An Artist's Work is Never Done

Before week three of my class begins...tomorrow...I thought that I would just do two more of my pretties in the Moleskine Journal (butter fantastico!) Yesterday I used plain white sketchpaper to do the one on the bottom. Sometimes these ladies just ask for white paper...it's the pale, etherial ones that seem to crave white.

Part Two...Week Two

This is my 2-page, girl-with-the-wild-hair, drawing. I've forgotten if we're supposed to paint the hair on our journal goddesses or if we're supposed to leave the painting of hair, backgrounds, etc. until next week. The brain is first to go, I hear. I might just have to watch the week 2 videos again for the answers. I wouldn't hurt me a bit if I watched the videos again...watching Suzi do a drawing and hearing her explain what she's doing and why she's doing it will just help me in the long run. OK...so I'll watch the videos again.
XOXO

Just Playing Around

Decided to practice a little on my shading...so I used plain white sketchbook paper. I probably should have used my wonderful cream colored, buttery Molskine sketchbook...it takes graphite and colored pencil so well and is such a pleasure to use when drawing. Oh well...live 'n learn. It was a good exercise anyway.

Color!!! Love Color!!!

This week's workshop uses what was presented and practiced last week but adds color to the mix. I'm finally working in the beautiful creamy butter colored Moleskine sketch book. I love the way the paper takes the pencil and the soft effects that are possible by light applications of even pale colors. These pages have a way to go before they're finished. Suzi says that we'll be working on the eyes and backgrounds next week. This week is for faces...and subtlety. So far I think that I'm pleased with what I've drawn. I'm way more than pleased with the improvement in my ability to draw a face. This was a Woo-Hoo!!!!! day for me. Woo-Hoo!!!!

More Bald Goddesses and an Art Deco Princess

I'm spending the better part of each day drawing. Who needs housework when one has ART!!! I think that I'm just bursting with excitement about

having learned this new and wonderful thing. I finally understand how to draw a face!

It all starts with some basic math....and a ruler. The weird thing is that once I understood the proportions of a face (that's the math part) and how to draw a face map (just like a street map...except this one helps you find where the eyes, nose and mouth usually live)...the rest just fell into place. Like magic....except it helps if you've practiced drawing eyes, noses, lips, gray scales and spheres first. My bald goddesses will eventually have something like hair on their heads...maybe not hair...but something. Tomorrow is class #2. Color.

Yes...she's bald. I plan to paint over her with clear gesso and glue her down on a different substrate....maybe wood. Then I can add whatever I want to her head with paint or collage....hair, a beret, a wreath of flowers, even grass.....kind of like a chia-pet.

Here's my first portrait using the method which I'm learning in my on-line class. I know that with each portrait that I draw...it's going to get easier and I'll do a better job. Next week I think that we're going to start adding color. I'm really enjoying this.

Practice...practice...practice!!!

There you see my first homework assignments in...oh....30 years or so. I did these for my Goddess and the Poet drawing class. On the left is my gray scale and sphere...on the right, noses, eyes and lips. This afternoon I'm going to work on putting these together...and putting what I've learned so far...to draw a face or two. I'm 68 and am just now learning to draw what I always thought was an impossible stretch for me....faces. Suzi's a wonder...think that I'll start an I Luv Suzi-Blu fan club. The first thing that she teaches is that you've got to get rid of the notion of "I can't". I CAN!!!!! I think that I picked up this gem on her website: As long as you're breathing and above ground...you can! Well...that's all that I have to say today. XOXO

Another Drawing?

