Osher Figure Drawing with Model Amelia

We kicked off our Osher at CMU Spring Figure Drawing class with model Amelia.

The variety, creativity and strength in Amelia's poses inspired us to draw quickly to capture as much as we could before the timer sounded and we moved on. 

Something magical happens when a model engages their creativity and works as a co-creator in a drawing session.  Everyone is uplifted.  It's a rare experience, and one we, the artists, are grateful for.  It leaves me feeling sparkly.

Here are some of my 2- and 3-minute gesture drawings.

We did a series of 5-line drawings, allowing ourselves only 5 lines to express the entire pose.  I always find that assignment challenging, but it pushes me to explore new ideas.  I like my abstracted 5-line drawings the best.

We took a break, and then moved on to 20-minute poses.

My sincere thanks to model Amelia for her hard work and creativity!

With Gratitude to Our Osher Figure Drawing Models

In the late fall, I teach a figure drawing class for Osher at CMU.  Class recently concluded, and I have been reflecting on the inspiration my models bring to us. 

Every model brought a unique collection of gesture & long poses, each pose telling a story. 

One model shared with me that she was inspired by the full moon that had risen the night before, and as she held a standing, stretching pose, she pictured holding the moon in her arms. 

Her imagination crafted an elegant pose, and the artists could feel her creative energy uplifting us as we drew.

Our Osher models are performance artists, like dancers, yet their dance is stilled motion. 

I admire how our models are co-creators in our drawings.  Their imagination and hard work inspires our sketches and long drawings. 

Many thanks to all our models.  Their work is the foundation of our work.

My figure drawing class met weekly for 5 weeks.  I began class with a slide show for inspiration, and we moved on to gesture drawings to warm up.  Our model held a long pose of about an hour, and we drew with charcoal or pastels.  We finished each class with an art show, admiring the artists' works.

If you're interested in learning more about Osher at CMU, and how you can register for classes, you can learn more here: https://www.cmu.edu/osher/about/index.html

Happy Creating!

Figure Drawing with Model Ryan

For our second Osher Figure Drawing class, I brought in India ink, brushes and dip pens to play with sketching the figure in ink.  The challenge of ink, of course, is that you can't erase anything.  But this is also the beauty of ink.  It pushes you to commit to the strokes and marks you put down.  I find that facet freeing.

Our theme for the class was "Men at Work," so our model Ryan held gesture poses representing hoeing a garden...

...lifting blocks...

... and carrying them to build a wall.

In his last gesture pose, I imagined Ryan as a shepherd watching over his sheep from the shade of a tree. I added the background details after class.

In his long, seated pose, I found that being pushed to commit to marks made my process much faster, so I had extra time.

I took the opportunity to practice drawing Ryan's hand in light and shadow with a water-soluble pencil. I love the combination of being able to draw details and move the pigment with a brush.

Many thanks to model Ryan for his "Men at Work" poses!

Figure Drawing with Model Tiffany

We kicked off a new semester of figure drawing at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CMU with model Tiffany.

Her beautiful poses got us back into the flow of drawing with a series of gestures.

We began by turning our charcoals on their sides and drawing with big, swoopy marks and lines.

We changed to a more abstract approach, and created 5-line drawings, allowing ourselves only 5 lines to tell the story of Tiffany's pose.

Like a Haiku poem, the limitation of lines forced each artist to find the most expressive marks possible.

At first, my 5-line drawings felt inept and childish, but soon a flow took over, and I really liked this final one.

All of these gestures prepared us for a beautiful long pose.

Having an inspiring model makes all the difference in the world, and Tiffany's poses swept us away into the joy of drawing an expressive figure.  Many thanks to model Tiffany!

Tree Gestures in Autumn

As autumn stretches into cooler weather, some of the trees have let go of their leaves for the season, leaving behind the beautiful architecture of their reaching branches.

 Leafless trees are ideal for tree gestures, or quick sketches.

The gesture above was done in just a few minutes while passing by in a canoe.

You'd be surprised how freeing having only a brief bit of time can be!  Your lines loosen up as you struggle to get in as much as possible, no longer worried about exactly where the marks land.

Try this:

Pick a tree you admire.

Set a timer for 2 minutes.

Create lines that express the posture of the tree trunk, 

then add a few major branches and loose lines for the twigs.

Let your hand move quickly,  

keeping your eyes on the tree 90% of the time.

Tree gestures help you warm-up your drawing hand, & wake up your observation skills.

Each time you draw your tree, you see it more clearly, 

and learn to express it with more vitality.

Happy Tree Sketching!

 Copyright 2023 Betsy Bangley

Embarking on a Transatlantic Crossing!

On Friday, August 11th, we awoke to see that our ship, the Queen Mary 2, had come into port overnight.  What a thrilling sight!

We checked out of our hotel and walked our luggage down the streets of Southampton to the Mayflower Cruise Terminal, named for the historic Mayflower, which departed on August 16, 1620 from Southampton on her journey to the New World.  

After waiting in lines with other passengers, and going through the embarkation process, we settled in on board.

Our room. The little desk at right was where I painted scenes in my travel journal.

By evening, the ship was ready to sail from the port, and David and I knew where we wanted to spend this stage of our journey -- the deck 11 observation area directly below the bridge.

I spent the evening with a pencil in my hand, sketching the landscape and birds as quickly as I could.  

Leaving the port of Southampton

The Hamble Sea Scouts were out sailing in the Solent, the water between the mainland and the Isle of Wight, as we passed.

The harbor pilot had to navigate around a variety of sailboats, jetskis, and other leisure watercraft, as well as "The Brambles," a shallow bit of water opposite the Isle of Wight.  Our pilot expertly zig-zagged to get through this narrow bit of sea lane open to big ships.

We also saw this drone, and later found the footage of our ship's departure on YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZvJPp16sWw

A castle on shore near Southampton.

One of the two Solent Forts, originally built to protect the port area from attack, and now rented out for events with luxury accommodations.

As the sun set, we entered the English Channel.  Looking  back towards the Isle of Wight and sunset.

We were glad to have spent our evening watching the adventure begin!

The dramatic scenery made for some amazing photographs.  Feel free to use any of these images for your creative practice.

Happy painting & sketching!