2nd entry for July 24

These are a 5-minute study and three 10-minute ones. All are done with a range of warm gray Copic markers on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper, with some initial lines drawn with a Pitt pigment liner pen.
It was a very crowded night at the Art Bar, and the only place I could fit with a drawing board and pens was in the back corner of the room, and it necessitated standing for the duration of the session. Luckily, Kit opted to be upright most of the night as well; the one reclining pose she took was largely obscured by Walt's head in front of me. Including his head can alter how one reads Kit's figure. That image has random marks on it as well, as I did it on one of the sheets I use as a blotter to catch ink bleeds.
I like the effect the loose web of lines has in the 2nd image, and the light in the bottom one.

Also, a few days ago I checked my Copic fade test #1- no perceptible fading after 10 days in a north-facing window. The test continues.

1st entry for July 24. 2013

(These days, there's lots of opportunities for fast figure drawing, but not so many for longer work. Next week from Tuesday to Friday at the TSA I have a special 4-day course called "Figure Concepts", where we'll be working on extended poses daily, 10 AM to 5 PM. You can sign up here.)

I was back at the Art Bar on the Wednesday night, and Kit was working that evening. There are 2-minute studies, done with a Sakura Graphic pen on 18 x 24" sheets of cartridge paper.
I struggle with the thick lines of the Sakura pens- they telegraph every wobble and insecurity and there is no retracting or hiding the lines once drawn. While setting these down I'm usually feeling unhappy with most things about them as they are happening.  Later on reflection I find spontaneous things I like about quite a few of them. In fast studies it's best to turn off the inner judge and just be present and responding.

It takes at least a few minutes to get properly in my drawing groove. I think it's worth working with a drawing tool I have to wrestle with at the start of a session because it forces me to be present, and afterwards other materials I use feel freer and easier to use.

2nd entry for July 21, 2013

These are two 15-minute studies above, a 20-minute study and another 15-minute study at the bottom. the top three are on 18 x24" sheets of Canson Mixed Media paper, and the bottom study is on an 18 x 24" sheet of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.

1st entry for July 21, 2013

(Do you prefer not to rush through life drawing? This blog focuses mostly on short studies, and for those I don't get into a lot of background elements or more conceptual approaches. From Aug  6 - 9 I'm teaching a 4-day intensive called Figure Concepts where we will set models into different settings for 3 - hour and 5-hour poses, to allow for more involved drawing - and to consider more about what you are communicating art-wise through the human form. You can use the media of your choice, and it's good for long drawings - or fast paintings. To enroll, look here.)

On the Sunday there was a new person - Seye - working at the Sackville community centre session. These are some 10-minute studies, done with warm gray Copic markers on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.

2nd entry for July 20, 2013

These are a couple of 15-minute studies, a 20-minute one and a 10-minute at bottom. All are a mix of warm gray Copic markers. The top one is on 18 x 24" Canson Recycled Sketch paper and the lower three are all on sheets of Canson Mixed Media paper, same size.

1st entry for July 20, 2013

On the Sunday, Meredith was working over at the Daniels Spectrum building. I had carved the wide nibs of the extra-broad Copic markers into a slightly curved profile, so I could vary the width of the marks more fluidly. It made for much more free handling for me, and most of the values here were done with  broad 10%, 30% and 50% markers, plus a bit of 40%, 60% and 90% added with thinner brush markers for dark values and elaboration of detail.
These are a 5-minute study up top and three 10-minute ones below, all done on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.

3rd entry for July 14, 2013

Following the morning's 519 session, I headed over to the Sackville afternoon session. Nyda was working, and these are a 10-minute, a 1-hour and a 35-minute study from that.
All are done with a range of warm gray Copic Markers on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Mixed Media paper.

2nd entry for July 14, 2013

These are a couple of 10-minute studies above, on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.
Below are a 40-minute, a 30-minute and a 20-minute study of Mario, all done on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Mixed Media paper.
These are all done with a range of warm gray Copic markers. The marker has different tint on the creamy-coloured Sketch paper, as opposed to on the colder white Mixed Media paper. The ink marks bleed less on the latter, but it eats a lot of ink in the process.
The 519 sessions run the 2nd Sunday of each month, are $10 and are in a nice daylight-filled white room, which I liked as a change from more artificial lighting.

1st entry for July 14, 2013

(Even in rapid line studies like this, a familiarity with anatomy can be a help in choosing which lines to make. From August 19 - 23 I will be teaching my annual 1-week Anatomy and Figure Drawing intensive at the Toronto School of Art. A 5-day crash course in the major muscle and bone groups that underlie the skin, using short lectures, handouts, a skeleton, ecorche sculpture and really good models to work with.
You can enroll for it and get more details here.)

