Learning to draw, Chapter Four

kirby.jpg

 

Remember I said, “Pick something you love, because you will be looking at it for a long time”?  Kirby loves this band called “Slipknot”. It is her fourth drawing with me. She is doing a very careful and thorough job. This is creepy to me, so I mostly help her from across the table, viewing the drawing upside-down. This is a very helpful technique when learning to draw, or even after one knows how to draw. It bypasses the part of your brain that names an item which prevents you from actually seeing, and forces you to see just the sizes, proportions, shapes, angles, etc.

Learning to draw, Chapter Three

maleah.jpg

 

Here is another example of working from a photo. The first step is to decide size and placement; second step is laying out all the pieces with a very light outline. Figuring out how to space the flower petals took some organized thought. This is Maleah’s second drawing with me. Lots of people already draw some before taking lessons; some have never tried it but have always wanted to. People get a little nervous and say “I really don’t know how to draw”. My answer to that is “No need – that’s why you want lessons!” 😎

Learning to draw, Chapter Two

After drawing one’s hand, the next step is to work from a simple photograph. I ask students to bring in photos, preferably their own. This is because A. there aren’t copyright “issues” (why do I dislike that word so much??) and B. one is familiar with the subject and C. one apparently likes the subject if the trouble was taken to photograph it! I say over and over “Pick something you love, because you will be staring at it for a long time”.

rod.jpg

 

This is Rod’s first pencil drawing. Really! It is a step by step process, and break it down into as many steps as it takes for someone to be able to draw. This includes lots of demonstrating and explaining and practicing on scratch paper.

Learning to draw, Chapter One

Learning to draw is about learning to see accurately and learning to handle the tools to depict what is seen. The first lessons are copying exercises, and then we move to drawing one’s own hand. This is how it can look:

sarra.jpg

 

All drawings start with the outlining stage. Here, Sara has her outline in place, and has begun to shade. We use a plexiglass viewing window to transform the 3 dimensional hand into 2 dimensions for the outlining process. This makes it easier to see what is really there. (It doesn’t show in this photo.)

 

Nine One One, part two

yokuts.jpg

Here is a Yokuts shelter. From the diagram that the author provided, I had to ask if these were little Christmas trees made of thatch! She gave me an explanation, so hopefully the drawing will clear up any sort of confusion as to the nature of these little structures.  The book will be titled The Sierra Before History: Ancient Landscapes, Early Peoples. It is by Louise Jackson and will be out this spring. The book still might be available through the publisher,  Mountain Press http://mountain-press.com/index.php.

Art Nine One One

Ever notice that the initials of Nine One One are NOO? That is the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the words, “I know this is short notice but. . .” Saying “NOO!” would be bad for business. People come to me because I have something they need, and it would cut down on many business opportunities and mess up my hard-won reputation for being a non-flakey artist if I just automatically said “NOO” to these requests. So, I listen to the request, ask for the exact time the piece is required, think about my existing obligations and commitments, ask for specific expectations about the job, and say yes or no based on reality, rather than first instinct. An Art Emergency came to me last week – 2 illustrations for a book on the people of the Sierra. The author was notified by the publisher that the deadline for going to press was moved, and she couldn’t find decent photos of Miwok and Yokuts shelters. She had blurry photos and a diagram, and neither was adequate. She asked me to create drawings – “I know you are busy and this is short notice, but. .  .” Since she is a very dear friend who has helped me in more ways than I can ever count, I truly wanted to help her. Besides, have I mentioned how much I love to draw? So, I did the drawings, and this is the first time I have ever confidently made up something without adequate photos and LIKED the results!

tipis-1.jpg

These are Miwok shelters made of bark.

Art Emergencies

You’ve learned about odd art jobs such as quilt patches and umbrellas (and NO, I DON’T WANT TO PAINT ON AN OLD SAW!) Now, I bring you Art Emergencies. This is where someone comes to you and says “I know this is short notice but. . .” Generally speaking, 30% of the work that comes to me is an emergency. Granted, there are no true emergencies outside of birth and death, and “poor planning on your part does not create an emergency on mine”. However, poor planning on the part of a customer often creates nice jobs for me. And, to be fair, sometimes Art Emergencies are not a result of poor planning but the result of  a surprise as in “Joe Bag-of-Doughnuts just announced his retirement and we need a nice personalized gift for him right away!” Here is one from a couple of years ago:

quick.jpg

If you are wondering about it, it was for a retiring Visalia City Council member and all the elements of this collage mean something to him. And no, he isn’t Joe Bag-of-Doughnuts; he is more akin to Joe Box-of-Oranges!

Getting there

Remember this? On overcast days, I draw in the studio rather than paint in the workshop. Have I mentioned how much I love to draw? 😎 Now that my seasonal shows are behind me, I can finish this so the customer will have it in hand before Christmas.

in-progress.JPG

In progress

When it is overcast, the light is too low for painting. So, I draw instead!  Here is the chosen sketch for this comissioned collage piece:

img_1712.JPG

Looks like a scribbly mess unless you know the photos. I showed the customers 4 options and they chose A with a few  minor changes. Here is the beginning of the drawing:

img_1713.JPG