Sunday February 24

I attended the Bay Area Models Guild Drawing Marathon this morning: Here is some of what I did there.

10 minute pose.

20 minute pose.

20 minute Pose, probably my favorite from the day.

20 minute pose.

5 minute pose.

20 minute pose.

20 minute, going for color, just wish I had gotten better shapes in her face.

15 minute pose, the last of the day.

Some sketches from the 1 and 2 minute stage.

Phew!  Glad I went, even if for only half of the day. It's the first Marathon I have been too in a year.  Thanks BAMG, and their coordinator, Sonia.

Figure Drawing in 2013

Friday night drawing, Kroeber Hall in Berkeley, CA!
All of these were drawing with a fountain pen, using Noodlers Ink, Tiananmen Red and Habanero Orange. The solids are filled in with the use of a Winsor-Newton Water Colour Sable brush, #5 or #5.
Friday February 8, 2013.

Not sure what to draw?  Not interested in most of the pose, or just running out of time?   Focus on just one portion of your model and pay attention to some details that usually get lost, like the feet!

Moody, near silhouettes.

I really enjoyed the play of light on the models back.

A woman sitting next to me was very curious about the way I was drawing.  She literally asked me "how do you draw?" I explained that I was interested in the shadows, and looking for how to break down the shadows on the model into solid blocks, and was drawing the outlines of those shadows, which I would fill in later.  Here is step one... 

And here is step two.  I used two different colors of ink here, a dark red that I used  when drawing the outlines, and another lighter red where the figure went back in space.

More moody...

 Friday February 1, 2013.

Drawing at Triple Rock Brewery, after a session at Kroeber hall.

Two versions of the same pose, one on the light side, and one on the dark.

Emily, May 8th.

 Here is a Smattering of my recent Tuesday night drawings.  

Jenny, May 22nd.

Alicia, May 15th.

Bridget, May 29th.

Bridget, May 29th.

Bridget, May 29th.

Bridget, May 29th.

Bridget, May 29th.

Bridget, May 29th.

Bridget, May 29th.

Freewheelin' Yo La Tengo

James, Georgia and Ira, of Yo La Tengo.  Drawn at the Mystic Theater,  Petaluma Ca.

 Yo La Tengo played a remarkable, relaxed and intimate show at the Mystic Theater, Wed May 2.  They played hushed versions of their own songs, and some choice covers, as well as taking questions and comments from the audience.  I wanted to ask Ira just how closely related he might be to Garry Shandling but did not get my chance!

First I drew their faces, then more towards their knees!

James's Danelectro Bass.

 Several audience members ask to see my sketch book during the show and one asked me to draw something on the back of an LP she had just bought from the band.  So I re-drew James's bass for her.  I think I liked that drawing better than this one.  Whoever you are, if you find this blog, send me a scan or photograph!

Ira, some notes, his guitar and my empty beer.

I liked my drawing of James's bass so much that after the show I tried Ira's "On loan" Gibson Guitar, it did not come out as well.  It's a hard shape to draw at the end of the night!

April 12-15 I attended the 1st annual Plein Air convention, hosted by Plien Air Magazine and it's publisher, Eric Rhoads.  I sketched every day, in my way of taking notes, here are the results

1st day, finding my way in...

Some random notes during the 1st installment of the Marketing Boot camp.  6:30 am every day!

A demo by Peter Adams, a very funny and charming painter.  Mr Adams is also the president of the California Art Club. Riffing on the pallet decoration theme.

A three man Demo: Tony Pro, Jeremy Lipking and Alexey Steele.

They were the only figurative painters doing a demo during the conference.

Alexey Steele overlapping with a presentation by Clyde Aspevig, who gave a very  insightful presentation about painting and his thought processes.  He talked a lot about fractals in nature, repeating shapes from big to small all around us. When I went out painting several days later it was almost all I could think about! 

Drawn while listening to a presentation about John Singer Sargent, by Richard Ormond, a scholar and relative of the painter. 

Sketch of  a demo by Ulrich (Uly) Gleitner and some notes from the Marketing Boot camp.

More notes, and the beginning of a very impressive 1.5 hour demo by painter Ken Auster.  He painted a 60" x 40" San Francisco street scene from a photo, freehand and quickly!  A good lesson is just going for it and not being fussy!

Ken Auster painting furiously!  Then the stage was set up for Matt Smith, a much more restrained painter.  

Demo by Matt Smith.  His demo style was very different from Ken's.  

Matt Smigh during his demo and Scott Christensen beginning his.

Scott Christensen demo and presentation.  Scott is a former athlete turned painter.

Double demo by Camille Przewodek and Ned Muller.  They were the George and Gracie of the Convention, with the roles reversed!

Some notes on painting and more demo's.  

Nikolai Dubovik, Russian painter.  I was pretty much running out of steam by now! 2 full days of demo's, lectures and slide shows!

My quick sketch of some of the Beers I sampled at this years Firkin Festival, held at Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, on April 7th.