Getting into sketching

Personally, I aim for creating art with accurate underlying drawings. Someday that might change, but for now I get frustrated when I cannot play with colors or paint as I would like because I am too absorbed in drawing. When I draw I am constantly thinking, concentrated on proportions and measurements. When I feel like painting I visualize the colors and try to push values. Those are two completely different states of mind and only one can win at a given time.

Therefore the first step to take is to learn how to draw very, very well. To be able to draw so well I will not even think about it so my focus can shift onto different aspects of art. Since beginning of the year I have been drawing on a semi-regular basis and have noticed improvement. But without the commitment of a scheduled class, I revert to my over-thinking subject-matter-picky self. I need to just do it and practice, which is easier when there is a class to attend or a ticking clock at a live model session.

Chuck Jones often quoted his instructor who said "Everyone has 100,000 bad drawings in them, you better get started." Sketching is a great way of getting all of those bad drawings out of the way. "I do not have enough time" will not be a valid excuse for not sketching. On the upside, "I only had a few minutes" is the perfect excuse for unfinished sloppy scribbles.

Here's to developing a sketching habit, starting with my Travel Sketching class. Eventually I will get around to taking photos of my new sketchbook. In the meantime, I am having way too much fun reading this journey.  Recommended for anyone who paints or wants to paint.

Recent doodles + pens and markers

Here goes.

 

 

Recently I have been drawing with pens. Pens have an intimidating permanence, and I am trying to force my way out of this irrational fear. I'm proud of this next one, one of my first true contour drawings.

 

 

Also got to try out some markers I got.

Over the shoulder

The over-the-shoulder look.

 

 

 

I am happy with how the "white" fur is blue on one side and yellow on the other, without turning into a muddy green in the transition. I'm calling it finished, even though the pink in the background is bothering me just a little.

 

 

Painting classes are over! Hopefully I will find the time to keep painting. I might turn back to pastels. Next class up: Travel Sketching.

Recent Doodles

 

 

 

 

 

 

White fur

Outside-of-class painting. I like the expression on this one! I do not like how it looks waaay more yellow than the actual color, white. But, it looks as if it's done on purpose (ha), and it is understood that the dog is white. Good.

The red background actually extends quite a bit downwards but I think I will crop it like this.

Recent Doodles

From the last couple of weeks

Sofi

This is Sofi.

 I think the eye to the left should have been slightly more south and to the left and the eyes look more cartoon-y than I would like, but other than that I am happy with this one. Took me ~5 hours.

Acrylic is impossible to blend because it dries so fast, but I refuse to have toxic solvents around to try out oils. I've resorted to dry-brushing a lot which works fine but is hard to control. I doubt dry-brushing works well on smooth surfaces, but then maybe acrylic dries slower when it's on something smooth? I'll try it out.

First painting

Not really my first painting. More like, my first acrylic painting that I'm happy with.

This is not my dog by the way, it is just a random dog photo found on the intenret. The next painting will be one of my dogs.

The instructor suggested I keep the choppy border if I ever frame it. I like that idea. Although that may never happen. The dimensions on this one are odd and non-standard.

Painting Classes

I am taking painting classes.

Painting is messy. There is water, a whole lot of color mixing, and timing contraints because of quickly drying paints. And there is something about holding a brush that I just find uncomfortable.

I chose pastels a long time ago because of the brighter colors, not having to mix, the minimal setup/cleanup and necessary space, and their dry nature. The choice was based on practicality rather than personal taste. I do not know if pastels also happened to be my favoite medium, or if I convinced myself they had to be.

Pastels are still my favorite. But now I want to learn how to use acrylics because of similar practical reasoning. Pastels are delicate and are easy to store, but hard to display. Being able to throw something on the wall and not worry about storage or expensive framing would be great, and painting with acrylics would let me do that.

I noticed I do not know how to paint, therefore I do not know if I dislike it (as I had been saying). So I am giving it a fair shot.

So far, I have learned that my expectations were right: I find holding a brush extremely awkward, but I think I can get used to it.

I also learned that color mixing is not as intimidating as I thought. It is hard to mix the right color and even more so to replicate one. But that ends up not being a problem.  What happens is that I attempt to mix a color for a certain area and it ends up being completely different from what was in my head. I stare hard at it and decide to use it somewhere else, or tweak it until it is usable somewhere, anywhere in the painting. I've found these odd patches of color everywhere are good for making the painting interesting without too much conscious intent. I wonder how this will change when I actually get enough practice to mix the colors as they are in my mind or the reference picture.

In Progress

Shiba

Shiba Inu.



Made on 6/2.. It's been that long already?

This one was done yellow to add color to what would be dog-mosiac wall paper. Well I decided to omit it when I did get around to making a wallpaper. I was too impatient to wait until I had a whole bunch of them. I like it, even though the color combination is meh. I could not make the Shiba look right, its position was too similar to the Husky's.

Colorful value studies

 I think I will make a few more of these and tile them together to make a wallpaper.

Winking

Value study of the day

Made with tablet in Photoshop

Cockatoo

Updated version of the sketch from last year.

9x11

The Boston Terrier

A value study. I'll be doing a lot more of these.

Back to animals

Back to the comfort zone: sketching dogs with charcoal.

Expressive Drawing Class

Drawings from an expressive drawing class from 1-12 to 3-12

Still Life
1/12/12

Photo Reference
2/2/12

Human Figure

2/16/12

2/23/2012

4 minutes:

 10 minutes, 2 minutes each pose

 10 minutes:

 15 minutes:

3/1/12
4 minutes:

 Charcoal and Gesso:

 20 minutes:

3/8/12
4 minutes:

10 minutes:

 40 minutes:

Homework:

Quick Studies

3/15/12

5 minutes:

 1 minute studies:

2 minute studies:

3 minutes:

5 minutes:

10 minutes:

20 minutes: