TV Sketching: Olympic Wrestlers

Models often strike fairly relaxed poses, because they want to avoid moving during the pose, which in turn avoids groans and grumbling from the artists who are drawing them. No problem, however, when sketching from the TV. Just hit the Pause button on the TV remote control and no matter how stressful the pose, the models stay amazingly still until you've finished drawing.

Felt tip pen (Sharpie) on white Canson paper. 

TV Sketch: Marina

Press pause on the TV remote and you have access to an unlimited variety of models to draw. In this case, a documentary about performance artist Marina Abramovic was playing and I happened upon a scene in which her massive black hair framed her face in a dramatic way.

Felt tip pen on Canson white paper.

Tuesday Night at Argos Gallery

Tuesday night and time again for one of the four weekly drawing sessions at Argos Gallery on Luisa Street. There were eight attendees, plus the model, which seems to be the average number of people drawing on Tuesday nights. However, the group will soon be advertised via flyers at local art supply stores and on Craig's List, so it could get more crowded.

Drawing starts with five five-minute warmup poses.

After a five-minute break the pose changes to 45-minute poses, with a five-minute break in the middle. 45 minutes is usually enough time to do a decent drawing. Or even a bad one. 

The pose timed-out before I could get to the feet. Most starving artists can't draw feet. Otherwise they'd be rich and famous. 

I was having trouble with this pose, wasted a couple of sheets of newsprint, then finally decided to stop trying so hard, loosen up, warm up, and just draw with reckless abandon. I like the drawing better than most. Hmmm, that's disturbing. But I like the reckless abandon thing. I also like the fact that I could later use Photoshop to move the top arm and torso line up a bit to improve the worst part of the drawing.  

After struggling through several attempts to draw this pose, I did this one, but I cropped the image to hide the legs, otherwise it might be just a little too clear what “struggling artist” really means.   

Robin at Harry's Roadhouse

A quick sketch of Robin while we wait for a table at Harry's Roadhouse. 

Drawings don't have to be accurate. Or even technically competent. At least that's what I'm choosing to believe.

Sonnet 30 Triptych

The female figure: is anything more “Shakespearean” than that? Absolutely not. Especially when a Shakespearean sonnet is included. This canvas triptych divides Sonnet 31 into three parts. It is inspired by Ms Robin Williams' book Sweet Swan of Avon: Did A Woman Write Shakespeare? The book is available in paperback from Amazon.

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

I summon up remembrance of things past,

I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,

And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste:

Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow,
For precious friends hid in death's dateless night,
And weep afresh love's long since cancell'd woe,
And moan the expense of many a vanished sight:

Then can I grieve at grievances foregone,
And heavily from woe to woe tell o're
The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan,
Which I new pay as if not paid before.
But if the while I think on thee dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.

Ye Olde Sketchbook Again

A couple of sketches from an older sketchbook, probably around the mid-80s.  

When I photograph a sketch that was drawn on a newsprint pad, the uneven light on the unmounted newsprint creates interesting light and dark areas that can be enhanced with filters in Photoshop. I applied a film grain effect to these drawings.