feel. It is a dramatic pose, and after all the improv and risk discussion I'd heard I was being willfully choppy with the black marks I started with. It is possible for me to have things too much in the `right' place; a little rougher can carry more edge, when done well.

2nd entry for June 14, 2013

These are three 5-minute studies and a 10-minute one below. The 5's are on 18 x 24" bond paper, and the 10 is on 18 x 24" Canson Recycled Sketch paper. All are done with a black Sakura Graphic marker and a 10% warm gray Copic marker (which dried a little too pale, I think)

1st entry for June 14, 2013

On the Friday Justin was working at the TSA.  I got there on time for a change, and was ready for the gesture poses that started the session.
The two days before I had been watching and exploring movement for myself. I went to the two screenings of the Contact Dance Film Festival, and tried some basic contact dance workshops. The workshops dealt a lot with being fully embodied, and was really interesting to experience. Contact is an improvisatory medium, and there was discussion of spontaneity and raking risks.
I think all of that led to freer gesture sketches. For me, Justin's poses seemed somewhat dancer-y, so that tied into the previous days, too. These are 1-minute studies on 18 x 24" sheets of bond paper, done with a Sakura Graphic marker pen.

There are a couple of summer opportunities coming up next week (July 2 & 4) to take short intro life-drawing courses that I'll be teaching. Great for getting started, or reconnecting with the basics if you're experienced and feel some rust has crept in over the years.
At the TSA there will be an 8-week Tuesday night class and an 8-week Thursday morning course. Both run July through August.  Both classes are 3 hours each week, and enough people are signed up that they're definitely running for the full 8 weeks. Registration is still open, and you can see more details and register online here.

2nd entry for June 11, 2013

These are two 20-minute studies and a 15-minute one at bottom. The 20's are done with warm gray Copic markers on 18 x 24" sheets of 150 lb Maidstone rag paper that had been loosely washed with dilute Speedball Super Black india ink.
I thought the washes might add a random texture to the marker image. They did, but more in a stunty, busy way than anything that added to it. Maybe very subtle washes with minimum pattern would have worked better as a background. The Maidstone is very absorbent as well, and pen marks tended to spread. I'd be interested in the same process on a heavy, sized watercolour paper.  Things to try later.
The 15-minute one is the same markers, on an 18 x 24" sheet of Canson Mixed Media paper.

1st entry for June 11, 2013

On the Tuesday evening I went over to Artists 25. Natalie was working that evening. Strong sidelighting from my point of view, and some rich colours in background fabrics and her hair. I was working again with the warm gray Copic matkers, but was working more slowly and wrestling a bit more with the materials.  I felt the previous time I had drawn her at the TSA (May 17) in charcoal was more successful. The lighting was more frontal and subtle on that occasion.
These efforts were more up-and-down, I felt.
I like the `painterly' aspect of the markers- their look evokes for me a bit of Rembrandt and Goya sketches.They have lots of gusto, but there's some textural aspect that I'm not feeling in them - too smooth or something - that I'd like to work out.
With adequate time, the distinct multiple levels of value are great for exploring contrast and lighting considerations in a less random way. Without adequate time, they get an urgency, and if I luck out and everything necessary works out, they are very vibrant. And it's okay that many of those don't - that's part of the price of working that way.
'Adequate time' seems to be currently in the 20 minutes plus range. But I believe it takes a good half-year or more to really get inside a new working medium, and things usually speed up as familiarity grows.
The top study is 3 minutes on 18 x 24" bond paper.
The next three are a 5-minute and two 10-minute studies, on 18 x 24" Canson Recycled Sketch paper.
The lowest one is on 18 x 24" Canson Mixed Media paper.

2nd entry for June 9, 2013

These are a couple of 10-minute studies above, a 40-minute one and a couple of 20-minute ones below. All are done with a range of Copic warm gray markers.
The top one is on 18 x 24" bond paper (too absorbent), the next is on 18 x 24" Canson Recycled Sketch paper (okay) and the lower three are on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Mixed Media paper. I liked this paper better than the 1557 paper because it has more sizing in it, and the marker ink soaks less deeply.
The 519 room was close quarters, but light and bright, which worked for these studies. The longer seated pose worked out particulaly well, I felt.

1st entry for June 9, 2013

Sundays have worked out as good days to go drawing the last couple of months.  I was planning on going that Sunday to the Sackville session, but floor painting put that room out of action.
I discovered from Heather Leach's website that there was a once-a-month Sunday morning session at the 519 Community Centre on Church, on the 2nd Sunday of each month.
It was a nice, small group of friendly people in a bright room. Lyon was working, and these are some 3-minute short studies, done with a Sakura Graphic pen on 18 x 24" sheets of cartridge paper.

Heather Leach's page is a very helpful resource in tracking down drawing sessions. People on Facebook can also join the group All The Life Drawings In Toronto for updates and spam on Toronto-area life drawing activities.

3rd entry for June 8, 2013

These are a 10-minute study and three 15-minute ones that ended the afternoon. The first two are on 18 x 24" Canson Recycled Sketch paper, while the lower two are on 18 x 24"  Canson 1557 Drawing paper. The second one was on a sheet I had covered with a layer of charcoal for a prior project. The second-last one was very dramatic, and I think it wore me out, as the last one was a weaker study.

There are a couple of summer opportunities coming up very soon to take short intro life-drawing courses that I'll be teaching. Great for getting started, or reconnecting with the basics if you're experienced and feel some rust has crept in over the years.
At the TSA there will be an 8-week Tuesday night class and an 8-week Thursday morning course. Both run July through August.  Both classes are 3 hours each week. Registration is open, and you can see more details and register online here.

2nd entry for June 8, 2013

These are three 5-minute studies above, and two 10-minute ones below. The line drawings are done with a Sakura Graphic felt marker, and the tonal studies are using a range of Copic warm gray and cool gray pens.

1st entry for June 8, 2013

I was at the TSA for a Saturday afternoon session, where Sergio was working.
these are 1-minute studies, done with a Sakura Graphic marker on 18 x 24" bond paper.

3rd entry for June 2, 2013

These are two 1-hour studies above, and a 40-minute one below. All were done on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson 1557 Drawing paper.
An hour is a good time-span for this sort of multi-value marker study. But by the end of the day even my refilled markers were running dry, hence the last being the lightest image overall.

2nd entry for June 2, 2013

These are three 15-minute studies, give-or-take. These are done with the Copic warm gray markers on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.
There was just enough time in these to get some deeper values in. The dark spots in the top image were an accidental spill, but it kind of works with the slightly undershaded bur strong image on the rest of the page.