Figure Drawing at Breakfast

Sometimes in the morning news, a photo will catch my eye, like that of professional basketball player, Alysha Clark, above.  All I need is a pencil and my sketchbook as I sip tea and draw. It's a wonderful way to practice.

You can also find figure drawing reference photos online on several sites like Line-of-Action.com   

I like to think of drawing as being like a sport -- the more you do it, the better you become.  And, you have to stay in practice or you lose your conditioning.

Even drawing your own hand is good practice.

Happy Creating!

Turning a Bad Photo into Good Art

The image above is not a good photo.  The lighting is dull, and there's too much clutter distracting your eye from the beauty of the creek snaking through the hilly woodland. 

Yet, photos like this one still have an artistic purpose.  They make good reference photos for art, especially when it's too cold to sit outside and draw in person!

I started with a sketch of the main elements in the scene, and began adding in areas of color.

The photo was taken just before 6" of snow fell, so I wanted to get the white-gray appearance of the sky. 

I turned the pencil on its side to create a soft, uniform area of color for the snow clouds.

With the sky and the icy creek laid in, I began adding detail to the woods - the weeds & grasses on the forest floor, the distant trees, and the details in the tree trunk on the left.

I stepped back to study the composition, and felt it needed more vitality on the right hand side.

I added in the wobbly tree on the right, and am happy with the sketch. 

As the artist, you get to decide what you include in a drawing.  You can edit out the parts you don't like and add in bits you prefer. Choosing to draw the parts of a scene that inspire and excite you is more fun, and creates a better drawing.

Happy Creating!

Holiday Illustration Workshop with La Scarlatte

I've been feeling inspired by artist Pauline Teunissen, 

who calls herself  La Scarlatte.  

You can find her on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@LaScarlatte

and on Substack here:https://lascarlatte.substack.com/

I joined her for a Substack workshop on Thursday afternoon entitled Drawing Winter Botanicals.  We drew and illustrated holiday-themed plants like holly, mistletoe and juniper using Neocolor II crayons.  You can see a replay of the class on LaScarlatte's "Creative Coccoon" Substack.

Pauline shared these reference images from Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/), a source of free photos for creatives.

It was delightful to sketch plants in a community of other artists and to learn tips from Pauline.

As we sketched the Mistletoe, she pointed out that if we followed the natural branching pattern of a plant, we could invent our own designs to suit the composition.

It was inspiring to follow Pauline's technique for using a collection of reference photos and combining them into one composition.

If you feel inspired by these photos, I hope you'll create your own drawing!

Happy Creating!

British Isles: More Photos of Cobh, Ireland

After returning from Fota House, we climbed Cobh's steep hillside to St. Colman's Cathedral above the port and train station. 

Every facet of the cathedral inspired me with its beauty.  I feel like this door alone could be a painting.

A resident Peregrine falcon perched high atop the spires and gargoyles.

Full of beauty, Cobh charmed me at every turn with sights like this door labeled "Magic Place."

Even the tiny ferns and flowers growing out of the ancient rock walls inspired me.

As we walked back down the hill to return to the QM2, I marveled at these eye-catching houses, stalwart and brilliant.  Their vivid colors must remedy the gray skies of winter.  

I hope you find something here to inspire you to make a sketch or splash some paint on the page!

Happy Creating!

British Isles Voyage: More Photos of Fota House

Fota House and its grounds were so beautiful, so different than where I live, that I took loads of photos.  I thought you might like to come along on a tour of its arboretum and grounds.

Massive, ancient trees greeted us from the moment we set foot on the grounds.

Majestic beeches, oaks, and exotic trees like this Eucalyptus cordata (below) from Tasmania filled the landscape.  

Autumn's colorful show had begun.

Over and over again, I was fascinated by the ancient, magical-looking trees that seemed to be enchanted personalities from a fairy tale.

I half expected to see elves and fairies dancing beneath them.

The Victorian gardens mixed the rugged beauty of ancient stone walls with formal, courtly plantings.

I loved the garden gates and the sense of having rooms within the landscape.

I hope you've enjoyed this armchair tour and found something to make a sketch or painting of.

Happy Creating!

British Isles Tour: Dolphins!

Sailing near Oban, Scotland, David photographed these dolphins riding in our bow wake.  How exciting to see the dolphins racing through the water right alongside our ship! It was as if they wanted to play with the great ocean liner.

I took a quiet afternoon in our stateroom as we sailed on and used his photo to create this watercolor sketch.

I was taken by the way the wind caught the tops of the waves and blew the spray, so I played with wet-in-wet techniques to express that motion.

I hope you'll make your own sketch of these dolphins!

Happy Creating!

Summer Travels: The George Eastman Museum

Earlier this summer, my husband, David, my best friend, Robin, & I traveled to Rochester, NY to see the George Eastman Museum.  

We came to see the museum's collection of historic cameras and photographs, from early Daguerreotypes and box cameras ...

... to a massive camera designed for the NASA Lunar Orbiter Project in 1967.

An unexpected gem for me was getting to tour Eastman's home and gardens.

Here's a view of the flower garden from the second floor of the mansion.

I felt inspired by the beauty of his gardens, and snapped reference photos that I hope to revisit this winter when the world is cold and gray.

If you find any of these photos inspiring, I hope you'll make a sketch, a drawing or painting from them!

Inside George Eastman's house, we were treated to the elegance of a time gone by.  My favorite room was the library, full of books and comfy chairs.

Imagine unwinding in this quiet space!

Every detail within the house was artistic and inspiring.

We got to try our hands at opening Eastman's safe! Instructions were provided on the cabinet door.

We had a wonderful visit and I highly recommend it!

Happy Creating!