Yesterday I ended my post about inspirational beach photos by saying I felt so inspired I would go draw a cabin. You thought I was making that up?
This is a commissioned pencil drawing of a Wilsonia cabin. The cabin owners emailed me several photos with some specific instructions, and this is the result.
I love to draw.
In knitting, there are regular discussions about whether one is a product knitter or a process knitter. This is in reference to one’s motivation – is it the journey that you enjoy, or is it the destination?
When it comes to drawing, I am both a process and a product artist. The pencil feels like an extension of my hand which is an extension of my eye and my brain.This makes it immensely satisfying to build a drawing.
In addition to enjoying the journey, it is always a thrill to see the finished piece. Getting to my destination never loses its buzz. My latest drawing is usually my favorite.
(Painting is a completely different story, and in the interest of not going into a navel-gazing session here on the blog, we’ll just stick to drawing for now. You’re welcome.)
Seems to me that in order to finish a project, you have to want the product AND enjoy the process. One without the other equals more unfinished stuff, or UFOs, as knitters call them. (Un Finished Objects)
Finished pencil drawing for the upcoming book The Cabins of Wilsonia
Not yet. Looks finished. It isn’t. It will stay in the studio for awhile so I can evaluate it, refine it, spend some time adding a few more layers, emphasizing the contrast, darkening the darks, and finally, taking a decent photo.
Remember seeing this sketch a few weeks ago? It was the preliminary step to beginning the commissioned pencil drawing of a winery.
After drawing for awhile, it is helpful to stick it to the wall and study it at a distance further than 8″. You can see the size in comparison to the 10″ square barn painting above it.
Is it a winery drawing? It looks like a mountain picture to me. Wait, I thought it was supposed to be a vineyard. It is all fitting for a California artist, doncha think?
More will be revealed. Stay tuned!
Whatcha working on now?
I just finished bidding on 2 murals.
Where??
In my studio.
No, where will the murals be?
The bid that was accepted will result in a beautiful trail scene on the side of a new business in Three Rivers. They hope to open in March, so I could be painting in February.
Will you show the progress on your blog?
Of course!
You said “murals”.
Yeppers, I did! The other will be at a private residence, if the folks accept my bid.
How’s it going with that Adobe InDesign 30 day trial?
Holy guacamole, that is one complicated piece of work. I’ve watched many tutorials, some of them several times. I’m learning, and have a few pages laid out. Plus, I have a very long list of questions that I hope get answered soon!
Anything else going on?
Oh I’m so glad you asked! A winery just asked me for a pencil drawing to use as a label. Would you like to see the first sketch?
Hey, I’m the one asking questions here!
Forgive me. I got confused. How about if we just show that sketch and then go away until tomorrow!
If you have been a home owner, you probably will never forget the first place on which you paid a mortgage.
Our first home was built in 1913 and we were only the 3rd owners. I loved that little house too much – it just wasn’t natural to have that much affection for an inanimate object. Even now, almost 13 years since selling it and moving on, I can still recall the sound of each door as it closed.
Most folks’ first homes are small and simple. They usually need work, they usually need paint somewhere, they almost always have lawns, and they seldom have garages. Can you relate?
This is someone’s first home. I don’t know him, but I know his Dad. His dad is a very thoughtful man who knows that his children’s homes are special. He has commissioned me to draw several of these modest and well-loved structures.
These are simple drawings EXCEPT the photos rarely contain enough information, have cars and people blocking views, and require some guesswork on my part. The challenge is to make them as technically perfect as possible so that what they lack in detail is made up for with precision.
Oh, and Mr. Google? This is a California home drawn by a California artist – me.
Cabinart – making art of cabins, using pencil. That is my roots. Now that I oil paint, when a commission drawing for a cabin comes along, I am thrilled. Thrilled, I say!
The defining characteristic of this cabin is the group of massive trees in the front yard. The truth is that I sort of wanted to draw it in a vertical format, focusing on the trees with just a hint of the cabin peeking through. That’s not why people want their cabins drawn, so I provided several sketches and this was the winner. I’m happy when my customers are happy!
This is what drawing student Gerald said to me when he finished his drawing. “Spray?”, you are asking, even as you read this. (Yes, I can hear you.)
Spray fixative is one method of preventing the finished drawing from smearing. Framing is another; workable fixative is a third. I’ve been told it adds “tooth” (that means texture in Artspeak) to the paper. It didn’t, but that’s another story for another time.
Early in my art career, drawing people’s cabins and houses was my main activity. One time, I finished a commissioned drawing of a lovely old home, grabbed my trusty can of spray fixative left over from some college art class and proceeded to ruin the drawing. It left little waxy spots all over the paper. They scratched off with my fingernail, and I learned a Big Fat Lesson: do a test spray on something else first.
Because of that unfortunate incident, I went off spray. Completely, cold turkey, no tapering down, no patch, just Q U I T. Go ahead and call me a quitter – I can take it. (I’m a loser too, in the true sense of the word. But I digress.)
A few years later I met a pencil artist who charged huge amounts of money for her drawings, used a wide range of pencils, and sprayed with Blair No Odor Fixative. I began using a wider range of pencils (see The Rules for further explanation) and the fixative. My prices stayed the same.
“No odor” was a lie – it stunk. I think the manufacturer meant “this smells like you can get high but don’t waste your time”, but “no odor” took up less space on the label. After several years of learning to depend on this marvelous stuff that prevented my drawings from smearing despite pulling them in and out of various envelopes, folders and picture frames, the magic spray was discontinued.
I hoarded 6 cans, and today I used the last spray from my last can.
There are other brands, other types, maybe even a Blair substitute. Ick, shopping. Add it to The List. Meanwhile, I’ll just be careful with my drawings as I complete them. There will be many. I’m not ready to tell you why just yet.
Let us spray.
Jacob Currie. Or Curry. Spelling wasn’t that important to Irish folks in 1905.
All that remains is gorse, in color. “Gorse?” you ask. “Of course”, I reply. Or is that “Of corse”?
This is St. Patrick. Or, more accurately, this is a statue of St. Patrick.
This is a statue of St. Patrick with a bit of a glow, the outlines of gorse, and the outline of a headstone where the man who was born in the cottage was buried.
