Shading showing a light source

In order to make a two dimensional object appear three dimensional the light source must be portrayed coming from the same direction on all the objects in the picture. It can be hard to see the shadow cast and reflective light clearly.  Both eggs are the same size but the one egg looks so much bigger.  I have the top egg sitting in a toilet paper tube pointing upwards so that might be part of the visual distortion.  This drawing is also in charcoal.  I don't know if it is the workbook or me, but I have a hard time making an even ground before starting my drawing.  I always get streaks and dark spots.

Drawing what you see instead of what you know to be true.

Left vs Right.  The battle begins!  We know that the US flag is a rectangle with 13 stripes and 50 stars. When we try to draw it we begin to have a problem.  It doesn't look right.  It never will when we try to draw what the left side of the brain knows.  The reason...the flag is normally folded upon itself and stripes appear to change width, the stars are not perfect but curved parts of stars.  By drawing what I saw, the flag looks right. 

I haven't drawn in charcoal in awhile.  I forgot how messy it can be.  I do like how it turned out though.  I will now be drawing in charcoal for the next few drawings.  I think I need a can a fixative!

Bitting off More than you can Chew!

The last time I went to the DIA to sketch I looked around and the statue I wanted to draw was already being worked on my a talented young artist. I hope to draw as well as she did. (The gallery selected was of revolution...both French and American.)  As I looked around to find something else to draw I noticed a display of funny heads, but I didn't feel like drawing them.  Some of the other statues had too much reflection from the lights on their cases for me to see clearly.   I noticed a plaster casting of men with an angel and although very detailed decided to try and draw it. I found out later that evening that the casting is from The Arc de Triomphe in Paris.  I got too caught up in the details at first and then started to get the heads of the figures positioned in the lower part of the drawing.  Of course this was too much for me to draw at my current level given the time of 3 hours.  If I go back and they are in this gallery I think I will take my sketch back to give work on it again.  I should next time pick an easier subject.  I think this drawing could take me at least 5 to 6 more visits to finish.  Although I got a good start on the heads and their location, but clearly I bit off more that I should.

How to get Good Expressions in a Model?

It was nice using my new easel to set up and draw Tim's profile.  I told Tim he could play video games while I drew him, but now I know that was a mistake.  It caused him to have a blank zombie expression and his head was tilted down causing extra flesh under the chin.  I think I will draw him again looking straight ahead.  I liked drawing the detail of his ear.  I think it turned out well.  I need to work on drawing hair.  I got the edge OK, but I wasn't sure what to do with the rest.  I also found his eyebrow difficult.   Well...like I said...I do believe I need to redraw his profile with him looking up.

Drawing a Profile

 

Finished the profile line drawing of Madame X. by John Sargent this morning and later had my son pose for a profile picture.  I will post that drawing tomorrow.  I should have had him just look ahead instead of playing video games.  Pictures of people watching TV or playing video games are not very flattering.  It is interesting to see how little our features are when compared to the whole head.

Abstract Art

How does one express an emotion, the wind, or energy in drawing.  Modern art has tried to use methods, colors, shapes, and other techniques to go outside the box.  They wanted to move away from traditional ways and techniques.  Some modern art is hard to understand.  Some elicit very strong emotions.  I have found that I like some but there is much in this group of work that I don't  like or understand.  The drawing picture here is of a plaster sculpture called Between Lily and an Elephant Tusk. 
While in the museum drawing it I didn't see the sexual nature of the statue until I saw my drawing later.  In this drawing I wanted to do all my shading in cross hatching to improve in my use of that shading technique.  It was difficult for this large of a drawing.  I am trying to work on less is more in my drawings by not drawing everything.  This next week hope to draw several quick sketches with minimal line work.

Sighting for figure drawing

In the workbook there are some different drawing assignments from the book.  One assignment has you drawing by using sighting lines to get the angles and length of various parts in correctly.  The first drawing pictured is from Henri Matisse called Two Drawings of a Nude Girl Playing a Flute.  The second one is mine.

Drawing from this sketch and trying to fine alignments and angles at first was hard for me.  Then it started to click and I was able to get my copy drawing done.  It was good trying to follow Matisse as I tend to try and put too much detail in.  His fingers and toes are almost child like as he just makes a suggestion of them. 

I have read up on a few of the artist that are considered the masters and found that many started drawing later in life.  So perhaps I am not too late?  Well...if not famous at least I have found a way to express myself.