Rainbow Bisque

As I flipped through one of the new magazines on the shelf this morning, I was struck by some of the art inside. What I saw was art without rules or limits - art without a concept of preciousness or perfection. The artists used what they had to create what they wanted. It's completely the opposite of the way I normally work - I didn't do any measuring or think about the real relationships between elements. I placed wild watercolor crayon marks and quickly constructed a face around them. It's weird. It's lopsided. The eyes are too close together and misshapen. It's perfect. The product may not be something I feel confident showing off, but I feel like I tapped into something important while I was creating it. I felt unbalanced and challenged without feeling hopeless and lost. I felt happy just to be there: doing the work.

This morning, I tried to incorporate darker tones into my drawing. This was done with a water soluble pencil. The darkness is there, but I want to experiment with layering to see if I can build up from a lighter tone.

There is never any guarantee that I will end up with something on the page that looks like the reference I am drawing from. As I figure out the best way to use the time I have for a complete picture, I begin to encounter the paradoxes of creativity - how do I attain that feeling of being in "the zone" while also employing techniques for measurement and logic? The best answer I can come up with is: there is a time for logic and reason, and a time for instinct and playfulness. The ability to access both mindsets is important to drawing and creativity in general. Now, I just need to figure out when to use which.

The face on this figure was stretched in a weird way. I am happy to say that the whole pose fit onto the page - I think I just need to add a little more clarity to my lines to describe the scene. Maybe it's as simple as darkening the contour lines or using a light pencil for gesture lines. Somewhere between slow, methodical measurement and quick gesturing is the perfect pace for these drawings. If I keep trying, I will eventually figure it out.

The original picture was of a man in army fatigues playing volleyball (I have no idea why, I don't usually have time to read the captions). I think the pose turned out alright, but the camouflage pattern looks very un-camouflage in the colors I had on hand. Wish I had a little time to mix up some orange into the green I was using. Oh well.

One of those times where I wish I had just a few more minutes to finish up. As I become more familiar with my drawing construction techniques, I will be able to dedicate more time to playing with light and shadow.

I am continuing to use block-in techniques to more accurately capture proportions and keep my subjects on the page. For now, it's a slow process. I find myself second-guessing a lot of lines and shapes as I construct the figure. I am trying to create curves differently - forming short, straight lines first before turning them into curves. With this technique, I feel better about the arms and legs I have been drawing lately.

It is important to keep challenging yourself as you work toward getting better at something. This particular pose is tricky because it has a lot of overlapping forms and foreshortening. The place  where the model's right knee overlaps her right arm while simultaneously existing behind it - that's the sort of the thing that really stumps me every time. But this time, I got it! I didn't finish the drawing in the 20 minutes I gave myself, but I got something on the paper that pretty accurately begins to describe the original photo. I am beginning to get the hang of some basic construction techniques.

The chin is small and the mouth is kind of weird. Strange stuff going on with the eyes. I am still glad I'm sticking to my daily drawing exercises. Sometimes I feel like I am spinning my wheels and going nowhere. My drawing practice seems to lack focus - like I'm not even sure where I'm heading or how to get there. I am making some progress: I am definitely better off drawing randomly than not drawing at all.

I decided to slow down my process and try to map things out this time around. I managed to fit everything on the page, but the torso and head are way too large for the legs. I had no idea that was the case while I was drawing, only when I finally stepped back from it. The arms and legs look pretty good, though.

Once again, there are a surprising amount of dynamic and challenging poses in the cowboy magazines in the breakroom. Here, a man in a blue shirt and a large hat holds onto the back of a horse. I used short, colorful gestures to create the pose and attempt to reproduce the energy of the original scene. China marker was used to give a more solid impression of the form.

Today, I tried using water-soluble graphite as paint. I built up washes of progressively darker tones until I formed the entire picture. Unfortunately, I used low quality brushes and didn't have a way to test how dark my washes were. This lead to some spots where I went way too dark way too quickly (hence, this female skateboarder has a beard). I managed to block in the entire pose again. The unpredictability of the medium lead to a more spontaneous look which captured the energy of the pose more accurately than just lines. Most importantly, the lack of control over tone left me with some really great dark tones I usually tend to avoid.

My fiance started waking up early to get a morning workout before getting ready for work. I've decided to join her - and to dedicate that time to having an extra half hour of drawing. If I set out my pencils and pick a subject ahead of time, I can use the entire half hour to practice. Today's drawing is ... well, there's something on the page. I'm not entirely pleased with the result: the legs and arms are too small, the face is kind of weird and everything lacks definition. In thirty minutes, I didn't even manage to get all of the lines on the page. I am proud of myself for managing to wake up early. I am also really happy that I was able to use a block-in technique to fit the whole figure onto the paper. I may have to be a little more bold with my material choices tomorrow.

I am in the process of learning some techniques for measuring and composing my drawings before they even start. This multi-step process of measurement and observation should allow me to fit an entire subject inside a page without having to worry about anything getting cut off. Clearly, that is not what is happening on this page. I wish I had a little more time for the face, but I really like the arm on the left. I am still having some trouble drawing the arms and legs (on non-cartoon people especially), but I feel like I've made some progress since I started.

I wanted to spend some time today getting acquainted with some new paint. These particular paints are an upgrade from the student-grade watercolor I was using. With just a flat brush and a little time, I was able to achieve some really great effects (the washes could have used a little more water to prevent them from showing the strokes). The new(ish) scanner allows me to scan the image and make adjustments to the brightness and saturation of my colors. I can see some possible combinations of watercolor and vector graphics on the horizon.

Sometimes, I stumble upon advertisements in magazines that feature a lot of movement and unique poses. I find this source material to be really helpful as I learn the various ways the human body can move. In the short amount of time I have to draw in the morning, I have to work very quickly and loosely. The results are a little messy - but they have a truth and authenticity I sometimes lose during a longer study. I have a new set of Daniel Smith watercolors I am dying to try out. I have no idea what I want to paint, but I hope to have something to share soon.

I've filled an entire sketchbook with quick studies of random models in magazines. I have continued to draw whenever I can find the time. Along the way, I have picked up some new materials and techniques that I can't wait to share. As I work to find my voice, there will be a lot of experimenting - some good, lots bad. I am pleased to report I (finally) have a working scanner. No more color distortion and bad lighting from my awful phone camera.