Figure Drawing Update: Foreshortening Study with Kathryn

In this week's Osher class, I taught techniques to deal with foreshortening, like making a tornado drawing of the foreshortened portion of the figure.  Model Kathryn gave us some inspiring poses!

 

5-minute gesture

Tornado Drawing of Kathryn's legs

The Importance of Playing with Squiggles

One of my aims in teaching art is to liberate people to create.  So many of us feel that we must make something of meaning or value, something pretty or even Perfect.  Of course, we all know that there is no such thing as perfect in any human endeavor, and saddling ourselves with these expectations before we even pick up a paintbrush or pen can turn our hands to lead.

I recommend giving yourself over to the experience of discovery as you draw or paint. Look at your subject and find the parts that fascinate you, then dive in and play with ways to represent those things. Removing any expectation of the finished result opens you up to create freely.

Another great way to play with your creativity is to focus merely on mark making.  I was inspired by Amy Maricle, of Mindful Art Studio, to take up a brush pen, loaded with India ink, and paint swoops, swirls, and squiggles on heavy paper I had cut to various sizes.



I set up outside on a picnic table and just let the painting happen.  By keeping my paper small, and having stacks of these little "canvases," I could create, explore designs and marks, then set the work aside and start fresh on a blank page.  I found myself drawn to thick and thin wavy lines, like the curve around a woman's hip.

As I created, I experienced the bliss of the present moment, the brush slipping over the paper, a Song Sparrow warbling nearby. The designs evolved, becoming trees, grasses, simple curves, then tadpoles swimming in a pond. Occasionally, I would dip back into familiar shapes and symbols, often used, and I noticed that these were not fulfilling to me.  I sought a fresh experience, and the explorative marks were the ones that felt exciting and refreshing.

I finished the experiment by cutting scrap pieces of white mat board to post card size, and making tadpole post cards.

Tadpole post card.

At the end of the experience, I laid out my favorite paintings on a board, and placed them where I would see the artworks as I walked by.  The joy of the creative experience lingered for days, and every time I passed by my little paintings, I felt a thrill.  I created that!

I hope you will try this technique, too.

At the end of my experiment, I added a Micron pen to my tool kit. Perhaps my next mark-making project will begin with bubbles & ovals!

Griffin & Sabine Post Cards

My dearest friend, whom I've known for 25 years, and with whom I have been exchanging letters for that time, has been traveling out west.  As she travels, she creates post cards to send to friends and family inspired by the Griffin & Sabine books by Nick Bantock.  Her post cards had me reaching for my copies of the books, and making my own post card creations on scraps of mat board I got for free from a frame shop.

Figure Drawing Update: Osher Class, Week 2 with David

In my second week teaching this Osher Figure Drawing class, model David gave us some athletic gesture poses, emotive Five-Line poses, and inspiring long poses for our study of proportions -- a great collaboration between model and artists.

5-minute Gesture Poses:

Figure Drawing Update: Osher Figure Drawing Class, week one

I have begun teaching a new semester of figure drawing on Zoom with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.  Here are some of my drawings from the first week of class with model Kathryn:

Abstract Five-Line Drawings:
The beauty of the 5-lined drawing is that you only get 5 lines to describe the whole figure, so you are forced to stop and look carefully, an important first step in any drawing.

5-Minute Gestures:

100th Post: Hawkweed Blossoms

The Hawkweed blooms boldly in spite of the spring snow squalls and frosts. This watercolor with pen & ink painting is from a photo I used for my most recent online painting class. 

The day before class, I took my photographer husband on a hike with his Nikon D200 and pointed out scenes of interest I wanted reference images of.  He supplied me with a collection of great photos to send to my students.

The day of class, my students and I warmed up with contour drawings of these Hawkweed flowers and one little native bee perched on a blossom.  Later, I completed this quick sketch in my nature journal.  I love the contrast of bright colors and defining black lines.

This post marks 100 in my blog to date.  Thanks for following along with me on my art explorations!

Spring Snapshot: Oak Twig with Catkins

On a hike through a deep forest, I found this oak twig, broken from its branch by storm winds.  The bristle-tipped leaves were decked with hot pink galls.  Imagine a staid and stately oak tree creating hot pink pigments!  The twig's spring progress, halted in time, gave me a snapshot of this moment in the season.

Forest Bathing with Mayapples

Out hiking yesterday towards sunset, the gray day cleared, and we stopped for a water break.  I took a moment to sit at the edge of a colony of Mayapples and sketch. The sun shone through the greening trees, the Wood Thrush warbled musically, and a sense of calm and gratitude washed over me. 

This is the beauty of forest bathing -- simply sitting out in nature for its healing benefits.  Like meditation, when I sit with my nature journal on the forest floor and open my senses, I am immersed in the present moment and the beauty of the place.  All thoughts of troubles and the outer world fall away, and I can be still and peaceful.

It's a wonderful form of self care.  Try simply sitting in a natural environment, focused only on what you see, smell, feel and hear. Turn off that phone!  Adding a sketchbook and a pen gives you a way to focus on one element at a time, and create a record of your experience to thumb through later and double your benefits.  

Experimenting with Art

I have learned that the best way to make discoveries and improvements as an artist is to experiment without any expectation of the finished product. Go on a journey with your art supplies and try out new techniques and ideas.

Getting out my watercolors to play in my journal/planner, I experimented with creating artworks within the bounds of a two-inch diameter circle. Allowing yourself the license to just play with colors, forms and designs frees you up for new creative openings.

I also like to splash colors on my journal to create backgrounds for "Good Things" lists.

I picked up the "Good Things" habit from artist & designer Christine Castro Hughes, who says "I think everyone should keep an illustrated journal.  Just do it! The joys and beauty are usually found when you're not trying too hard, so let yourself loose.  Make a mess. Don't aim for perfect. Allow mistakes.  Have fun."