2nd entry for April 20, 2014

These are two 15-minute studies above on 18 x 24" Canson 1557 paper, and one 20-minute one below on 18 x 24" Maidstone paper. All three are done with a black Faber-Castell water-soluble colour pencil for preliminary drawing and washes of water-soluble graphite after.
The black pencil is richly pigmented, and releases fast when wet. I had been liking some results with the india ink Pitt pen lines and washes, but reckoned that a soluble line would mesh even more seamlessly with the washes.
Distinct, discrete lines with tonal passages is a totally valid aesthetic option, but one I find leans towards an illustration look. I like in principle the prospect more of lines that can be blended to become edges of areas of tone. But the finality of the ink pen lines continues to be excellent discipline and focus training.

Any time someone sits on a chair, or a rectangle of fabric, or a limb is foreshortened, perspective can come into play Starting May 21 I am teaching a 6-week introduction to perspective principles. It's at the TSA, and runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m weekly. Called `Perspective Basics for Drawing', the emphasis is on applying perspective principles to observational drawing, so lots of practice time with still-life situations, plus some freehand and ruled invented constructions. It's good for life drawers who wrestle with the non-organic elements of images they make. You can enroll for it here.