Drawing in London

While in London last winter, I signed up for a sketching event at the Battersea Arts Centre, put on by London Drawing, an organization that organizes drawing & painting events. A year or so ago I had attended a London Drawing after-hours life drawing event at the Tate Modern, so I knew it would be an interesting experience. The drawing above is a warm-up sketch of Robin in our Uxbridge (West London) apartment, the day before the Battersea event. Gotta try to remember what charcoal feels like.  

London's Battersea Art Centre. Originally opened as Battersea Town Hall in 1893, it was converted to a community arts center in 1974. It's a theater and art space that appears to be involved in all sorts of creative endeavors.

Many models, many poses.

The attendees put their drawings on the wall during a break. The multi-levle model stand, empty now, held 9 or 10 models at a time.

Canvas: The Weaver

The Weaver, 30x40

Canvas: Fuego Night Game

A recent canvas: Minor league baseball team, Santa Fe Fuego, in their home park.

40 x 14 inches. The maroon border is the gallery wrap edge that wraps around the stretcher bars.

Detail images above and below shows the painterly effect achieved after multiple round-trips between Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter.

Canvas: Rio Chama, Near Abiquiu

Digital canvas, 36 x 18

The dark border area is a “gallery wrap” edge that wraps around the stretcher frame. The scene is from a place just north of Abiquiu, NM, where the Chama River winds through the high desert.

Detail above and below shows the impressionistic style.

The image started as three vertical photos, stitched together in Photoshop, then multiple round-trips between Photoshop and Corel Painter, utilizing filters and manual painting techniques.

Older Sketchbooks Revisited

Amazingly, during a major garage cleaning, I found a bunch of older sketchbooks. Each one was just partially used, or was mostly filled with my son's childhood drawings. But each one also contained at least a small collection of life drawings, mostly from Eli Levin's drawing groups, here in Santa Fe, years ago. The same group that continues today.

Occasionally I'll post some older sketches here, just in case I lose track of the original sketchbooks again for years on end.

A nice pose, great face, and an interesting model.

Gnarly Hands

Hands are gnarly things. The gnarlier you draw them, the better they look. Just ask Lucian Freud.

Model With Braided Hair

Another Tuesday night of drawing at Argos Gallery. 

My inner Lucian Freud is struggling to come out. 

Not really a portrait, but sort of.

A headless drawing. Because heads that are at unfamiliar angles are hard to draw, and I figured I would ruin one of the better drawings of the night. Besides, I ran out of time. She moved her foot and it confused me. I got a text message from Obama and it distracted me. Voices in my head said "Don't draw the head!" All the other artists took off their clothes because it was hot. I was scared. Of failure.  

Muscular Legs

Muscular legs. Or maybe just thick legs... I didn't ask. But since she's a wilderness guide, I'm guessing "muscular."

Drawing with a pencil or pencil-style charcoal provides a lot more control in drawing than vine-type or stick charcoal. In my case, I'm not at all sure that more control is a good thing.

Pencil on newsprint. 

I Draw Naked People

If you, or someone you know, suddenly find yourself drawing naked people, go to CafePress.com/jtCanvas and select one or more of these artists' products. Not only are they useful and functional, they serve as a reminder that you're an artist. They can also serve as friendly warnings to others to not get naked or you might start drawing them.

Morning coffee is a good time to remind yourself of your mission in life.

A artist's bag for your art supplies. Because you never know when you'll stumble across naked people. Be prepared.

This shirt says you're an artist,  because . . .  who else draws naked people?

Warm-up Drawings

Most drawing sessions start with several 2-minute or 5-minute poses. I always think "That's not enough time! I'm gonna ruin a perfectly good clean sheet of newsprint." When I look through the sketchpad drawings later, the crude warm-ups are often more interesting than the longer poses and more detailed drawings.

Draw & Experiment

Original sketch.

Enlarged and enhanced for output to canvas.