Light and Shadow
Seems like I have been drawing for a week straight. It also seems like the only time I draw these days is when I get together with a group of other artists. I have given up on experimenting for the time being and am sticking with pens. Go with what you know.
Cadavre Exquis
Exquisite corpse is when two or more artists work on one picture. What follows is a series of collaborations between fellow artist Flammis (Ariel Childers) and myself. She and I have very similar styles (read: heavily comic influenced) and I think we were able to compliment each other nicely.
Carnaval... NOT carnival
My drawing group had a special treat in honor of Carnaval that really must be seen to be believed.
We normally start out any session with a series of 30 second poses. These 'gesture drawings' help us warm up and get a feel for the model. The beautiful Eliana danced for us while we sketched.
My experiments with watercolor have been hit and miss. For every good piece I turn out, I have a colossal failure to keep me humble. Tonight I gave it a shot and was not at all pleased with the results. The outfit was just too damn complex.
Giving up on the watercolor, I was able to get a couple of really nice pen sketches out of the deal. The anatomy on this one is not perfect, but I was paying more attention to light and texture and I am happy with the results.
I am most satisfied with the final sketch of the night. Granted, it is a simple pen sketch and it seems I can do those in my sleep, but it made me happy. That is, after all, the whole reason I do this.
We normally start out any session with a series of 30 second poses. These 'gesture drawings' help us warm up and get a feel for the model. The beautiful Eliana danced for us while we sketched.
My experiments with watercolor have been hit and miss. For every good piece I turn out, I have a colossal failure to keep me humble. Tonight I gave it a shot and was not at all pleased with the results. The outfit was just too damn complex.
Giving up on the watercolor, I was able to get a couple of really nice pen sketches out of the deal. The anatomy on this one is not perfect, but I was paying more attention to light and texture and I am happy with the results.
I am most satisfied with the final sketch of the night. Granted, it is a simple pen sketch and it seems I can do those in my sleep, but it made me happy. That is, after all, the whole reason I do this.
Look Mom, COLOR!
I decided to try a little something different at a recent drawing session. The model was a chatty little thing and quite fun to draw (read: interesting tattoos and hair color). I have been in possession of various types of colored media for almost as long as I have been drawing but never put much effort into it. That is what computers are for, right?
I started with a quick pencil sketch and then used colored pencils to get a feel for the colors I wanted to use. Then it was time to really get froggy.
I must admit, I was intimidated by a recent gift of watercolor paints. What would I do if I messed up? You can't erase watercolor, can you? But hey, when a pretty girl gives you a set of watercolors and says, 'paint me a pretty picture,' what choice do you have?
Baby steps. I didn't try to start out with anything too complex. I think this may have even been a ten minute pose. Just a pencil sketch, not even too many details, followed by a little playing with shades. I tried to get a feel for the paper, not a stock I am accustomed to working with, and how the paint flowed, or didn't in some cases. If I was not careful, I might have been in danger of enjoying myself.
Not only did I live to tell the tale but I even relished the experience. I even feel confident I can avoid giving the model '70's porn bush' in the future. Photoshop assist on this last image was provided by Alessandra (at least I think it was Alessandra. It was definitely one of those Plattners).
I started with a quick pencil sketch and then used colored pencils to get a feel for the colors I wanted to use. Then it was time to really get froggy.
I must admit, I was intimidated by a recent gift of watercolor paints. What would I do if I messed up? You can't erase watercolor, can you? But hey, when a pretty girl gives you a set of watercolors and says, 'paint me a pretty picture,' what choice do you have?
Baby steps. I didn't try to start out with anything too complex. I think this may have even been a ten minute pose. Just a pencil sketch, not even too many details, followed by a little playing with shades. I tried to get a feel for the paper, not a stock I am accustomed to working with, and how the paint flowed, or didn't in some cases. If I was not careful, I might have been in danger of enjoying myself.Feeling rather confident with my initial results led me to branch out a bit. Then disaster struck. All of my worst fears were realized. Wet paint on top of wet paint created a smear that I was sure would herald the end of the world. It didn't. The world kept on moving and, I dare say, no one else even noticed that a catastrophe had been so close at hand. Imagine that.
Not only did I live to tell the tale but I even relished the experience. I even feel confident I can avoid giving the model '70's porn bush' in the future. Photoshop assist on this last image was provided by Alessandra (at least I think it was Alessandra. It was definitely one of those Plattners).