On the Sunday morning I got out again to the once-monthly session at the 519 Community Centre. Mario was the model, and these are 3-minute studies, done with a Sakura Grapic pen on 18 x 24" sheets of cartridge paper.

2nd entry for July 13, 2013

(Tired of just drawing a model in a blank space over and over? In short time spans there is not time to investigate much in the way of the background space, and in figure studies people are often situated in a bit of a limbo.
As an artist, the human figure can be treated as things other than just a literal form - it can be abstracted, or set into some context or fragments can be chosen as most significant.
From August 6 - 9 I'm teaching a 4-day intensive called "Figure Concepts" at the TSA. Long poses (some 1/2 day, some full-day) with props and background set-ups will give people time to work on long drawings or fast painted studies. The aim is to consider what you're communicating through the figure work you're doing, and how you are using the surrounding space to aid in that. More details available on that here.)

These are two 15-minute studies and a 20-minute one at the bottom. These are also done with a range of Copic markers in different values. Some people like to work straight from light to dark, but I'm finding it better to start with a mid-tone, and put in some thing really dark early on. Otherwise the light paper can fool me into thinking pale shadow areas are darker than I think.

1st entry for July 13, 2013

(Next week I have a 3-day intensive running July 22-24 from 10 AM to 5 PM daily art the TSA. It's called "Structural Bodies". In it we will focus on analysing bodies as simple structures (tubes, blocks, spheres and variants of those). It's recommended for people with some familiarity in basic perspective and basic life drawing, and helps in dealing with foreshortening and relating figures to 3-d perspective spaces.
It's running, and you can still sign up for it here. (course # 629, Structural Bodies)

On the Saturday I got out to the Sackville Session at the Daniel's Spectum building. It's up on the 2nd floor, and the summer schedule is now Saturdays 10 - 12:30 (short poses);  Sundays 10 - 12:30 (short poses) and Sunday 1- 4 (split into 3 long poses). $10 each.
Tanya was working that morning. These are a 5-minute study above and two 10-minute ones below. All are on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper, done with a range of warm gray Copic markers.

3rd entry for July 10, 2013

These are three 10-minute studies, and the final one was around 15 minutes with some extra time after Amanda finished for background marks.
These are all done with a range of warm gray Copic markers. The top is on 18 x 24" Canson Recycled Sketch paper, and the lower three are on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Mixed Media paper.
I was liking the music better this week at the Art Bar. Walt was playing some Van Morrison that was nice, and some easier-going jazz. Towards the end though, a CD jazz sampler he was playing shifted over into more challenging stuff, and that got to be distracting. In particular, a 10-minute excerpt from the Ornette Coleman Double Quartet's Free Jazz was tough for me. When music plays, I tend to move in time to something in the music, and this composition is jumping in so many directions that I couldn't find one to latch onto. That I find slows me down as I have to focus on my moving in spite of the ambient sounds. Also,  I'm suspecting hearing loss in our host, as the volume kept creeping uncomfortably loud, which was grating as well. That was aided by some impromptu earplugs.
Don't get me wrong - the Ornette Coleman Double Quartet are virtuoso musicians, and they created a rich, complex carpet of rhythm and melody.  But I like my drawing music absent, familiar or more insipid, as then it is easier to incorporate or ignore.
Owing to a CD repeat, we ended up getting treated to the Free jazz excerpt twice. I was curious as to what I would have produced if I had surrendered myself to the music, but wasn't willing to relinquish my control on this particular evening. The staccato music was good for hair shading in the last one.
But one doesn't go to the Art bar session for a contemplative drawing space. One goes for beer, lively music and some drawing. It's good the city has the mix of different environments. And the drawers are nice. Every Wednesday night, 8 - 10 at the Gladstone hotel, open to all, $10.

2nd entry for July 10, 2013

These are three 3-minute poses above and three 5-minute ones below that, all done on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.
For the 3-minute ones I used a Sakura Graphic black marker pen for lines first, followed by a 50% Copic extra-wide marker to knock in big shaded masses. The strong thick line of the Sakura pen acts as a good anchor for the study. I find those heavy lines very challenging to control in terms of any subtlety.
On the 5-minute ones I was using a Pitt medium black liner per, which has a responsive but much less emphatic line, plus the 10% and 30% extra-wide Copic warm gray markers plus a 50% and 70% warm gray brush tip to add modulation to darks.
The super-wide markers are good for filling large areas, but their straight-line chisel tip makes for sharp edges when ending marks, and they rapidly run low on ink over broad areas, giving a 'brushy' look I'm still learning to exploit.
A week after this session, I've modded the broad markers a bit, cutting the edge into a slight curve that should make for a broader range of marks.
I also initiated a fade test today, putting half of a Copic drawing into my window. I'l post every now and then on developments.