2nd entry for May 10, 2015

These are some 20-minute and 25-minute studies. With the summer games coming up, one of the drawers was interested in trying to do some athletics-inspired poses, so we tried working with that. I was still feeling looser about the drawing after the Jam Factory session the week before, so I tried not to be too careful about how these were set down. I reckoned a looser handling would convey more action than a tight rendering.
These are all india ink washes and graphite pencil on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson XL Series watercolour paper. I'm starting to feel at home enough with the medium that I feel more comfortable loosening the reins more. These aren't the strongest studies (I'm a little rusty these days,) but they were a good stretch.

1st entry for May 10, 2015

On the Sunday I went over to the 519 Community Centre's monthly Sunday morning session. Peter was working that day, and these are 3-minute studies, done with Pitt pen on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.

Entry for May 9, 2015

On the Saturday afternoon I went to ARC, and this is a 2.5 hour study of Sophia, who was working that day.
18 x 24"; Graphite, Chinese ink and oil-based pencil on Canson XL series watercolour paper

2nd entry for May 8, 2015

These are a 20-minute study above and a 15-minute one below, both Chinese ink wahes on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson XL Watercolour paper.

1st entry for May 8, 2015

 Bodies in motion: this blog is mostly filled with images of bodies at rest, but I have a great fondness for the kinetic and symbolic dimensions of dance. Especially contemporary dance. It has been a consuming and rewarding experience to make some wearable pieces that Amanda Davis is performing with in the Dancemakers theatre last night and May 14 & 15.

Lots of strong performances by very talented dance artists with visual components added by some of the TSA community. Tickets are still available, and it's well worth checking out.  You can get more info here. But this magic won't last long

On the Friday, I was at the ARC studio, and Denis was there, but with much less attention-pulling music in the space. These are a 10-minute study at top and some 15-minute ones below. All on Canson Recycled Sketch paper, mostly with Pitt pens. The bottom one is graphite pencil underdrawing and a Pentel brushpen for line.
The Jam Factory session did open things up a little energy-wise, and in classes I'm teaching, it's contour drawing time, so my line drawing is a little more connected due to that, I think

2nd entry for May 4, 2015

 

These are two 10-minute studies above, and a 15-minute and 20-minute one below. The top two are Pitt pen on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper, and the lower two are graphite pencil and Derwent Inktense coloured pencil for washes, both on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson XL Watercolour paper.

1st entry for May 4, 2015

Helga was working on the Monday at the Heliconian Club drawing session in Yorkville. These are four sheets of 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.

3rd entry for May 3, 2015

The top-most study here was the point at which my efforts to tune out the improv music at the Jam Factory Collective session snapped*. After struggling to make connected lines of Denis' body, I started scrawling and generally attacking the page with pens and a brushpen.
Jason Kenemy's music was shifting and polyrhythmic. I could have spent an intersting hour or two drawing my response to his music with no model. Drawing Denis as I'm accustomed has a different set of slower internal rhythms and would have been fine on its own as well. Trying to do those simultaneously just wasn't working, so I gave over to the music. For the two drawings after that, I was using big sticks of graphite - often held `mitt' style in my fist, to put bold scrawly lines in keeping with the music's tempos.
After that I was able to be more loose and free about the drawing. That I feel is ultimately a good thing. The session was like an art class where an obstacle to working on autopilot is thrown in. The upside is that I started getting a lot less precious about the drawing. So all whining aside, it was worthwhile.

* and I suspect, the most interesting drawn response I've done in a while, which I'm going to think about.

If you want to get a taste of Jason's music, you can hear some excerpts online. From the 2:00 mark on the 3rd "littleBits and piano" piece is where I was getting wound up; the moody electronics were fine - it was the piano atop it that kept jarring. The other three tracks underscore his adept and interesting playing. (just more interesting than I thought I wanted .)  2 hours of solo piano improv is pretty impressive.

The top two are on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper. The lower four are on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson XL Watercolour paper, mostly using a big hexagonal Lyra water-soluble graphite crayon the thickest, least precious drawing tool I had.

2nd entry for May 3, 2015

These are some 5-minute and 10-minute studies. As I tried to slow down and go slower with some more precise lines,  I was finding that Jason's musical performance was becoming a challenge. It was a little improv jazz-y, a little Chopin-ish and a little start/stop high/low volume like some Satie pieces. Jason's musicianship was strong, but listening to the music and drawing was puling my brain in two directions, and his work was a little too varied and had enough shift changes that I couldn't put it into the background. There was some nice industrial-sounding loops he was using, which I personally liked, but then surprise piano flourishes  would pierce their steady rhythms.

Drawing can be a kind of dance, and when dancing I do tend to tap out the beat of music, and his rhythms were not in sync with the movements I was trying to make on the page, which was slowing things down and becoming frustrating. I was respecting that Jason was looking out to the room and responding to his environment. Internally, I felt my drawing was getting weaker and less connected.
I found I was being reminded of the piano solo in Bowie's "Aladdin Sane" now and then.

These are all Pitt pen and ink washes on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.

1st entry for May 3, 2015

On the Sunday I went to investigate the life drawing at the Jam Factory space on Matilda St, just west of Broadview.
Denis was working, and the sessions there take place in a lovely big old industrial space. The Jam Factory Arts Collective also brings in live musicians to contribute to the experience. Jason Kenemy was  improvising on piano and electronics that morning.
These are some 1-minute studies, Pitt pen on 18 x 24" sheets of Canson Recycled Sketch paper.

2nd entry for May 2, 2015

Slow training and fast training.
With some time to myself and marking now finished 'til Fall, I was feeling hungry to draw on the weekend. After the long pose I took advantage of the lovely spring day and went sketching for an hour and a half in Trinity-Bellwoods park.
These are all ballpoint pen in an 8 1/2 x 11 sketchbook.

1st entry for May 2, 2015

With my Saturday teaching back in the morning time slot, I had occasion to go to the afternoon session at Artists 25. Etienne was there for week one of two. This is a 2.5 hour study, with graphite, Chinese ink and Pitt oil-based pencil on an 18 x 24" sheet of Canson XL Watercolour paper.

Entry for April 26, 2015

On the Sunday I went over to the ARC studio. Gwen was back working, and this is a 2.5 hour study.
Graphite, Chinese ink washes and Oil-based pencil on an 18 x 24" sheet of Strathmore Watercolour paper.
The mid-calf cropping was intentional; including her whole figure made it smaller than I wanted and more empty space than I like.  Cropping in closer to the knee might have worked even better.

Entry for April 25, 2015

On the Saturday night there were rehearsals for the upcoming `Older and Reckless' dance series production I've been connected with. It's being co-produced by MOonhORsE Dance Theatre and Dancemakers. I did a few sketches of dancers, costumes and set-pieces from pieces being choreographed by Tina Fushell and from Andrew Hartley (the subject of the last page of head sketches).
The production's running May 14 - 16, and has features a number of pieces by younger invited choreographers, making use of various elements designed and built by people from the TSA. You can find more information about it here.

These are all on 8 1/2 x 11" sketchbook pages, initially with a medium point Pitt pen, until I switched to my old standby, black ball-point pen (still the best for fast, loose sketching)