Figure Drawing class #3

Last night was our first night drawing with a model.

We warmed up first doing a few gestures of our professor until the model arrived. I quickly remembered how much I love gesture drawing!!

Once the model was in place, we started with several one minute poses, then progressed in 5 minutes focusing on the torso sometimes, and sometimes just the legs and feet.

One minute gesture:


Five minute:



Then at the end we did a 20 minute pose of the model in a chair. This was the hardest thing for me- I have a love/hate thing with chairs. This was the only one where I struggled with the proportions. This was my least successful drawing of the evening.

I look forward to more of this-- so good for me!!

Figure Drawing Homework

This is the first assignment for my Figure Drawing class at Folsom Lake College. We had to draw a human-sized skeleton and label the bones from a list she gave us.

At first, it was a bit daunting to have to know all the places all the bones connected. It wasn't clear in some places. I draw it human-size, but, I traced Violet (who's six..and a bit skeletal herself!!), making this a more managable size.

Here's the initial drawing:



I taped the paper on our sliding glass door to draw.

After I was satisfied with the pencil drawing, I colored the bones with colored pencils.



I had to be careful to check and cross-check that I had them right. Some illustrations are different than others- which was frustrating.

Next, I went over it with pen...hatching and cross hatching for a very long time.


And I JUST finished...with about an hour before I need to leave for class. Phew!!


Tonight we have our first live model!! I am positively GIDDY!!!

When preference and trend come together.

I had to laugh today when I opened my email and saw what Who What Wear had on their site. I've been addicted to denim shirts since I was in Junior high. I like denim in all manifestations with the exception of denim shoes...I can't do that. I have several denim or denim-ish dresses and shirts. This "trend" is easy as pie for me. I love how they show you how to use a denim shirt as though you can't just put it on with absolutely everything.

Seriously- leggings and denim shirt. Jeans and denim shirt. Dress with denim shirt over it. Olive green chinos with denim shirt. Denim shirt over little black dress. It's easy.

The only thing I would say is NOT easy it finding a denim shirt that doesn't swallow you up and look dumpy. I have a nice one (thats actually chambray) from the Gap similar to this. I also just picked up a nice heavy one by Ralph Lauren at the thrift store for $2.75.

I guess it makes me sound old to say things like this, and I guess that's true. It just goes to prove that anything anyone likes to wear will probably eventually become the hot "new" thing.

New music!!

My new music obsession?

Mountain Man

Seriously, how did this band get started without me in it? I can't believe I'm not the only person who loves this sort of music! I'm so happy...

Back to class...this time, two!!

It's not like its full time or anything, but it kind of feels like it. I'm taking two whole classes this semester- Figure Drawing, and Intermediate Painting.

Figure Drawing is the class that made me go back to school. I've always, always wanted to take it. I love drawing people and I'm very drawn to figurative paintings. I knew the course had pre-requisites, so, I started from the beginning as I've probably mentioned before.

And here I am, taking it!! I have only been to two classes so far, so, we haven't really bitten into the subject yet. We have our first model on monday!! I can't wait!! I'm not sure about the ethics of posting my work on here...I'd be ok with it, and I'm guessing the model wouldn't model if they cared about their likenesses being shared? Hmmm...

The other class is Painting, or as I'm calling it- Intermediate painting. It's not beginning painting- it advanced. I don't have the pre-req. for it, but I'm challenging it. I really feel like it'll be a great class for me, especially after reading today's syllabus. It looks like we'll be doing a lot of abstract work, which is something I really want to challenge myself in.

I need a voice!! You have no idea how many way this can be translated in my life. Of course right now I'm referring to artistic expression. I can paint you. I can paint a tree. Apparently I can paint dogs. But in an empty room, with a head full of ideas? Nothing materializes in front of me. I haven't a clue what to paint.

I know there are ideas I'd love to express, themes and images that inspire me- but, I don't feel I have what it takes to get it on the canvas yet. This is the direction I'm hoping to go.

I need to draw more- LOTS more. I need to make it a daily discipline. I think I will start posting my daily stuff- perhaps not a daily post, but photos of the daily drawing I do. This will be tough for me, but I see the value in it.

