Today we models in a changing interior, as the models moved between poses. I drew with my vine charcoal taped to a 4′ dowel so I could stand back and still reach the paper. The stick was a physical luxury so I didn’t have to reach high and low to reach the expanses of my paper. I also appreciated that I could see the whole composition while I placed objects in space, so I didn’t get hyper focused on one part of the drawing. I didn’t worry about the specificity of each individual line. Instead, I drew in a way that allowed the drawing to coalesce slowly in front of me. The entire drawing was built at the same time, with lines put in each panel instead of drawing one object at a time, or blocking in the big shapes.
The charcoal on the dowel meant that I had to work very slowly, but there was no rush. It was fun, and calming. There were no mistakes, only marks on the page. Drawing this way leaves a lot of air in the drawing, and lets me think about movement and relationships of forms. It’s alright the way it is now, but I could also keep working on this sketch for days, weeks. I’d draw until it was dark with charcoal, and then I’d start erasing, to draw with light. This paper only gets better the more you work it. Unfortunately, it’s time to go home.
There is one shift in the drawing you might notice, if you’re looking carefully: I’m right handed, so my right arm drew on the right side of the paper with only a short bit of dowel. You can see the marks here are dark and seem more decisive. On the panels to the left, I was using the full length of the dowel, and had much less control. It vibrated and bounced, and the reduced pressure at angle made lighter more tentative looking lines. Not completely, I did move around, but you can see it a little. The mood of the marks is part of what I love about drawing with the stick.
Ruthie V, studio scene. Models, artists, and objects moved throughout. Vine charcoal on 4′ dowel, Arches 90lb cold press watercolor paper 60 x 66″
I drew all day. Then I went home and I wanted to draw. The next morning, I wanted to draw again. I drew all day again. I don’t ever want to stop.
Andre Breton – Writer André Breton (French: [ɑ̃dʁe bʁətɔ̃]; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer, poet, and anti-fascist. He is known best as the founder of Surrealism. His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto (Manifeste du surréalisme) of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as “pure psychic automatism”. [divider line_type=”Full …
Take a class with SAL – anywhere! Ever wonder what the name for the cleft between your nose and mouth is called? Did you know there’s a name for where your mouth turns from lip color to skin color? Here are some slang and scientific names for a few of the bits on your phiz. …
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was an American seascape and landscape painter. Homer worked primarily in oil and watercolor paints, creating a prolific body of work that chronicled his working vacations. During the cold winter of 1884-5, Homer traveled to Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. He painted a series of watercolors as part of a commission for Century Magazine. The fresh …
Art 21 Magazine, by Brian Redondo | Mar 16, 2018 In a conversation with film director, Brian Redondo, artist Doreen Garner shares the motivation driving her sculptural practice: to educate viewers about suppressed racist histories embedded in the foundations of a nation built on slavery. Her recent project at Pioneer Works, White Man On a Pedestal, forced viewers …
Fran O’Neill’s Giant Figures Workshop, Day 2
Today we models in a changing interior, as the models moved between poses. I drew with my vine charcoal taped to a 4′ dowel so I could stand back and still reach the paper. The stick was a physical luxury so I didn’t have to reach high and low to reach the expanses of my paper. I also appreciated that I could see the whole composition while I placed objects in space, so I didn’t get hyper focused on one part of the drawing. I didn’t worry about the specificity of each individual line. Instead, I drew in a way that allowed the drawing to coalesce slowly in front of me. The entire drawing was built at the same time, with lines put in each panel instead of drawing one object at a time, or blocking in the big shapes.
The charcoal on the dowel meant that I had to work very slowly, but there was no rush. It was fun, and calming. There were no mistakes, only marks on the page. Drawing this way leaves a lot of air in the drawing, and lets me think about movement and relationships of forms. It’s alright the way it is now, but I could also keep working on this sketch for days, weeks. I’d draw until it was dark with charcoal, and then I’d start erasing, to draw with light. This paper only gets better the more you work it. Unfortunately, it’s time to go home.
There is one shift in the drawing you might notice, if you’re looking carefully: I’m right handed, so my right arm drew on the right side of the paper with only a short bit of dowel. You can see the marks here are dark and seem more decisive. On the panels to the left, I was using the full length of the dowel, and had much less control. It vibrated and bounced, and the reduced pressure at angle made lighter more tentative looking lines. Not completely, I did move around, but you can see it a little. The mood of the marks is part of what I love about drawing with the stick.
I drew all day. Then I went home and I wanted to draw. The next morning, I wanted to draw again. I drew all day again. I don’t ever want to stop.
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Andre Breton – Writer André Breton (French: [ɑ̃dʁe bʁətɔ̃]; 19 February 1896 – 28 September 1966) was a French writer, poet, and anti-fascist. He is known best as the founder of Surrealism. His writings include the first Surrealist Manifesto (Manifeste du surréalisme) of 1924, in which he defined surrealism as “pure psychic automatism”. [divider line_type=”Full …
What’s the groove below your nose called?
Take a class with SAL – anywhere! Ever wonder what the name for the cleft between your nose and mouth is called? Did you know there’s a name for where your mouth turns from lip color to skin color? Here are some slang and scientific names for a few of the bits on your phiz. …
Winslow Homer in Cuba
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was an American seascape and landscape painter. Homer worked primarily in oil and watercolor paints, creating a prolific body of work that chronicled his working vacations. During the cold winter of 1884-5, Homer traveled to Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. He painted a series of watercolors as part of a commission for Century Magazine. The fresh …
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