Showing posts with label 'Drawing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 'Drawing. Show all posts
March 16, 2010
Sketchbooks...
The topic of sketchbooks has come up in conversation several times recently and thought I'd show my efforts to create something a bit larger than the moleskins that are so popular (I have three) and also use up some good print paper that's been stored for years.
This is the first sketchbook I made to take to France several years ago. The cover is made from medium weight w/c paper which has been painted and distressed with acrylic paints to resemble leather and give it a bit of protection. It's bound with jute cord.
The web is loaded with examples of artfully crafted handmade books, including instructions, and I'm in awe of all that can be done in that direction, but my purpose is simply to use up this large supply of paper in an efficient manner that also might offer a bit of inspiration without inhibiting my need to make marks without concern for making art.
So the "books" I'm making now are simply means of binding a few pages together, handy to keep with my gear without bulk or weight. And fit on my tripod drawing board perfectly (see earlier post.) The paper is heavy enough to take a bit of color, doesn't have as much sizing as w/c paper but w/c crayon/pencil or ink stick with a bit of water do fine.
I've been going though old sketchbooks and realizing I've really let the sketch habit fade... I love to draw but making myself actually do it is the problem. Wonder why that is...
May 27, 2006
Thoughts...
"...but all I have done before the the age of seventy is not worth bothering with. At seventy five I'll have learned something of the pattern of nature, of animals, of plants, of trees, birds, fish and insects. When I am eighty you will see real progress. At ninety I shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself. At a hundred I shall be a marvelous artist. At a hundred and ten everything I create; a dot, a line, will jump to life as never before. To all of you who are going to live as long as I do, I promise to keep my word. I am writing this in my old age. I used to call myself Hokosai, but today I sign my self 'The Old Man Mad About Drawing." -- Hokusai
Well, I'm not writing this from my old age, but I can see it coming if I squint. The talking heads are fond of saying things like 'fifty is the new thirty' or similar. Well, I'm not fifty and I sure don't want to be thirty again, I just want to be the best I can be right here and right now. Those following this blog will recall that I made a big deal of wanting to regain my drawing skills, among other things, and although I gave it a shot, not with the dedication I'd hoped. I'm in awe of all the daily drawing blogs out there, and I follow a bunch but they haunt me with guilt.
"How hard I find it is to see what is right in front of my eyes!" -- Ludwig Wittenstein. That's the quote that really got my attention. I must try harder to see.
April 09, 2006
Life Drawing And Driving
SATURDAY, April 8
Life drawing class in Esperaza today, Raya and I made sure we had maps with us this time, as it is so easy to miss the little roads that are so scenic and actually shortcuts to where we needed to go. Ellie invited all but we were the only ones interested so off we went. Amazingly, we made the trip in 45 minutes and arrived early. Parked in the designated spot, looked for a cafe for coffee and potty but could only find a bar so held out until spotting Ellie waving us down. Two hours of drawing, the model was a delightful young woman with lovely lines, I'm fairly pleased with my attempts since it's been a good 25 yrs (gad! a quarter century!) since I last experienced life drawing. Maybe there's a chance of getting the eye-hand coordination thing going again! One can hope.
After the session, we went to the Clemens where John already had my computer fixed (Cheryl and Pat had arrived with it earlier) so I was able to go online at full speed at last... but I was out of sorts as I had forgotten my phone and had hoped to get a call from home as well as call Lauren in Belgium regarding her arrival on Wednesday. The use of borrowed phones was generous but unsatisfactory. However, email is working fine so will have to do.
Off to a pizza place nearby for lunch and then we said our goodbyes after getting directions to a grocery store which we didn't find... oh well... we'll survive until Monday when we go to the market Mirepoix which should be a nice, big one. Hope to find the same bread man the Esperaza market had... best ever!
Attended to the ATM machine again and and headed back home, this time making plenty of time for photo-ops along the way. The sun was catching the sharp greens of the fields just right, and we remembered a roadside house with wisteria clinging and at it's perfection. Vineyards in the area as well, lots of good photos which I just haven't had time to upload... most will have to wait until I get home to share.
Sad to say the dratted heel pain I thought I'd disposed of has recurred with a vengence, it may slow me down a bit but won't knock me out. I think a good night's sleep will help the whole of me... will break down and take a sleep aide tonight. Don't know that anything is planned for tomorrow, I'll take it easy and stay close to the house... much to sketch around here anyway, might as well take advantage.
SUNDAY, Apr 9
Lots of stretches and massaging of the foot last night fixed the heel for today, hurrah! Annette and I drove out in a direction we'd not yet been and discovered one inviting little village after another. Found a Tabbac (small grocery) that had some luscious pizza/cheese tart offerings so we stocked up for our immediate needs knowing we'd be off to a large outdoor market tomorrow. Continued on down the road and spotted a beautiful chateau raising over the village of Lanet. Thought it was a church at first, but when we found ourselves in front of it, realized it was a chateau that had been converted into apartments or condos. The fields across the street had manicured hedges enclosing 'rooms' for the sheep grazing there. So very picturesque. After all our country driving and photographing on little cartpath roads, we found ourselves out of film and batteries so had to resort to pulling out the sketchbooks and having at it.