I've been doing a lot of research for my novel, again. (I can hear the groans of the audience). I know, I know...the never ending novel I think I'm writing...

National Novel Writing Month will be here before we know it and guess what? I'm NOT going to write the same book for the 4th time. I'm going to start from scratch. No ideas...just crazy typing and complete raw ideas.

In the mean time, I'm in love with research. Its giving solid legs to some of the themes of my novel, and its fleshing out the characters. I thought I had all this stuff, and now I realize I only had a rough sketch- a gesture drawing of these people and this story.

What else...

I've been doing a lot of singing with Hickory Wind this summer. I am really enjoying the music! And singing seems to be part of me I can't ignore. I'm constantly surprised when people say I sound good. Do you hear that, family and friends? SOME people don't consider it torture when I sing!! (of course, they don't have to hear it on the phone, in the car or randomly at the mall or something...) I love that microphone.

I bought Converse sneakers- a strange thing for me to do because I tend to turn my nose up at sneaker-wearers. I'm kind of digging them- I really just broke one of my sandals and I can't really wear heels to school and it's not boot-time yet

Back to class, back to blogging---out of the lazy fog of summer. Fall is much, much more exciting!!

Oy.

I feel a bit burnt out.

I am feeling freaked out about keeping up the pace with my painting with the semester ending, and I have to deal with challenging the pre-requistite on the class I want to take in the fall. I'm nervous about that.

I didn't get the scholarship I tried for. It's fine- it was a bit of a long-shot, I guess. I had to try, right? And now my job is to NOT get discouraged about something little like this get me down and shut of my ambitions. (which I'm quite prone to)

So, I press on.

Yesterdays class was mostly comprised of working on our abstracts of the the paintings we did last week. We also turned in our end-of-semester portfolios. I'm getting excited about the painting I'm doing now- especially since its beginning to take shape. I've learned a lot about abstract painting. I thought you just kind of did whatever you want- and then I wondered why no one likes my abstract stuff. My professor said that the most compelling art is the most subjective. Pieces that try to tell a story tend to be less effective. Keep it free- go towards a meaning and story of your own, but, dont pigeon hole the painting. For example, in my painting, I put a woman struggling to hold on to a chair thats on top of a mountain of eggs. She said this: "Take the figure out- for two reasons. One- you don't know how to paint a figure yet. And two, I think the same idea can be portrayed without her. Let the viewer feel it- don't over-describe."

I was blown away. A little stung by the comment about painting figures- but from this professor, I know she means I'm just not ready. And she was right- I painted the woman out and the painting feels less forced. The perspective is more open, and it forced me to have to use other elements to portray the feelings.

Fascinating!! It pays to have someone in your life who is wise!!!

In other news...I'm going to start my re-write again. I know, I know...I'm crazy. I need to write this book. It's good for me to write. Without writing, I tend to grow in discontent with my own life, which is completely ridiculous. I have everything someone could want....but my mind wanders. When I don't write, I tend to look around and get down on myself about missing out on things. I'm a freak. I *need* imaginary friends so I don't destroy my real life.

I'm weird.

Make up post!!!

Yikes. I got PRET-ty busy there for a while. I had projects due, I got sick, I was out a lot...yada, yada, yada. I'm a lame blogger, I guess.

Wait, no I'm not! I'm awesome. (that was convincing, right?)

So...where was I? Working on my abstract, right? Well...I finished it. It's ok...I think its marginally successful: (its on the right, by the way....the pears are old)



Our next project was to set up a still life at home of a chair, with fabric draping and 3 or more round or oval objects. This is how it started for me:


I used the Grisaille technique. Next I laid in some colors:


Then the back ground:


Then the details:


Overall I really like this painting. It's not 100% done, but I am happy with it. I have gained so much more confidence in diving into a painting. This took me about 5 hours total.

Now I'm working on an abstract of the chair painting--I'll show you when I'm further along.

Portfolios are due Monday! Ack!! I have to gather all my stuff and make sure it's all finished and ready for scrutiny!

I should mention---I totally blew off Script Frenzy. Too much going on...and I just didn't have a clear vision for a screenplay this time...even if it was Blood Freckles all over again!!

Oh, and as an ode to my immaturity:

May is a good month. *sigh*