Because my friend liked this little rough sketch enough to mention framing it, it seemed prudent to improve it. I do have a professional reputation to consider, since word-of-mouth is my strongest marketing method.
So, I spent a little time polishing the sketch. This time I photographed it with a ruler so he could see how small it is.
He asked if I had started the real drawing yet. I replied that I was about to start, but first I had to squash a spider. My studio is really out there on the edge of civilization. (Please be impressed by my pioneering spirit.)
With that nasty little job finished, I began the real drawing.
I started the 11×14″ drawing on Strathmore Bristol Smooth 400 series paper WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT ANY REFERENCE PHOTOS!
Looks like a nothing-burger at this stage. Good thing that you all know I know how to draw.
I love making custom art for people, especially for friends, ESPECIALLY of orange groves, and ESPECIALLY in pencil.
Using pencils, oil paint, and murals to make art that you can understand, of places and things you love, for prices that won’t scare you.
There is something new coming to Three Rivers, but I don’t yet know any details. Might be a simple retail shop where one can pick up local art, maybe some tchotchkes. This is why I wanted to get those little Three Rivers paintings looking better. This is also why I started a new river painting.
This is painting session #1. I want to do this in many thin layers, striving for perfection. But why?
It might be an overreaction to how I felt about the blurry Kaweah Post Office painting. It might also be some residual from having drawn this exact scene in pencil with a touch of colored pencil a handful of years ago, a commissioned piece. I want to see how close I can get to perfection with paintbrushes. I’ve already decided to leave out the tree on the left side, but like everything I do, more will be revealed in the fullness of time.
My show “Still Here” is still there, at Arts Visalia, that is. The phone # to make an appointment to see it is 559-739-0905. TWO DAYS LEFT,Thursday, noon-5:30 and Friday, noon-5:00. I will be there on Friday, April 30, and will take away the unsold pieces at 5 p.m.(MB, I will be sending you your painting next week!)
I have learned to draw from photos on my laptop instead of mediocre prints from my mediocre printer on mediocre paper and instead of waiting for high quality prints from Shutterfly. This means I can enlarge on the screen for understanding the detail more. This also means I can’t measure. Everything is a mixed bag.
The complicated custom collage drawing began with these photos, and even more.
Then I began laying it out on the giant piece of paper, using the approved sketch as my map. 14×18″ is a lot of real estate to cover with the point of a pencil.
Can you see the lines on the paper? “Just barely” is the answer I am looking for.
This is a big job, a complicated one, but I, your Central California artist am up for the task.
With much of the custom art that I do, I don’t get to actually see the places in person. This is less tricky than in the olden days of film cameras and waiting for pictures to get developed and then put in the mail.
Someone I’ve never met saw a copy of my book The Cabins of Wilsonia, went to my website, and used the contact button to ask me if I could draw her parents’ cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
(Obviously I needed my website redesigned to emphasize the fact that I make art people can understand of places and things they love at prices that won’t scare them – i.e. CUSTOM ART!)
As usual, I said I’d need to see the photos first. She sent me several.
This is the main view of the cabin, but I can’t see what is on the left or on the right.I looked at multiple photos, asked some questions, and did this sketch to see if I was understanding the missing parts correctly.
The customer sent me more information.
This sketch was helpful in understanding the chimney placement on the right.This photo helps me understand what is covering the chimney in case it needs to show.This still doesn’t explain what is happening on the left.
I began the drawing, even though I didn’t have all the answers yet.
The customer explained the trees surrounding the cabin, and there are 2 large sycamores very close, but not appearing in any photos that she sent. They sounded important, so I dug through my enormous stacks of photos and found some sycamore branches and leaves. These are drawn in the upper left corner because I want the cabin to look nestled and surrounded.I got a little nervous about putting in those sycamore leaves without first asking. For awhile, I procrastinated, just counting boards, measuring window panes, and growing ferns.
Finally, I took these photos and sent them to her. She was thrilled and I was relieved.
I asked again about the left end gable because it shows in the drawing, and I want it to be right. She responded immediately with this immensely helpful photo.
So that’s what’s over there!
Doing custom art of places I’ve never been to requires many photos, conversations, and sketches. It is a mystery and a puzzle, and when I am on the right track, it is enormously satisfying to grant the customer’s wishes and exceed her expectations.
