Figure Drawing on Fire!

I was on fire last night at Paul Geiger's figure drawing session. We had a good model, good group and good music.

I used 18 x 24 news print paper with Vine charcoal and General's 2B Charcoal Pencils. I created some nice drawings!

The best part for me in this session was the deep dark lines. I got nice thin rich black lines with the sharp tips on the General's pencils. Perfect for drawing shapes and giving illusion of depth.

Below I included a picture Paul took of the figure drawing group. It's a perfect space for figure drawing. Thanks again Paul for the snacks at break and the good tunes. I especially liked the music by Tanita Tikaram.

Paul Geiger Studio - TholepinPress.com

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African American Woman Portrait Drawing

 

 I created some nice drawings at the Sunday morning Al Hyter portrait group. They have a new model. She's wearing a beautiful dress from Nigeria Africa.

A lot of artists attended so space was limited. I started my warmup with a side profile drawing. Then I was able to squeeze in front to draw a 3/4 profile. As always, I sat as close as possible to the model to see all the details of eye, nose, lips, ears.

I treated these drawings a little differently. Recently I finished updating my online illustration portfolio on theispot.com and noticed subtle changes in my drawing style. My older drawings seem to have more emphasis on technique: clean sketch lines, and more contrast between lights and darks.

So at this session I spent 40 minutes per drawing instead of 20 minutes. I slowed down to focus on my technique, and I kept using  sharp pencils to get nice clean dark lines in the details. I'm happy with the results. I'm looking forward to next week's session.

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Figure Drawing with Charcoal Pencils

I attended Paul Geigers figure drawing session on Wednesday. This time I used some different materials and medium. I purchased 18"x24" Strathmore Newsprint paper (300 series). I also bought 2B General's Charcoal pencils and soft vine charcoal. These materials are a perfect combo. The Newsprint paper has a nice rough surface so when drawing with sharp charcoal pencils I get beautiful rich dark lines. It's been so long since I've sketched with charcoal. I had forgotten the feel and sound charcoal makes when it strikes the paper. Felt like I was coming home.

We had a good model, I sketched many pieces in charcoal. Here are a couple drawings that challenged me.

So, good art materials, good model and of course good music. Paul played The Beatles White Album. Awesome tunes for drawing. Thanks again Paul for the music and the drawing sessions.

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Portrait Drawing Up Close

I had a good drawing session at the Saturday morning Al Hyter portrait group. Model dressed in costume with her face painted. I got up close to her so I can sketch the details on her face. I often do this. It makes a big difference in my drawings; there is so much more information on the eyes, nose, lips, chin, ears.

Bruce, the coordinator, brought in nice music. One of them is a favorite for everyone: The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews. Nice combo for drawing, had everyone humming the tunes.

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Figure Drawing Reclining Nude

Last Wednesday I attended Paul Geigers figure drawing session. I created a lot of nice drawings. I wish I could share them all. I picked these two. They were the most challenging and I believe I learned a few lessons from these two.

The challenge for the top drawing was drawing the figure to fit the length of the page while her arm was in vertical position.

The foreshortening is off on the bottom drawing. I made the torso too long. She was reclining back more.

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Portrait Study, Man with Russian Hat

I haven't posted in a while. Again I get busy and time just goes by. I haven't been drawing much on my own either. Hopefully that will change soon. I start art school at New York Academy of Art September 3rd! I'm getting ready and that should include more drawing and painting before I go.

I've been attending the Saturday morning Al Hyter portrait sessions. Here's a portrait I enjoyed creating. The model wore a Russian hat. It had a nice shape so I exaggerated the features and size of the hat, it was just fun to draw.

I'm going to miss my Saturday morning portrait drawing group. I'll keep in touch to share my new art adventure in New York!

Kitchen Table Fruit & Wine Still Life

Here's a recent still life drawing I created in my kitchen. Often the kitchen table is full of fruit and other kitchen stuff, so I grab my chair and look for a composition that I like and I start drawing. I might move a couple items but not too much because I want that random everyday living or everyday kitchen table feeling.

I have fun creating these drawings, they are challenging because there are so many shapes and the drawing page gets full. Hopefully my drawing can communicate clearly what I see.

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Two Portrait Drawings

Two drawings I wanted to share with you from yesterday's portrait session. I was looking forward to this all week, I've been working a lot of hours and haven't had time to sit and draw. I arrived early and of course the model I wanted to draw showed up late, Haha!

It worked out fine because they had two models scheduled. I sketched the male model until the female model dressed in 60s theme arrived.

Drawing the man was a good warm up, I had fun with it, except I think I sketched the eyes too close, something about it just doesn't feel right. I still have much to learn.

The young woman's drawing is nice except for a few spots. I wanted to sketch full figure on big paper, so it took me a lot longer. Proportions are a little off. Head might be a little too big, right hand too small, a couple things here and there but I'm okay with it. I enjoyed creating and completing this piece.

It was a good and much needed drawing session, plus they played Motown music and I enjoyed the funny and interesting stories from the elders. Next Saturday, two new models.

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The Beatles Abby Road & Charcoal

Okay, there's nothing better then figure drawing to Beatles album Abbey Road! What a combo!!

