Anyone for Croquet?

Jerlyn sketching at Gretchen's Kitchen Shop

These would have fit in nicely at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party

I wanted to add text to the teapot sketch and color to my line drawing of Jerlyn. Didn't have time until now. This brought back memories of a very fun day in Mt. Vernon with the Anacortes Sketchers.

Figure Studies vs. 6-Stroke Figure

If you've been around my blog and/or website for a while, you have probably encountered my tutorial on simple silhouettes, which I call 6-stroke figures. I even have a tutorial page and video on how easy they are to do. They're great for giving scale to a cityscape or adding the human element to a composition.

A 2 page spread from my little DYI pocket sketchbook

While I am recharging my art spirit this summer, sketching all over the place with friends and colleagues, I have decided to kick it up a notch (as Emeril would say) Let's see if I can put a little personality, individuality and expression in the figures I'm adding to the scene. BAM!
I would call these more than a silhouette, but less than a portrait....so maybe "studies" would be a good term to use. I feel that I did achieve a bit beyond the generic and succeeded in trying to make them as individual as possible.

I guess the guys on the fishing boat are half stroke figures, or maybe just a dot! ;)

Sunday Painters, "Gnome" for it

I thought I would share a lesson from my weekly classes with you Sunday painters.

Eventually, most artists want to include the figure in their work, either as the subject or as an element of the composition. It's common to be intimidated by one's own expectations of how it is going to turn out. Drawing problems, color, proportion, etc. all create challenges.

But what if you eliminate the worry of disappointing your subject or not creating a "likeness"? Choose statuary and your model doesn't move, squirm or need a break. You need a subject with a lot of character. Gnomes are hard to find in the wild, but there are lots of domesticated ones available right in your area. Simplify the process by sketching with line and wash.
"Gnome" out on a limb and give a try. It's a lot of fun!