Wednesday, December 31, 2014

1st entry for Nov 17, 2014









On the Monday morning I went over to the Heliconian Club session. Louise, a model I hadn't encountered before, was working. These are eight 2-minute studies above, and a couple of 5-minute ones below. All are Pitt pen on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper. The topmost one was a `blind' gesture study.




Entry for Nov 16, 2014


On the Sunday afternoon I was at the ARC studio, andAndrea was working that day. These are a 2-hour study above and a 40-minute one below.
One thing I find with the water-soluble graphite is that it is diffcult aand slow to build up big dark passages. As an experiment I used diluted india ink washes on these initially, to establish 'bed values'  in the darker areas. On top of that I worked with water-soluble graphite pencils and Artgraf washes to add in skin tones and details. It seems a good marriage; the ink washes block in deep values very readily. It does mean the preliminary drawing is a commitment, though, as the ink cannot be retracted or moved like the graphites.
These are both ink washes, water-soluble pencila nd Artgraf washes and some additional graphite shading on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Montval watercolour paper.

Entry for Nov. 13, 2014



I broke out the brushpens on the Thursday night at a Collective drawing session, in honour of Francis, who sat for us in a couple of ensembles.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Entry for Nov 11, 2014










On the Tuesday night I got over to Artists 25, where I found it was Polyna working. These are three 2-minute studies at top, a 5-minute and a ten-minute below that, followed by three 20-minute studies and a 5-minute one right at the end of the evening.
It was an uneven night for drawing. There were some promising moments. I think the 10-minute study on the low stool is strong, but it doesn't have as solid a sense of weight on the stool as it could.
The top five images are Pitt calligraphy point pen on Canson Recycled Sketch paper. The first two 20-minute ones are a combo of Pitt pen and dilute india ink in a Pentel brushpen for a midtone. The first is on Strathmore drawing paper, and the one on the chair is Canson Mixed Media paper, with it's cooloer colour cast.
The second-last image is watersoluble pencil on Strathmore watercolour paper, and the bottom one is back to Pitt pen on Canson Recycled Sketch paper. All the sheets are 18 x 24"



Sunday, December 28, 2014

Entry for Nov 9, 4014


(so much time elapsed, and my chronology is a little out of whack)
On the Sunday afternoon, July was working at the ARC studio. There was a black velvet draped over a stool and pinned to the back wall, surrounded by the studio's white walls.
Great if you want to play with chiaroscuro, but I wasn't in the mood for a really dark image. The pose was also relatively static and vertical, a least from the available spot I found to work.
I had a phrase in mind - `grayairoscuro', of contrast emerging from overall grays instead of from a deep shadow. I did my best to stick with that in the top image , but it still seemed to want a lot of darker values than were in the back of my mind. I thought using a square format would be more interesting than having her full-figure in a vertical field, but I don't know that the ankle cropping does anyone any favours. It is a 2-hour study done with water-soluble graphite, Artgraf washes and regular graphite shading added after, on Strathmore watercolour paper.
The lower one is a 25-minute study with water-soluble pencil on Strathmore watercolour paper, as yet not washed over. The partial figure works better here, with the figure filling more of the space and the mid-calf crop. My viewpoint ( a spot that got vacated) was better with the more direct gaze.
Somewhere between these two would maybe be the ideal.


Saturday, December 27, 2014

Entry for Nov 10, 2014





On the Monday  I got in for the morning session at the Heliconian Club, where Denis and Lina were working together.  I do enjoy drawing couples, and as on other occasions they were a pleasure to draw together.
My drawings were fairly uneven that day; it took to the last couple to get warmed up. These are a 5-minute, a 10-minute, two 15-minute and a 30-minute study at the bottom. The upper ones are all Pitt pen, and the lower one is water-soluble pencil and Artgraf washes.

3rd entry for Nov 7, 2014



These are a pair of 10-minute studies using Pitt medium pen and some very soft watercolour pencil above, both on 18 x 24" sheets of Strathmore Drawing paper. The lower one is water-soluble pencil and Artgraf washes on an 18 x 24" sheet of Canson Montval watercolour paper.

... it's been quite a while since anything's been posted here - the combination of a heavy work schedule, Christmas and a family trip meant there just hasn't been enough time for everything. . There's a few postings coming up, as I catch up closer to the present day.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

2nd entry for Nov 7, 2014






These are a 10-minute study up top, a 5-minute standing one below that, two more 10's and a pair of 15-minute studies.
The top four are a Pitt medium pen on 18 x 24"sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper, with a bit of pan pastel for the chair in the lower one.
The lower two are medium Pitt pen and diluted india in in a brushpen, on 18 x 24" sheets of Strathmore Series 300 paper.

Monday, December 1, 2014

1st entry for Nov 7, 2014


On the Friday night I got out to the Dr. Sketchy's session at Round Venue. Performance artist Obskyura was working that night, with a fame/celebrity starter ensemble. These are a 5-minute study above,  a 5-minute line drawing and some 1-minute and 2-minute studies below.


(Among her props were a gold microphone and a hot-pink assault rifle with white stars.)








 These are all on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper. I tried using a `woodless' 4B water-soluble graphite pencil for these rather than a pen. I found the marks a little thick for my taste and the pencil went blunt fast, but they do read fairly nicely reproduced small-scale.


Friday, November 28, 2014

3rd entry for Nov 3, 2014



In the evening, I went to a drawing session at someone's home. A couple, David and Winston were modelling together that night, and they had a really nice warmth and intimacy together. I really enjoy the dynamic of a couple who are at ease with each other.

These are done with Pitt Pen on 18 x 24" sheets of Strathmore Drawing and Series 400 papers.