Day 13 - I Will Not Swing

Today's drawing is a bit of a homage to Donna , whom I recently did a swap with - two of my life drawings for this fabulous little sculpture. She is taking part in the challenge too, so I really hope she likes this one!
The second picture is, of course, the drawing with the sculpture. You can see that although I don't use classic sight-size methods, everything does tend to end up very similar in size to how I see the original - in this case I was sitting very close, the better to see all the details.

The challenge is half way through today and I am realising that this year I really want to try harder from now on - last year was great in getting me to use a sketch book and getting out into public spaces and drawing. Which is mainly what I've been doing so far this year. But in the last couple of days I have been thinking less of the sketching side of drawing and more of producing finished works - not something I have ever really done. It6 is also time for me to not depend just on watercolour and ink - to maybe start planning, drawing in pencil, really thinking about the best use of media for the image. So, a challenge!

day 12 - the tiger at Edinburgh Zoo

A few months ago I went to Edinburgh Zoo, and I am still working my way through using the photographs as reference - there is something about drawing animals which I love. The Tiger, however, was not happy that day as the other tiger had been quarantined. This meant they were both pacing about at either side of a fence - and it was difficult to get a good shot of either. He was so handsome though that he could not remain undrawn!

Day 11 - in the taxi

Had planned quite a different work for this day - drawing on skin i.e. my make-up for a party I was going to . But I took so long by the time I was done it was dark, I was getting late for the party and I couldn't get a good enough photograph. Oh well. So instead I drew the taxi on the way there - which is why the line is bumpy. It fascinates me how the most mundane, ordinary place can become magically interesting once you start to draw. And how odd moments of life become exciting.

(The party was great - although I was rather over made-up . . . )

Dream House - day 8

Eeeek! I have managed to post these in reverse order! The Dream House was day 8. Had real trouble uploading this one, as too big to scan and daylight is rubbish around here at the moment. Drawn for fun, a little bit of day-dreaming, exercising imaginative rather than reproductive skills - need a wee bitty more practice.

Day 9 - Life Drawing

Poor lighting, so poor photo - but the painting not yet finished, so will get a much better image once I'm done. It is currently still wet, having been painted at Wasp Studios this morning at the life drawing class. This I do think is on the border of drawing and painting - it took about an hour or so and was done in one sitting. Once I have played with the background and possibly a couple of other changes I will feel it falls much more into the painting category. But it was done as part of the challenge, so here it is!
Life drawing this morning with the fantastic Penny (who tells me a painting of her has been chosen as the people's choice in a Canadian art exhibition. Not suprised at all.)
As you can see, one of the purposes of doing this regularly for me is to experiment. Often this means that I get wildly different drawings of varying success. However, I feel that this means that when I really want to make something I have a wider range of skills to use. The drawing with the pony tail was drawn using the stopper of the watercolour bottle - it seemed to really want to skitter away from me! However, I really like the balance between the softer hair and the dense line and may well try this again - although possibly with a brush for the line drawing rather than the stopper.
This drawing just makes me smile. Penny pulls such energetic, crazy poses that are extremely challenging to draw in 2 minutes.

Not A Drawing - day 7

Most definitely not a drawing, although it did start as one - I draw on canvas with watercolour pencil, then paint in lights/darks with thinned paint before starting to paint in colour with paint from the tube. I only feel it has become a painting at that last stage - where we are with this one now.

Working with just the head and shoulders does seem to be fascinating me at the moment - there is so much to learn regarding composition (particularly liked the curves in this one, tried to get the sense of a spiral so including four dimensions - up, across, back and time i.e. movement), edges and comparative colour - especially the contrasting of warm/cold - which in this painting is mainly between ultramarine, burnt umber and the flesh tones.

Ongoing Challenge

Party night on Saturday (even if I bailed early). It was in celebration of Moira's birthday and this is Moira and Penny waiting in wagamama's for the food - the ever dapper Frank To had managed to phone the wrong one so we were waiting a wee bitty longer than planned - so much so Penny had a go at drawing for the first time in years!

On Sunday I was really busy and didn't have much time - and this little gadget got a lot of use. Most people never notice it, so I thought it was time it took the spotlight, even if it is misshapen little thing. This is not the place for me to air my hobby horses,but needless to say I can get quite passionate about how some of us can be treated just because we are a little different . . .
And through the door this morning came an absolutely gorgeous invite to Jimmy Greer's retrospective at Mansfield Park Gallery. Stunning. Did I mention I have one of the prints on the invite? And that he was one of the friendliest guys a few years ago when I first plucked up the courage to attend life drawing sessions, after not having drawn for about ten years? Over that time I have never seen him anything other than welcoming and approachable, while quietly producing great works of art in his little corner. Just doing this little drawing based on his works has taught me a thing or two and if I was to write a list of Art Heroes, he would be on the list.