Well...here I am again. And here's my latest practice face. The class (for which I'm practicing) starts on Wednesday. I can't wait. It's called: The Goddess and the Poet. We'll be learning how to make stylistic/realistic faces and poetry in our art journals. I've just been playing around with an art journal for some time now...but in a more whimsical style than what I'll be doing for this class. I've been using bright colors...wild patterns...lots of black and white borders or accents. This class presents a challenge because the style will be much more subtle than what I do now. The instructor (this is an on-line class) is Suzi-Blu....and if you've ever seen her work, been to her website or seen any of her You-Tube videos...you'll know how terrific she is...both as an artist and teacher. Many of her videos are free of charge...so check her out. You'll love her. Click on the little Suzi-Blu box at the left of the screen...it will connect you. I know that I'll be taking other classes from her.....why don't you join me?(and about a hundred other people) I've never met her in person but already think of her as the kind of friend I'd love to have. Enough already with the blogging. As the class progresses I'll be posting my stuff for all to see....and, if you want, comments are OK too.

Practice doesn't make Perfect....just makes Better

Well here she is: The Girl with the Giraffe Neck!!! Can you believe that I actually meant for her to have a long neck? I did....yes I did. Why. I'm not drawing to make realistic portraits...I'm going for highly stylized drawings of non-existant females. These are imaginary people...and I'm the artist...so I'll do as I please. And this little lady just cried out for a long neck and a tiny head. Who knows, she might wind up as a character in one of my mixed media paintings. Anyway...I drew her yesterday afternoon. She's #3 in my rogues gallery of faces...and, in her case, necks.
The portrait on the top, I'm quite pleased with. I'll definately use her in another piece. I like her simplicity of line...the way that her hair is just suggested, her gaze (which to me looks a little bit dreamy...like her thoughts are somewhere far away), and the tilt of her head. I worked on her late last night...which tells me that maybe my drawings are better when I don't overthink them.
Well...that's all for now. Tonight, when it's a little cooler outside (remember that I live in Las Vegas) we're taking the fur babies to the dog park. They really love to have that social time with other dogs. Sniff other dogs and each others rear ends...pee on as many trees and clumps of grass as they can...drink lots of water...and pee some more. Communication. Humans leave post-it notes...dogs pee.
That's life.

One a Day

My goal is to make a piece of art every day. Here I'm posting another sketch. It's of no one in particular...just an exercize in drawing faces. I love doing little pieces of work like this...I'm using a sketchpad that't only about 5 x 8 inches...a small, white sheet of sketchpad paper is not as intimidating as a large blank canvas. And it's only an exercize....a practice piece. I don't have to show it to the world, or put it on my blog...but I think it helps me with my confidance. Maybe it will encourage someone else to bring their work out of the closet. Being a secret artist is safe but unfulfilling. So I'm going to show you my art...good or bad. You can comment or not. That's all I wanted to blog about today. Maybe I'll go work in my art journal...paint a few backgrounds or draw a few borders. And have a little afternoon snack....there are some delicious grapes in the kitchen. Yoo-Hoo!...little grapes....here I come!

Just Sketching

Today I thought that I'd practice a little face drawing in my little sketch pad. I'm going to be taking an on-line class which, I think, begins on the 15th of July. The class is called: Godesses and Poets. It's all about drawing a more realistic, though stylized, female face....and adding some poetic language to the journal page. I'm excited about learning more about how to draw. Up to now, I've been working in my art journal but doing faces which are more in the catagory of 'cute doll'. I don't think that you can learn art without actually doing art....lots and lots of art. And now I know that I can't label my art as good or bad....it's mine, that's all. There's a lesson in every mark on every page. And I guess that's about all for now....except....that I became a Great Grandmother on the 1st of July!!!! And he is beautiful. His name is Armando Jay. Now that was a good day to write about, wasn't it?

The Circus Comes to Town and OTHER STUFF!!!

Painted a little circus piece while I was half-watching TV last night.You might ask, "Why fish?".....your guess is a good as mine. They just seemed to need to swim through. So there they are.
As far as the other stuff is concerned: I was just adding bubbles to my fish when the phone rang....it was my daughter telling me that I am about to become a GREAT Grandma! Of course...that will make my daughter a Grandmother. Where does the time go????!! The birthing process is moving along this morning...it looks as if Baby Armando Nicholas (we know that it's a boy) will be getting his first look at the world some time today...The First of July...2009. Now I've REALLY got to get busy and finish that quilt!!!