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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Little Bo Peep Portrait Sketch Study

Little Bo Peep modeled for the Saturday morning Al Hyter Portrait group. This is the new model for January, she has a collection of vintage clothing. It's fun and challenging to draw her portrait because of the sunhat she's wearing. I like the curves to the rim of the hat, adds a lot of depth to the drawing, and it fills the page.

Bo Peep will be modeling again at the next session. I'm looking forward to drawing another portrait.

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Figure Drawing Session at Gieger Studios

This was an nice drawing session. We started with 5 minute poses, these are the small samples above. I like these quick gesture drawings, they are the substance of my drawing, here's were I warm up, put my mind in the drawing zone. And most important, it's where I let go, meaning I don't get caught up on the details of the drawing. It's 5 minutes so I just draw and let the skills I've developed over the years simply do their work. 

For the final long pose, the model was placed on a high platform with lighting from above. It's the reason why my eye level is lined up with the floor and the shadow is directly under the model.

I like that the model was placed on the chair, it gives the drawing of the figure a good solid foundation. And I like the form of the chair because it adds depth to the drawing.

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First Figure Drawings of 2013

It had been several months since I last attended Paul Gieger's figure drawing sessions at his downtown Toledo, Ohio studio. As always, when I come back from a break, my drawing skills feel rusty. I always want to be better with my drawing but I accept my "rustiness", it creates interesting lines, textures, and feeling. When I draw a lot, it can start to look too technical, so "rustiness" gives it that rough struggling feeling of trying hard to make the drawing look its best, perhaps more rewarding and better results this way.

The three drawings above are from one long pose. Instead of working on one drawing the whole time, I break down the time to create several drawings. I enjoy the creating process, it's the most challenging for me. So as soon as I feel the challenge is complete, I tell myself to sign it and move on so that I don't overwork the drawing. I get up, move to a new location and take on the challenge from a new spot.

It was great to see Paul, fellow artists, new artists, and the chubby cat that roams the studio. Thanks again, Paul, for providing an awesome artist environment. I believe the secret to everyone's nice drawings is the wine and cheese served at mid break! Oh, and the classical music/classic rock played.

I plan to attend the figure drawing sessions regularly for 2013. This year I want to focus more on my art; more drawing to improve my draftsmanship and painting techniques.

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"Ceci n'est pas une pipe"

Had the luxury again of attending Paul Geiger's figure drawing session on Wednesday evening. I had a really good drawing session.  Figure drawing will always be my foundation for my drawing technique, and my strong appreciation for the craft. Of course it helps that Paul played excellent music, and provides an awesome environment to draw and that he finds such amazing models!

As always, I'm just drawing shapes: positive and negative. The real person is on the pedestal, I'm just creating an illusion, a representation. Ever heard the phrase by the Belgium artist Magritte "Ceci n'est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe)"? For me to tell you this is a reclining women is a lie.  It's just graphite marks on paper, or better yet, if you're viewing this on your computer, it's just zeros and ones illuminated on your monitor.

Drawing a Portrait With Eye Glasses

Here are two portrait studies from a recent Al Hyter Portrait drawing session. They had an excellent model, she did an excellent job holding her pose and she wore her eye glasses. I love it when portrait models wear a hat, ball caps, jewelry, a pencil on the ear, or eye glasses.  It adds so much more depth to the piece and it often makes it a bigger drawing challenge, that's what i enjoy the most. The best part for me is not the finished piece, it's the drawing process. I finish a drawing in about 20 minutes, then I'm looking forward to starting a new one from a different angle.

Saturday morning portrait artist: The Al Hyter Group

Last Saturday morning, we had a new model at the Al Hyter portrait group.  Her name is Meti and she's from Ethiopia, Africa. Nice person, I enjoyed drawing her portrait.  Meti has beautiful bold eyes, nose, lips, great for portrait drawing.  We especially liked the way Meti draped a yellow shawl over her head, it adds more depth, visual texture.

I created this slide show so you can see the artists that attend the portrait sessions. They are a great bunch! Notice the intense concentration.  I think this is one of the reasons why we attend, it helps us produce good work.

Figure Drawing at Paul Geigers Studio, Toledo, Ohio

This past Wednesday, I attended Paul Geiger's figure drawing session at his downtown studio. It was awesome! I had a great time drawing. I did feel rusty and a little "sloppy". It had been a year since I last went. The sessions started with short 5 minute poses which helped warm me up. Paul played nice classical music, and by the time we took our mid session break with 20 minute poses I was in the zone.

I forgot that Paul gives a good mid break to everyone. The artists walk away from their drawings to enjoy crackers with slice cheese, soft drinks, popcorn, and wine all provided by Paul.  It's a good moment for everyone: stretch, relax, socialize, talk art and have a couple good laughs together. I realized I take this break for granted, because it's also a great time to walk away from your drawing to refocus and then come back after a while relaxed. I believe lots of practice is key to becoming a skilled draftsman but I would also include camaraderie, happiness, good laughs, and perhaps a cup of wine to becoming a better artist. Thanks again Paul for providing a nice environment for all the artists.

For the 2nd half, Paul played music by Muddy Waters! Good combo for drawing. Here are two of many figure drawings I created Wednesday evening. Both 20 minute poses. The rustiness I felt was with my strokes, I felt heavy handed and a little sloppy which I think gave the drawing a nice rough, sketchy feel.  Also both drawings have a lot of structural lines to help me with the proportions and alignment of all the shape. These lines are part of my drawing tools, I'm constantly looking and aligning shapes.

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Portrait Drawing: White Bearded Man

Another good Saturday morning portrait drawing session at the Al Hyter portrait group.  This model is great, he can really hold his pose well. This time around the hair on his head was a little wild, it was great for drawing: added more depth, shape, and emotion!

This drawing session was fun, I was giving tips to fellow artists on their drawings.  It's always good for me to hear myself share my views, knowledge, and techniques with others. There is so much thought I put into a portrait drawing that I'm not aware of until I start talking to others.

Here's something I do with almost all my portraits:  I like positioning my drawing pad in landscape to draw a portrait. I like a lot of white space (negative space) on both sides of the portrait drawing, it's what gives depth to the piece.

Portrait Sketch, Elderly Man & White Beard

This past Saturday, I attended the Al Hyter Portrait art session in Toledo, Ohio. They have a new model for the next four Saturdays. This model has a white beard, which is great for portrait drawing. The beard adds more shapes and depth to the face. I have to be careful not to get caught up in drawing the hair from the beard, instead focus on the shape of the beard, as if the model had smashed potatoes on the chin.

When I draw portraits I'm constantly looking and drawing the shapes on the face: The shapes of the eyes, the nose, lips, head, ears, collar, forehead, hair. Believe it or not, I just draw shapes and when I'm done the viewer sees a portrait.

I had fun drawing this model, looking forward to sketching him again on next Saturday's portrait session.

Portrait Study: Young Man & Hat

I haven't been drawing in a long time. I had a dry spell.  I get that sometimes, good or bad I don't know. When I look back at my drawings I say to myself, "Wow! Those are nice sketches! Did I do that?" It's a weird feeling.  Perhaps its good to step away from my art for a while, it's a humbling feeling when I return. 

I haven't gone portrait drawing in a long time, finally had a Saturday morning off from my part time job. It felt good to visit the Al Hyter portrait drawing group in Toledo, Ohio. I was a little rusty with my technique at first, but after a couple of drawings, I warmed up and I felt comfortable with my medium and was having fun sketching.