My Picasso

The next exercise in Drawing is to copy a sketch, upside down (both the sketch and your copy). The example given is this Picasso:




I've got an hour. 40 minutes at least. I do it in 20.



This is a mistake. I've not done the exercise correctly, and rushed through it. I didn't spend the time to accurately copy the picture; I just wung it and it shows. It's a mess!

A little while later I sit down and do it again. This version took 1:20, and I'm happy enough with it.



Some of my relationships aren't right. I could've used a bigger piece of paper (or started smaller). I ran out of room, and thus he's a pinhead, scalped! Any spatial problems I created were resolved in the hands and the left leg, which were completed last. These two areas are a bit off. MUCH better the second time around!

Baseline Drawings

I've decided to do the exercises outlined in the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. The first task is to do three preliminary drawings: a person drawn from memory, a self portrait, and my hand. I did these this morning:






This is my sister Jackie. I don't think it looks a thing like her! Eyes too far apart, looks like she had a stroke ... 10 minutes






Me. I like the left half better than the right. I think it looks kinda like me, face not long enough, eyes again too big. 45 minutes.






My left hand. I haven't drawn a hand in ?20 years? This is good!

I enjoyed doing these. I'm looking forward to progressing in the book. I feel like my drawing skills are basically ok; I'm ready to improve!

Smoke tree

I'm STILL not taking advice (but will, really!!) and am getting my pastel on. This morning got up early for the light and did this:





This took maybe 25 minutes. I was really unpleased while doing it but after "finishing" I am less harsh on myself and kinda like it!

It's a little too mid-tones in the end, which is why I put "finishing" in quotations ... Tom says it's a great under painting. I might go back in later and put in some more shadows/highlights. I also think revisiting it might fuck it up, so I dunno.

Here's a reference photo, tho I did plein air:

Another value sketch

This one a really quick one, copied from this pastel of Patty McGeeney's:





This took about 20 minutes ...



I dunno if I show any improvement.

Okay okay

I've gone back and finished my tomato value pic. I think I've done MUCH better this time, but still don't have it quite right.




Tom's making me a sphere, cylinder, cube set up to actually start working on value, instead of just reading about it. Unfortunately, we have no white spray paint to get it right, and won't for the next few days.

I've started reading Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, and will do some exercises from there. I also have a digital copy of Andrew Loomis' Successful Drawing, and those two should provide enough info to get me going.

I really like the bottom half of this picture, I think I've got the lighting pretty damn close and that bit there might be the nicest/most realistic drawing I've done, ever.

Feeling pleased.

Still over my head

I learn lessons the hard way sometimes. The long way, anyway. Yes, jellyfish on black background is too much for me, do something simple, is what I told myself. Then I went on a run and took this picture and doctored it up in Photoshop and this! simple thing is what I'm gonna try next:




Er, this is not exactly a simple shape, in retrospect. The initial sketch is ok, but sketching isn't where my (current) deficiencies lie . . .




It all sorta goes to hell when I add color . . .



I reach this point (which is really just the beginning, I was thinking I'm just trying to get some color down) and ask husband Tom for his opinion. He takes a look (keeping in mind that he has a degree from Art Center, arguably the best art/design school in the country) and basically tells me what I already know; I'm putting the cart before the horse and need to understand form and light before I put lots of focus on color.

I know he's right, I pretty much said it myself before even starting, focus on the basic skills that you need and Do Not Have!!

I don't think my painting's beginning is all that bad (I had a plan for it and think I had an idea for where it needs to go) but I also think I've got to stick with the idea of keeping things simple to start, for reals, and concentrate on learning basic skills, the lack of which have led to me to my present state.

To this end, I'll file the above aborted attempt away for a few days/week, but I'll be back to take it further!!

Slow Down!

Sure, one painting comes out pretty ok and suddenly I'm an artist! I think,sure, I can do anything now right? and things'll only get better, whoppeee! This is always my mindset and is why I've never progressed beyond this point, because one ok painting does not a painter make.

Wonderful first jellyfish and I'm all happy so let's do another awesome jelly!




Preliminary sketch is ok. Eh, hell with values or any of that I just want to get painting! And won't it be awesome on a black background, yes, you're an "artist" now just do it . . .




Yay! This looks good too! I pick out my palette, this will be fun! Then, I start applying color, and I am immediately lost. The black background just totally throws me for a loop, I have no idea what I'm doing and now because of this background, I've got to do it . . . backwards?!? What the fuck.

I'm completely over my head, and immediately pack it up and call it a day. I need to just finish my tomato value study thing and start with the basics!

Jellyfish

So in the past couple weeks I've gotten started with pastels.  I've done a few little bits, nothing finished, nothing successful, just sketching it out trying to play with things.  I haven't done this enough, but decided THIS week is the week I'm getting on with it all, and did a thing from start to actual finish!







Totally pleased with this, much better than I had expected for my first full effort.  It's a complete rip-off and duplicate (R&D, my favorite tactic) of something I stumbled over a few months ago on Reddit:







which itself is an R&D of this image:







I mostly copied the original, even though the copy was the initial inspiration.  The whole thing took me about 5 hours to complete.  I look at my finished thing and think, yeah! I might have aways to go, but I think I can learn how to art!

Getting started

Alright, so I know I need to start basic.  The first thing that always throws me, and I rarely get right, is a thing I don't think I've ever truly understood, is value.  It's such a basic concept, but I don't grasp it fully.  So this is where I begin.



A value study, copied from a picture.  I'm pleased!



Then, using this "posterized" reference photo,

I do this, and it's all kinds of messed up.  I've paid no attention to what to photo actually shows, and instead am just trying to make it look good.

I think I've done better on my second attempt, done with water-soluble pencils, but it remains unfinished .so far . . .

What it's all about

I can sketch a recognizable thing, I know a little something about graphic design, I doodle really well.  Sit me in a boring meeting with a pen and paper and I can draw a mean peacock.  Sometimes I get the shading right.  Basically, I am vaguely artistic and have never not once done a thing about it, except always wish I could . . . do art better.  

I've at various times (and not at all in the past 20 years or so) tried watercolors, pen and ink, acrylics, oils, whatever, maybe produced a forgettable picture, lost interest and moved on.  I've never taken a class or studied any kind of artistic concept deeper than yellow-and-blue-make-greens, which is probably why anything I've tried to do hasn't met my expectations.  I've never put the slightest effort into learning art basics.  I've always just wanted to Paint really cool things!  Right Now! and when I can't draw what's in my head I get frustrated and then don't want to draw at all.  

But I really want to paint cool things, dammit.  I think I've maybe gotten old enough to admit that no, I just can't do the complex things without first mastering the simple thing like I wish I can.  So I'm finally buckling down and am going to actually learn how to actually draw, so I can learn how to paint, so I can paint cool things.

And I'm gonna try to blog about it.  Are you with me?

Ok then, let's figure this shit out.

I've just gotta . . .

. . . write something down, if only to get this thing started.  So here it is: a post.

Ta da!