Art Every Day Month
Thank You: Art Every Day Month & 20 Min Challenge!
Thank You Art Every Day Month!
And, thank you Katharine Cartwright for posting my drawings to “Twenty Minute Challenge!“ I invite you to visit these wonderful sites!
Art Every Day Month:
It is fitting to end November with a MsKitty piece since I started the month with “MsKitty visits Still Life with Toy Pony”. This month I participated in “Art Every Day Month (AEDM)”, with Leah Piken Kollidas Hostess Extraordinaire! Leah is a wonderful hostess and artist. Her kitty series is delightful; she has a knack for catching the gesture and expression of cats. And, she does other exciting pieces, including blobs, female figures…well worth a visit to her blog.
The artist who participate in “Art Every Day Month” are a diverse group. The arts include sculpture, writing, collage, mixed media, altered books…etc! We’re all out there searching, creating, cheering each other along. It was a fun adventure. Thank you!
A word about Katharine Cartwright’s blog and the “Twenty Minute Challenge”: They’re special! Kathy’s blog discusses all sorts of interesting topics on painting, to include books and composition. The Twenty Minute Challenge has postings of twenty minute created pieces of art from a diversity of artists. The work is inspiring!
MsKitty’s Visit to the Lighthouse — D2
I wanted to build on the first version I did of MsKitty goes to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is inspired by our local Grays Harbor Lighthouse. The lighthouse is across the bay; I use a small replica ornament as model. The sea shell is stylized after the types I find on our beaches.
Some thoughts on design: I’m experimenting with repetition as a design element. I’m repeating linear shapes to link the elements of the composition. After seeing the first piece, I wanted a more variation in the violets, going from cool blue/purple to warmer violet/red. I like how the variations of color and shape size play with the feeling of depth.
These are fun little studies. The fun part is having each one generate more ideas. MsKitty’s quest continues, though at a slow pace! I’m adding the previous version of MsKitty at Lighthouse for comparison.
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Two Memory Drawings
To follow up on yesterday’s posting on memory drawings, I am posting two drawings I did in 2003. They were done on successive days. To put into context, I had been doing “memory” drawings immediately after my morning exercise on the beach. I happened to encounter this woman doing her exercise two days in a row.
What I see when I look at drawing v1 is a stiff, labored drawing. I did not quite get the movement and the perspective is off. On the plus side, I did it from memory. And, I can identify with the day when the body feels stiff and uncooperative when I’m out doing my morning exercise.
The second drawing is more confident. The body seems to move naturally. The woman’s expression helps give a positive feel. The action of the hands and feet work a little bit better. I see a woman out for a walk; her body is relaxed, in rhythm and she is enjoying herself.
Difference between day one and day two: ME! I asked better questions and saw more in the brief encounter with this woman on the beach.
Both drawings were done in roughly 20 minutes or so. Drawing right after breakfast has become part of my daily habit and routine. I do about 20 minutes…because that’s as long as I can sit on the hard breakfast stool.
I would be interested to know what your experiences are.
Memory Drawing & Still Life w/Toy Pony #51
Another exercise that I have done over the years is draw from memory. This is one of the exercises I learned from Kimone Nicolaides book, “The Natural Way to Draw”.
Try This:
- When you’re out and about, try to pay attention to what you see. When you come home, try to draw something that you noticed like a gesture, a movement. For example, someone walking down the street; hand on a car door; cat on a step.
- Look at items in a room or on a table. Turn your back on the arrangement, or go to a different room and draw what you just saw.
Pick a time when you can do either exercise for 15 to 20 minutes a day. If you’re able to, try it for a couple of weeks and see what you’ve learned.
Background.
I had just retired from my previous career and finally was going to do what I always wanted to do: draw and paint. But, how do I teach myself to do these things? What does an “artist” do all day long?
I turned to Kimone Nicolaides book and started working through some of the exercises. I think he is credited with developing the contour drawing exercise for his students at the Art Student’s League. Another of the exercises he had was drawing from memory.
I started doing the drawings from memory 20 minutes every morning. What I learned was how to ask myself better questions and to see the basic shapes of subjects. Better questions are like: “how does clothing move when someone is walking?” “How do I know a duck is a duck and not a goose or swan” etc., depending on the subject.
How I Use This Lesson Today.
To put memory drawing in context, most drawings we do from “life” are memory drawings. Blind contours are an exception because you are looking directly at the subject. Otherwise you look at the subject, at your paper, at your subject, at your paper…etc.
Many of my drawings for my series are essentially expressive memory drawings. I think about the subjects as I draw. Today’s posting is one such “memory drawing”. As I step back, I can look at the expressive qualities as well as how I have handled the form of the subjects.
Let me know what you think and your experiences with memory drawings.
Drawing 50, Still Life with Toy Pony
Today’s posting is drawing 50 of “Still Life with Toy Pony”. What I see when I look at my drawing is the influence of the greats of the last century: Cezanne, Gauguin, Picasso and Braque. I’m reading a book on art history. It’s a survey, so more depth is needed in further readings. But, Gauguin developed a “cloisonné” style, where shapes were flattened with outline. Cezanne flattened space; there was depth, but not too much depth in his later paintings. And, from Picasso and Braque I get my love for “fracturing” the planes of my objects. I would say these Masters are once removed. My Dad, artist John Stermer, was my biggest influence; he was no doubt influence by the same artists! I know because I read his books.
I like my somewhat “chunky” objects. The illusion of different planes gives the object a feeling of depth. But, the use of line keeps the design from going to deep. Instead it’s more like a frieze.
There’s a sweetness, or perhaps tenderness in this drawing. I imagine it’s the gesture of the pony that is the most telling of mood. Perhaps, the sisters of this drawing are happy together….or content.
Enjoy, and please have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Color Studies, “Still Life with Toy Pony D32″
I’m working on color studies for my “Still Life with Toy Pony, Drawing 32″. My intention is to find a scheme that suits what I want to say about this design. I’m using the tracings I did for this particular drawing. I use the “bucket fill” tool of my paint program to fill each shape with a color.
The first study is an alternating blue/yellow-orange design. If you’ll notice, there is roughly the same proportion of blue to orange. It fits the checkerboard design. In the second study, I’m going for a dominance of the purple or violet color. I’m using the compliment to highlight the design and lead the eye.
I’m leaning toward the second color scheme. One could do many more. Another option is a triad: red, yellow, blue….no sure yet! I may try that next.
