Lorene calls me out of bed from the back yard at 5:00am to break up the fight between Maple and a racoon! She let out the dog thinking she had to pee, but apparently it was because she smelled the critter!
No, big damage just a few scratches, very lucky, lessons learned about how and when to let her out.
Saturday morning sketch, feeling a little anxious this morning. Looks like I may need to have some surgery on my leg injury. Not feeling great about this. So this sketch was just a reaction to stress. Putting a face to what I feel is coming up from behind. Maybe it's not so scary after all, just feels uncomfortable now. Time to get to work, have an Alias(CAD) model to finish today along with concept sketches. Also need to work on a drawing class for kids. If you have a favorite podcast or blog for kids let me know in the comments. Thanks
After shopping with Mom and Grandma, she shows off her new dress. Natalie you are so very beautiful! Dad moment....
I have always been interested in sketching on site. But I have never felt very comfortable. Now there seems to be more and more people involved in this on line. "Urban sketchers" is a great site to see the rough and loose style of capturing the moment. I love the level of indication and quick gestures. I LOVE THAT IT'S BEAUTY COMES FROM NOT BEING PERFECT. I used a fine line marker for initial sketches, then a brush pen for the darks. I blended with a simple water brush pen all on a moleskin pad.
I did these with my son at the local library and later at our coffee shop on the way home. We had a really good time together. Away from TV and Computers just sharing some food and talking. Listening to others around us, and paying attention to our surroundings. Just focusing on the moment...very nice. Well time for bed. Hope you like these.
Ethan in his coat, as I tried to ask him about school or reading...conversation with a 7th grader can be challenging :)
Some of the students at the library were learning about the legal system from our neighbor. She is a lawyer and works with high school students. So busy with Ethan and sketching I didn't even notice her until she came over to say hello. Later at the coffee house a guy in headphones and a women with long dark hair on their computers. Each sketch was only a few minutes but I am loving the ink brush pens and simple lines.
Trying to figure out a coloring style for me...
Read More
Sketching creatures is always fun. You can do almost anything and make it work because the subject matter is suppose to be unrealistic, fun and exaggerated. This is a favorite topic for me to bring into the classroom. The more outlandish the better, and it teaches the kids to use their own imagination, not just draw something they see on TV.
This sketch started from thick line thumbnail sketches to just get an idea and gesture in place. I like the inking and line work detail of the process. With a flick of the wrist and a calligraphy pen you can get an evil grin, or expressive eyebrows. The thick and thin is and randomness of the line is what I like about this style. Some of my preliminary sketches are more expressive even in rough stages. The trick is to add detail without losing the energy of the line in the early preliminary work. Keep sketching!
The final image....
Initial color
Here are a few captured warm up sketches looking at simple shapes and gestures and a few faces. Quick studies to loosen up your thoughts and get the juices going. I used to doodle like this more often. I kept a sketch pad by my desk at the office at all times. Now I tend to do these during meetings or anytime I have a few spare moments. These were all done before I went into to work in the morning. Just let the pencil strokes take you where they may. Something always comes from this if you give it a good 30 min. of play time.
Just a short tutorial of the type of work I bring into the classroom. Visiting the K-5 level classes I try to encourage a quick sketch technique based on using simple shapes and line. I always start with a warm up session before we begin. In these examples I am using Manga Studio and a calligraphy pen tool for thick and think lines. In class I will use a broad tip marker, or a brush pen, on newsprint . For the under drawing I use a prismacolor blue pencil or any soft lead.
The hardest concept to convey seems to be the rough experimentation. I want the kids to fill the page with gestures, eyes or feather studies. Often this is the hardest part, as they like to darken lines, erase and get detailed a little to soon. I try to encourage small studies on a single page. Often I will draw lightly and messy, just to show how I am playing with options before picking what I like and going back to darken the lines. They really seem surprised to see me scribble over a drawing or draw an "x" over parts. Then they see how the under drawing really disappears as the marker comes out and the dark lines become dominant.
Have fun and keep sketching....
Simple studies on details.
Break down the key elements of the character and practice a variety of options.
Often your first idea can be improved upon and even simplified for a better effect.
Just play with shapes and see where is leads. Have fun.
A quick Inktober Viking sketch before bed....Thinking about creating a sketchbook - ebook of this type of content, maybe a coloring book? We will see....
Inktober:
I guess I was sketching with the debates on my mind. Actually I support Hillary, but thought it would be funny to hear Robin as the voice of the Mellennials ...I promise not to get political (on this site) after this....(Natalie wants to know who "Mellennial" is...how sweet)
My 4th grader had a fun assignment for school. She needed to draw animals that had adapted to their environment. Her creative dad misinterpreted this obvious science project as a freestyle art assignment based on creativity. Oh how confused her science teacher must have been to see her father's twisted view of evolution...
Looking at a fun tall guy pirate for another Pager on body types for Oct 20th and the Pirate sketchbook
I am playing with different pens and liking the variation in size. The line work is more like a fine point felt marker and the darks are more of a brush pen. This was done, as usual, in Manga Studio 5EX.
Talking about Design. Sketching and other fun stuff! ...posting soon.
Last Friday night in Plymouth drawn to the night five modeling sketches. The model was doing yoga poses. This created some challenging views but it was a lot of fun.
Went to the Plymouth Arts Council for live model drawing last night. Small turn out last night, hope to see more people next month. Very fun.
Drawn to the Night in Plymouth...our last month event....live drawing at
smaller turnout than previous weeks. But still interesting and fun...
5 min to 20 min sketches....
Here is the start of another "Art Parent" hand out, for the grade school class.
Drawing robots with simple shapes....
Here is a possible cover....
