As I began the previous commissioned pencil drawing of a cabin, another customer notified me of his decision.
A, B, or C?
C!
Decision Made!
A pencil drawing commission customer made a decision about which view to have me draw of her cabin!
A or B?
B!
What appears to be a slight difference between the 2 views matters to the customer. I am here to make the customer happy. She knows her cabin; I do not.
Sketchy Decisions
So many pencil drawing commissions are awaiting decisions. I’ve sent sketches and more sketches. Can’t start drawing until I know what the customer/commissioner wants!
Sketches, called “thumbnails” or “thumbnail sketches” were required in most of the assignments in art classes, both in high school and college (I went to 4 different colleges – a full-fledged Transfer Student) More often than not, I had one good idea, and the rest of the sketches were just a waste of time, mindlessly fulfilling the assignment. The reason for the sketches was never clearly articulated – just do it because the teacher said to do it. (As a Questioner, I despise that sort of “teaching”.)
Now that I am a professional artist, I know that customers need to see things sketched out because photos don’t do the trick. People also like choices, but not too many.
Too bad the “teachers” didn’t teach us how to guide a customer to a decision. My cynical mind says this is because those “teachers” never had any customers. They only had teachers, giving them time-filling assignments.
COME ON, PEOPLE, DECIDE, PLEASE? Please? pleeeeeeese? I really want to start drawing!
About Learning To Draw
Since I have been teaching private and group drawing lessons for 21 years, I have lots to say on the subject.
In looking at the photos in yesterday’s blog posting, it reminded me that yes, a slanted drawing table would be more effective. However, my classes last for one hour, so we just make do with what is available.
I hear critical voices out there, saying “She’s only teaching them to copy photos.”
I am teaching people to see what is really there, providing tools which help them see proportions correctly, showing them how to break down complex shapes and textures into manageable forms, teaching how to plan and persevere and persist.
They are learning about values (the darks and lights), proportions, perspective, how to make things stand out, how to drive pencils to their furthest possible use (“It’s just a pencil!” – Nope, it’s a magic stick of graphite!), how to discern what is worth drawing.
To top it off, my students get to meet a variety of people from different walks of life, of different ages and backgrounds. All have a common interest – learning to draw in a realistic manner.
I love teaching people how to draw, and I really do love my students!
Very Effective Drawing Teacher
May I say that I am a very effective drawing teacher?
I’m 55, so I can say whatever I want. However, I think this assessment of my ability to help people learn to draw is accurate, not boasting.
I’ve been teaching drawing lessons for 21 years, and my students are FABULOUS. They are fabulous people, tremendous students, and “at the of the day” (what an overused expression), they turn out remarkable drawings.
I have much more to say about this, but will tell you tomorrow.
Inching Along
Progress? I’ve been drawing, so something must have grown here.
The gate! I did the gate! With all those intangibles and texture, I needed to try something that had a definite shape and edges.
I set up the drawing and stepped back. It needed a sense of a path beyond the gate, so I scribbled in where it should go. Also darkened a couple of things, which may or may not even show.
The fence boards – I can do those! They have a beginning and an end, with definite edges. They cover a decent amount of real estate on this 16×20″ claybord.
Yea. Progress. Cartwheels of joy.
P.S. I’ve never done a cartwheel in my entire 55 years. It is a figure of speech, an expression of elation. Feel the excitement?
P.P.S. I think this drawing is really pretty, and seeing it here on the blog helps me want to continue it to completion instead of procrastinating and daydreaming about the book I am reading right now.
Fourth of July in Wilsonia
You’d think that when writing of the Fourth of July in Wilsonia that I’d show a cabin with a flag.
Instead, it is the sweet little cabin on a meadow without a flag.
Why?
Because it will be included in Wilsonia’s silent auction on Saturday, July 4.
She-Who-Runs-The-Silent-Auction thought this would have the most appeal, so here we go!
Yeah, yeah, I know I said I don’t give my art away.
Sometimes I do. Wilsonia has been good to me and I want to be good back to them.
The book, The Cabins of Wilsonia, is for sale there and here.
Drawing Lessons
For about 21 years I have been teaching drawing lessons.
This sounds formal. The more accurate description to my way of thinking is simply that I show people how I draw and thus guide them to do their own pencil drawing.
It is one of the most satisfying and rewarding (more than just financial) parts of my art business.
There are no lessons in July or August because it is too hot and attendance is traditionally down.
So, today is it, the last one until September 8.
This is Rosemary and her wonderful walrus.
Delighted and delightful!
If you are interested in taking drawing lessons, either in a small group ($55/month, 1 hour a week) or private lessons in my studio ($35/1 hour, $45 1-1/2 hour, scheduled as it suits), email me using “cabinart at cabinart dot net” (written that way to confuse the trolls who roam the internet looking for trouble). Or call me at 561-7606 (area code is five-five-nine, also written that way out of general troll paranoia.)
S L O W
This project is difficult and slow, oh so v e r y s l o w.
I often tell my drawing students, “You can be fast or you can be good. I get to be both.”
Not this time. I am S L O W. Or perhaps it is the claybord that is slow. Or the drawing. Nothing ninja crazy here.
Want a closer look?
The good part is that I don’t have to duplicate every rose and every leaf. The bad part is that I can’t see very many individual roses and leaves, so I have to make up much of it.
Not gonna quit!
On the Drawing Board
Drawing board? Drawing table? Drafting table?
The piece of furniture where I draw pictures using my pencils.
Now that we have that figured out, let’s have a look:
Say what? Is that a typo? “Claybord”?
A customer found 2 antique frames at an estate sale. She loves my pencil work and asked me to do 2 pencil drawings, each one 16×20″ to fit in the frames.
Pencil drawings are on paper and when they are framed, they need glass, mat board and a backing. This stuff doesn’t fit into a frame designed for a piece of canvas.
A handful of years ago (feels like 4, must be 9 because I’m having fun so time is flying), I attended a very fine art show called “The Peppertree” in Santa Ynez, California. There were a few pencil artists, and I remembered seeing one’s work on board, varnished and framed as if it was a painting (without glass).
I called Dick Blick, the big deal art supply company that knows everything and has everything. Their product experts said “clayboard”. I thought that’s what they said. Actually they said, “Claybord”.
Wow, is this ever a challenge to draw on! Super over-the-top ninja crazy smooth and smeary.
On top of that, add in a HUGE size (normally my largest drawing might be 11×114″, multiply it by 2 and then consider the ambiguity of the various textures in the subjects my customer chose.
No problem. I am a pencil expert. Har har har, maybe I am and maybe I am not. This project is sort of a test of my skill on several levels. One down, one to go.
Relevant Links:
P.S. I don’t know what “ninja crazy” means. I heard it on the radio and liked the sound.