I just returned from Paul Gieger's figure drawing session and had a great time, every drawing was a winner. They started with short 5 minute poses. This time I used vine charcoal to warm up. I haven't used vine charcoal in a long time. It felt good: it's soft, easy to apply, and has a rich black color. I got nice results and it inspired me to buy some charcoal pencils.

I used to draw a lot in charcoal then switched to graphite because it was easier, inexpensive, and not messy. Maybe it's time to make a switch back to charcoal plus if I'm planning on going to grad school, charcoal will be the medium of choice for drawing.

Bianca, our model, did a great job with her poses. I want to scan all my drawings and share them with you. Here are a few from tonight's session.

Thanks again, Paul, for the awesome music and wine/snacks at break time.

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Young Woman and Guitar, Art School

 

Here's a portrait drawing from the Saturday morning portrait group I attend. They have a new model; she's dressed 60s theme. I like the pose because she's wearing glasses, head scarf, fluffy coat and has her hand on a cool little guitar. It's great for drawing.

Drawing the portrait is fun but it's more fun and challenging when the model wears interesting clothing and items. I'm looking forward to next Saturday's session. I'll try from a different angle to get more of the guitar in the pose.

This past week I visited New York City and Philadelphia. I was accepted at the schools I applied to, so now I have to make a decision. It's not easy.  I visited the New York Academy of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and Studio Incamminati.  Incredibly impressive art schools. I was hoping to return home with an easy decision but not the case, hopefully soon one will feel right.

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Figure Drawing on 18x24

Where does the time go! Last night I attended Paul Giegers 3-hr figure drawing session and the time just flew by, I was in the zone. I created some nice drawings. We had an excellent model, nice bone and muscle structure, and his portrait was interesting to draw, eyebrows, nose and beard. Plus Paul played good tunes, starting with classical music and ending with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

I showed up at this session with a bigger drawing pad, 18"x 24" it's been a long time since I've sketched on this size. I've been using smaller sizes 14x17 and 11x14 because they cost less. I can complete drawings fast and the smaller size fits better on my scanner. So I was a little concerned last night showing up with bigger paper. I did use a lot of sharp pencils but didn't tire out and was able to maintain my concentration and patience.

It was nice drawing bigger. I focus more on drawing details larger on hands, face and feet. Drawing the figure's proportions was challenging too. I think I drew the head too big on the second long pose drawing. I got carried away working on the portrait details. It kinda looks like one of Rodin's sculptors.

• Large sample 25minutes pose
• Small sample (big head) 60minute pose 

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Wabi Sabi Still Life Drawing

Wow! Where do I begin? So much I want to share on this post. Here's a recent still life drawing. This one is different. Lately, I've been setting up still lifes, but for this one, I simply sat by the edge of the kitchen table and began to draw. I wanted that random, wabi sabi feeling of fruit, cups, stuff placed on the table as a composition.

This one was a little more challenging because of all the shapes, especially the tea cups and the antique fan, and because I sketched it on bigger paper, 14" x 17".  I'm working my way towards creating bigger pieces. The next size I want to draw on is 18" x 24". Bigger paper for me means more time, more sharp pencils and more concentration/patience.

Lately the idea of attending art school for an MFA has inspired me. I've had a flood of ideas, and they are all big in size and in concept. So I'm starting now.  I'm going to work on bigger and bigger pieces to prepare myself mentally and physically for what's to come when I'm working on my MFA.

I'll share more on the next post. Till then, enjoy!

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Fresh Fruit Still Life Drawing on Paper

How I love to draw fruit! If you want get better at drawing I believe drawing fruit offers the fundamental shapes for building good sketching skills. Especially if you're drawing bananas, they are the most difficult to draw. They look so simple but tough to draw when trying to capture their likeness.

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Young Asian Woman Portrait Study

Last Saturday morning I attended Al Hyter's Portrait session. They have a new model for the next 3 weeks. Drawing this model will have its challenges: she is young and her face is smooth so how do I draw her portrait? Here's where less is more. I have to force myself to keep the details and tone light and simple. This is tough for me because I enjoy drawing and can overwork the drawing.

When I first started this portrait I was just going to sketch the head and neck but then decided to include the hands, arms and shoulders. You can see were I changed my mind, there's a large light quick sketch of the head on the right side. I did this because I liked the simple gesture of the hands and the fold from her blouse, plus it was more challenging.

I brought a friend with me to this session. She was a little nervous and claimed to be "a beginner". We are all beginners, I've been drawing for many years and I still have that quest/desire for becoming a better skilled draftsman. It was humbling watching my friend draw, her struggles of drawing from life were no different than mine. I gave her some tips for her drawing but the best advice was to simply draw, draw a lot, and enjoy the process.

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New Years Still Life Sketch

Here are two sketches I created at the beginning of the year. I wanted to start with a drawing pencil in my hand. In 2013 I do want to draw and paint more. I get so busy and the days just fly by that everything else just seems to get in the way of what I really enjoy doing most. But no excuse, I have to set my priorities and at least draw and paint a little bit everyday.

I recently applied to grad school for an MFA. I applied to the New York Academy of Art and The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. I submitted my application with portfolio, so now for the wait, hopefully an acceptance letter. I'm a little nervous, fingers crossed, and Insha'Allah.

I don't think I'll ever lose interest in drawing still lifes, the possibilities and drawing challenges are endless especially when drawing bananas! I believe drawing fruits and vegetables are the next best thing to drawing the human figure from life.

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