Lilacs are beginning to bloom, many townhomes that are occupied have lined their doors and windows with flowerboxes... more are popping up each time we drive through another village. A wonderful time of year to be visiting this country.
Debbie leaves tomorrow and I've made a large pot of soup so we have invited the group from the patio house for dinner tonight. Our electricity went out last night but it's been fixed today... all our heaters must have surged on at the same time. Blessed sunshine today, still cool enough for several layers, but the weather don't get no better than this!
(Sorry no pics... not an option today)
Life drawing class in Esperaza today, Raya and I made sure we had maps with us this time, as it is so easy to miss the little roads that are so scenic and actually shortcuts to where we needed to go. Ellie invited all but we were the only ones interested so off we went. Amazingly, we made the trip in 45 minutes and arrived early. Parked in the designated spot, looked for a cafe for coffee and potty but could only find a bar so held out until spotting Ellie waving us down. Two hours of drawing, the model was a delightful young woman with lovely lines, I'm fairly pleased with my attempts since it's been a good 25 yrs (gad! a quarter century!) since I last experienced life drawing. Maybe there's a chance of getting the eye-hand coordination thing going again! One can hope.
After the session, we went to the Clemens where John already had my computer fixed (Cheryl and Pat had arrived with it earlier) so I was able to go online at full speed at last... but I was out of sorts as I had forgotten my phone and had hoped to get a call from home as well as call Lauren in Belgium regarding her arrival on Wednesday. The use of borrowed phones was generous but unsatisfactory. However, email is working fine so will have to do.
Off to a pizza place nearby for lunch and then we said our goodbyes after getting directions to a grocery store which we didn't find... oh well... we'll survive until Monday when we go to the market Mirepoix which should be a nice, big one. Hope to find the same bread man the Esperaza market had... best ever!
Attended to the ATM machine again and and headed back home, this time making plenty of time for photo-ops along the way. The sun was catching the sharp greens of the fields just right, and we remembered a roadside house with wisteria clinging and at it's perfection. Vineyards in the area as well, lots of good photos which I just haven't had time to upload... most will have to wait until I get home to share.
Sad to say the dratted heel pain I thought I'd disposed of has recurred with a vengence, it may slow me down a bit but won't knock me out. I think a good night's sleep will help the whole of me... will break down and take a sleep aide tonight. Don't know that anything is planned for tomorrow, I'll take it easy and stay close to the house... much to sketch around here anyway, might as well take advantage.
SUNDAY, Apr 9
Lots of stretches and massaging of the foot last night fixed the heel for today, hurrah! Annette and I drove out in a direction we'd not yet been and discovered one inviting little village after another. Found a Tabbac (small grocery) that had some luscious pizza/cheese tart offerings so we stocked up for our immediate needs knowing we'd be off to a large outdoor market tomorrow. Continued on down the road and spotted a beautiful chateau raising over the village of Lanet. Thought it was a church at first, but when we found ourselves in front of it, realized it was a chateau that had been converted into apartments or condos. The fields across the street had manicured hedges enclosing 'rooms' for the sheep grazing there. So very picturesque. After all our country driving and photographing on little cartpath roads, we found ourselves out of film and batteries so had to resort to pulling out the sketchbooks and having at it.
Lilacs are beginning to bloom, many townhomes that are occupied have lined their doors and windows with flowerboxes... more are popping up each time we drive through another village. A wonderful time of year to be visiting this country.
Debbie leaves tomorrow and I've made a large pot of soup so we have invited the group from the patio house for dinner tonight. Our electricity went out last night but it's been fixed today... all our heaters must have surged on at the same time. Blessed sunshine today, still cool enough for several layers, but the weather don't get no better than this!
(Sorry no pics... not an option today)
March 23, 2006
Knot Intimidated...
11x30, watercolor
There's a tangled tie-in here somewhere... I've received my legendary Moleskine sketch book; luscious, scrumptious and must not drool upon. I have doubts that I'll ever get past the adoration of this artful icon to actually make meaningful marks within.
So... considering I have reams of unused printmaking paper (quality stuff) and having stumbled across a website giving explicit tutorage on making your own sketchbook, I set out to do just that. And I did, but it's of my own design after noting the general idea and not being one to follow directions. So my sketchbook has lots more knots (there's the tie-in!) and will never gain the respect of the original... but I bet I won't have a problem with intimidation!
The painting above was the first of a series, taking my longstanding grass subject and tying the strands in knots... the others have pun-like titles using Knot for Not... you can get an idea on this old, incomplete web page.
March 20, 2006
Drawing 101
pencil on gessoed paper
I once took drawing very seriously. (Photography, in this example, was another matter.) I copied detailed subjects from both photos and real life and built up a fair amount of skill in the early years, but this day I'm feeling very clumsy with any kind of drawing tool in my hand. Looking around the web, I see there is good reason to feel a misfit! Seems like everyone is creating exquisite drawings in little tiny Moleskine book/journals (and that's NOT pronounced as it looks!) Hope mine arrives before departure, I'm sure it holds the secret to really fine art somewhere within it's covers. Here's one example of art journal blogging, and note the long list of other links to similar blogs on the lower right. By golly! I'm going to draw... and draw... and draw!
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