Posts Tagged: graphite
Sketches from the Art Institute
Amy is my classmate from the painting studio. Amy and I have been going to the Chicago Art Institute and drawing statues. And an odd painting. Statues are wonderful models – they keep a pose, don’t get tired and never complain! They don’t throw tantrums or hissy fits and are always on time – very professional. Amy and I have been drawing like this for the last month. I have many complaints about Chicago – weather… parking… you name it… The Art Institute is not a part of this list – it is a true blessing!
Here are results from several sessions (click on a thumbnail to see it larger):
1. A head from the Indian gallery (stone) and a figure from Early American Classics gallery (marble). I forgot to take notes whose head and figure are these.
2. Aphrodite of Knidos (marble) – a copy of a Roman 4th century statue
3. Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of Pompeii 1858 (marble)
4. Solitude of Soul, Lorado Taft, 1914 (marble) – my very first male nude.
5. Solitude of Soul, Lorado Taft, 1914 (marble) – female. I am just wondering why is this composition called “Solitude” if there are four figures in it?… I’ve sketched two so far.
6. The Lute Player, Gentileschi, 1612-1620 (oil). I got tired and skipped the actual lute… oh well… fabric folds and drapery were hard enough. We really wanted to sketch from Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus, I hoped to do that foreshortened arm. But the painting wasn’t in the Caravaggio’s gallery, must have gone back to London, it was on loan here. The Lute Player was there in its place, so we did that.
I am getting better at it, and faster as well. Practice seems to be the key. As usual.
Graphite in my sketchbook.
Geb
Geb
Geb was the Egyptian god of the Earth and a member of the Ennead of Heliopolis. The name was pronounced as Geb from the Greek period onward or as Keb. He was the husband of Nut – the Sky, and fathered 4 children with her – Osiris, Set, Isis and Nephthys. As deity, he became associated with the habitable land of Egypt, it’s cultivation and harvest. (More on Geb in Wikipedia).
I imagine if Geb had ever taken a form of a man, he might have looked like this. Isn’t mythology great?!
In reality the story is much more prosaic. As told by a fellow artist from WetCanvas, the man worked as a guard at the temple complex of Karnak, Egypt. He was one of those guards who, when no one is looking, would show you all the places no one else will show you (of course!) and then ask for money, and that’s when you realize you’ve been had. This man was better than others though, he did not blatantly ask for money and agreed to pose for photos. He is now known around the world as many have drawn and painted him for the wonderful worn face full of character.
I’ve been working on this portrait since November 2009. Had to pause for a time to teach myself negative drawing – I couldn’t get the white beard/stubble right by any other method. Then I waited for Hi-Polymer 0.3mm graphite leads to arrive, because my regular 2mm lead pencils were too fat and too shiny for the task. This is the third version of the beard, not counting numerous trials in my sketchbook. As it sometimes happens to me, I was afraid this drawing would go unfinished because my skills were not up to this challenge. It looks like I was wrong.
7.5” x 9” (19 x 23 cm) Graphite on Bristol Smooth 300 Series.
Sly
Sly
sly (sl
)
Too bad about my paper. I chose to draw on Stonehenge with the thought that this would be only a study. This paper is a bit too rough for a young skin like that and shows too much tooth. Bristol Smooth paper would’ve been much better.
6″ x 6″ (15 x 15 cm), graphite on Stonehenge.
Fun with stick figures
Stick figures having fun
I am working on two portraits at the moment, one in graphite and one in watercolor. Both are taking a very long time. Graphite one – because it is complex, and watercolor one – because I don’t know what I am doing. I got tired of all this serious work full of self importance and had some fun with stick figures. So there!
Graphite and Pigma Micron pen on sketch paper.
“Like a rolling stone”
Like a rolling stone
New portrait is complete. I probably spent 30 or 40 hours on it, but that’s over the course of 4 weeks. I don’t know who the guy is, the original photo is by amazingly talented Christine Lebrasseur. I had Bob Dylan continuously sounding in my head while I was drawing, and therefor the title is “Like a rolling stone.” My fellow graphite artists from WetCanvas! Drawing & Sketching forum have helped me tremendously by giving constructive critique in the most gentle and useful way.
3H-6B pencils on Stonehenge paper, size 6.25″ square.
Chicago Cultural Center
Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center
Our Monday Sketch group met in Chicago Cultural Center today. Nobody can call us uncultured now! Us and about 90 Chicago seniors who happened to have some kind of event there. They looked about 80 and upward and were extremely frisky, running around like spring chickens, although some dragged their unused canes behind. I pray I would be that energetic when I get to be their age…
Chicago Cultural Center was built in 1897 at a cost of $2 million of that money. The firm of Shepley, Rutan and Collidge of Boston had the honor of doing it. These are the same guys who designed the Art Institute of Chicago.
We sketched in the Preston Bradley Hall on the third floor. Named in honor of an important Chicago theologian, the Hall is spectacular. The space is beautifully proportioned and exquisitely decorated: 38-foot tall Tiffany stained glass dome and Tiffany chandeliers, Carrara marble walls inlaid with mosaic of color stones, glass and mother-of-pearl, just to name a few things.
I was seduced by the curves of entryway arches and the ceiling and set out to sketch far too large of a view. You probably need to sit there for a week to do justice to the details. I had an hour and a half. Mechanical pencil and micron pen.
“Now what?!”
Happy apples and honey to everyone who celebrates New Year today! Interestingly enough this year Jewish New Year coincides with the “Talk like a pirate” day. So if you are a pirate of Jewish persuasion or a Jew aspiring to be a pirate here are some pointers: Shana Tova, matey!
I finished another study portrait. At least I think it is finished because at my current level of skills I am not sure what else I can do. A little over 6×6 inches in size, graphite on Bristol Smooth, it took about 25 hours. The original photo is by a French photographer Christine Lebrasseur.
Now what?!
Go west, young man, go west
Go west, young man, go west!
I am undecided about this sketch. On a positive side I got the likeness in under 3 hours, that’s good. On the other hand nose needs work, and there are other problems. I can go back and spend some time working on the nose. But my goal was to do quick portrait sketches to practice features, not perfecting them. I got the likeness and I got the facial expression, perhaps I should stop while I am ahead.
New sketchbook
I’ve got a new sketchbook, a real nice one, sewn and bound in cloth. It has lovely 130 gsm paper, off-white with just the right tooth. I was looking at Moleskines for a long time, would pick them up and put them back down… Beautiful and desirable as they are, the paper in them is too smooth for me. One day, when I will get over my fear of pen and ink, I will get a Moleskine.
In the meantime two sketches in my new Artist’s HandBook from Blick. Did I mention that the paper in it is lovely?
teapot personalities
2 of my collection of Asian teapots. Don’t they look just like a man and a woman going to the market, she dragging him along? 3B pencil.
Are you talking to me?
This was actually a disaster. I was trying to practice drawing eyes and a mouth from a photo of a baby I found. When I was done the eyes looked much older than baby’s eyes, so I had to adjust the mouth to look older as well because I couldn’t change the eyes. This girl obviously wanted to come out, and she did. Somewhat Manga like I guess.
3B pencil in Artist Handbook.
Hello
This whole idea of keeping a blog came to being because people I love live too far away for comfort. It is not right that you need to cross an ocean to see someone you love. But at least you can keep in touch, by keeping a blog. Since you always want to know what I am doing, here it is: I have sketched a cat.
This sketch, an exercise really, a cat’s face, is graphite on sketch pad, 4×4 inches.