Relaxing

Relaxing in a Gallery
Charcoal on newsprint

Tuesday Night

A digital print on aluminum from a recent Tuesday night life drawing session. I’ll also use this image to promote our Tuesday night Santa Fe Drawing group. Along with a batch of Santa Fe Drawing wristbands I had made, just for fun.

Tuesday Night
Digital print on aluminum
28" x 24"

The Official Tuesday Night Santa Fe Drawing Wristband
was gifted to the artists who attended last Tuesday night's drawing session.

Digital sketch

Art Projects

Some of this weeks projects included life drawing, a squirrel, and a design for an upcoming drawing event.

Faceless
Charcoal on newsprint

Short pose
Charcoal on newsprint

Squirrel
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

Tension
Charcoal on newsprint

Graphics for a special drawing event in Santa Fe

Montage

Two models, four poses, one montage. Because the sketches are rough, I left some of the messiness and smudges of the original charcoal-on-paper in the final print.

Four poses

Waterfall

Another digital print that originated as a plein air painting at Bishop’s Lodge, a historic lodge and resort a few miles north of Santa Fe. Bishop Lamy (1814-1888), first bishop and archbishop of the Diocese of Santa Fe, used this property as an out-of-town retreat.

Waterfall at Bishop’s Lodge
Digital print
30" x 40"

Tree at Los Poblanos

A stylized graphical print based on a plein air outing at Los Poblanos in Albuquerque. Los Pablonos is a historic inn and organic farm, designed in 1932 by John Gaw Meem.  

Tree at Los Poblanos
Digital print
30" x 22"

Joey

Joey
Charcoal on newsprint

Digital Traditional Art

Some artists have a certain disdain for digital art techniques, as opposed to traditional art techniques. I appreciate both and like to use both by starting with a traditional sketch or painting, scan it, import it into the computer, then manipulate it in different ways (size, contrast, color, etc.).

This is an experimental piece that started as charcoal and oil pastels on newsprint, 14" x 18". The final version is 28" x 32" on paper, canvas, aluminum, or whatever medium I decide at a later date.

Study of a Model
28" x 32"

Detail, Study of a Model
28" x 32"

Two-Minute Poses

It was another Tuesday night in which the shorter pose drawings looked better than the longer pose drawings. I’ll use these as studies for a series of graphic prints.   

Just Charcoal

Fifteen artists attended our weekly drawing group last night. Some of them used pastels, oil pastels, and ink washes. As for me, just charcoal.

Just Reclining
Charcoal on newsprint

Just Standing
Charcoal on newsprint

Partial Figure
Charcoal on newsprint

Models at Artisans

Several Santa Fe models have a group called MUSE that promotes drawing and networking among artists and models. This summer they are providing a free two hour modeling session every Thursday at Artisan’s Art Supply from 11 am to 1 pm. Last Thursday 10 or 12 artists participated, with poses varying between two and twenty minutes.

For this print version, I scanned the sketch, then digitally exaggerated the paper texture, fingerprint smudges, and newsprint paper color.

Jessi at Artisan’s
Original: pencil on newsprint
24" x 18"

Gray Chair

During a recent Tuesday night drawing group, I switched to a heavy-weight colored paper for one of the charcoal life drawings. Towards the end of a 3-hour drawing session I’m usually feeling weary and tired of trying too hard. Then, sometimes, I relax and just draw for the fun of it without caring how accurate the drawing is.

That’s how I ended up with this image. Several weeks later I used oil pastels to add color to the drawing, added a texture to the background, then changed the color of the background and the chair.

The Gray Chair
Oil pastel on paper
30" x 34"

The Gray Chair
Detail

Woman With Umbrella

Woman With Umbrella
From original ink wash drawing

Woman With Umbrella
Detail

Tuesday Sketches

A few sketches from last Tuesday night’s weekly drawing session. A dozen artists, one model, two dozen Dunkin Donuts, wine. Reminds me, in a weird way, of the short-lived weekly art sessions in my southern Louisiana home town when I was a teenager. But without the artists, models, and refreshments. I’m sure it's different now. Ha.

     

Partially Draped

Etching artist Leslie arranged a special 3-hour pose last night at Argos, the gallery/etching studio where our Tuesday night drawing group meets. These specially scheduled poses are limited to six artists, so it's a bit different from the larger groups on Tuesday night. The artist that organizes the special event gets to set the pose and gets to choose their location in the room. Everyone else sets up wherever they can. This pose called for a partially draped model.

Partially Draped
Charcoal on white paper
24" x 18"

      

Influences

Artists are always influenced by other artists. Those influences don’t have to come from famous artists. During our drawing group’s Skin Deep exhibit last March I bought one of the drawings by one of our favorite regular artist attendees, George Donoho. As I organized a stack of drawings the other day, I unwrapped the Donoho drawing I’d bought and realized there's another drawing on the back side of the one I bought. After scanning the drawing I thought it would be interesting to base my own drawing on the Donoho drawing.

Young Woman
26" x 18"

The original Donoho drawing

Leg Shadows

Leg Shadows
Charcoal on white paper

Woman on a Pillow

Another print on aluminum made from an earlier drawing, charcoal on newsprint.

Woman on a Pillow
Digital print on aluminum
Black float frame (not shown)
16" x 24"

Thinking

A digital print made from one of the life drawings in the previous post. 

Thinking
Digital print on paper
40" x 30"

Drawing Then Maria’s

One of our favorite models returned last night and provided a variety of great poses. About a dozen artists attended. After three hours of drawing, pal Bob and I always stop by Maria’s Restaurant to have a beer with chips and salsa.  

Which makes for a quintessential Santa Fe Tuesday evening. But maybe that’s just me.

Thinking
Detail, charcoal on white paper

Thinking
Charcoal on white paper

On Her Side
Charcoal on white paper

Quick Pose
Charcoal on white paper

Bandaged Foot
Charcoal on white paper

Arched Back
Detail, charcoal on white paper

Arched Back
Charcoal on white paper

Model in Profile
Charcoal on newsprint