ART EVERY DAY MONTH CHALLENGE DONE!

No, I didn't whip this little drawing up while riding non-stop in the car for 7 1/2 hours driving home today. It is from one of my sketch books. I can't resist some photo's even though they were taken by someone else. The odds were small that I would ever meet Mother Theresa anyway. Now they are zero to none.

We went back to Brent's for brunch before we took off and I did do a few small sketches but you have already seen their salt and pepper shakers, so I thought I would post this image instead.

Tomorrow is December, already! Hard to believe this year is almost over. I'm ready to finish up the year with a flurry of artistic activity. After all this black and white drawing, I am anxious to get to the water, brushes and lots of color!

BACK TO OUR FRENCHMAN IN DECEMBER!

This is one of my Frenchman simplified shape drawings. I will be using this one along with some of the others I created for the next phase of exploring the elements through a single image. Starting in December, I will be doing as many different color ideas as I can. By having my shapes established and my value patterns worked out, all I need to do is focus on color. If you want to work along with me and haven't done the shape drawings and value plans, this is a heads up. Monday starts a new month!

We went for a strenuous hike today overlooking Malibu and the Pacific Ocean. I will feel it tomorrow but we will be in the car most of the time heading home. It has been a great visit with all my children together but I am ready to get back home and into my usual routine.

BREAKFAST AT BRENT'S...THE BEST!

I want to keep my commitment to post every day in November. Just a few more days to go! This is as close as I have come to drawing anything I will be eating (which is the next EDM challenge) We went for a late breakfast at Brent's. This is a great place, the next best thing to a true New York Deli experience. Food like grandma used to make and ridiculous portions. If you look closely you can see my grandson's elbows straight and my son's to the right. I had them pose for me. I was doing pretty good until I tackled the pitchers of syrup and then it all went south!

Hope everyone had a beautiful Thanksgiving meal and get together with family and or friends.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

This is a good day to express my appreciation and thanks to all of you who enrich my life so much through your support and encouragement on this blog.

I did do a drawing today at brunch but it isn't worth putting on the blog. Instead, I thought I would post a better drawing of my hand.

DRAWING MARATHON MERRITT COLLEGE INFORMATION

It has been a very long day...we left at 9 AM and drove from San Mateo to Westlake Village down 101. It rained on and off with gorgeous dramatic skies. I took some photos from the car but I am too tired to download and post them. We stopped at husband's favorite...In and Out Burger. I did a sketch of the madhouse in there. They had a guy outside directing traffic is was so crowded. I am trying different strategies for sketching. This time I started at the top and worked down the page and the results were better getting the figures in and scaled somewhat right. Still not good but getting better. It's all about progress. The next EDM challenge is to draw what you are going to eat for dinner. I am too hungry to do that and let it get cold. Maybe I will draw a salad the next time I have one for dinner. It's already cold!

Since I had a request for more information on the next Drawing Marathon, here it is. I hope everyone who is reasonably close will come. It sounds very exciting. Thanks to Dorise for sending me this information.


Marathons

Many models posing at once:
males, females, nude, costumed, short and long poses.
Something for everybody!

THE NEXT DRAWING MARATHON

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Merritt College
12500 Campus Drive
Art Bldg., Rm. A122
Oakland, CA

Morning Session: 10 AM - 1 PM
Lunch Break: 1 PM - 1:30 PM
Afternoon Session: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Full Day: $35
Half Day: $25
Students: $30/Full Day
Seniors (65+): $30/Full Day

No turpentine. Absolutely NO cameras!

Co-sponsored by the Merritt College Art Department

Artists can draw from several Guild models varying short and long poses, modeling continuously for six hours.

Food and drink sold

Credit cards are NOT accepted.
How to Get There

From the MacArthur Freeway (Hwy 580 - northbound): exit onto the Warren Freeway toward Berkeley, exit Carson St. (north). Follow Merritt College sign to Redwood Rd. and merge right, continue to Campus Dr., turn right and proceed to the Merritt Campus.

From the MacArthur Freeway (Hwy 580 - southbound): exit 35th Avenue and turn left. Proceed towards the hills until 35th Ave. becomes Redwood Rd., and continue to Campus Drive, turn right and proceed to the Merritt Campus.

Bus #54 runs to Merritt on Sundays.

Plan ahead. Carpooling is strongly suggested.

Still not sure how to get there? Look at Maps on www.Yahoo.com.

To receive automatic email notification about drawing marathons, please join our Drawing Marathon Group at Yahoo Groups.

DOES THE RIGHT HAND KNOW WHAT THE LEFT HAND IS DOING? I CAN'T SEE!

I am still on a mission to post every day of November. With Thanksgiving looming it will be a stretch, but I am still on target. Today I went with my husband to visit some friends in town for the holidays. I didn't get to any artwork until this evening. I decided I needed to get back to my Everyday Matters drawing challenges.

#10 was to draw your hand. I wanted to do it from life instead of a photo so I decided to do the blind contour technique. The problem is that you usually have to hold your hand in the same way each time and I have drawn my left hand many times. Tonight I added my right hand drawn with my left for my own amusement. The drawings always come out very distorted but it is the best exercise to practice slowing down and really looking and seeing what you are drawing.


#11 was to draw your glasses. Fortunately, I see better up close without my glasses. These glasses had the most interesting part on the inside of the temple. I don't understand the logic for this as no one sees it when You are wearing the glasses. I am also trying to find a writing style that looks interesting for journaling. It's coming along.




I am working with a great new book by Nita Leland called "Confident Color". Mike Bailey has 3 paintings in the book, so I got a sneak peak at his Open Studio. I couldn't wait to get this book. Nita suggests make color studies on a sheet the size of a post card. This is one of about 10 sheets I made yesterday. I normally don't do color studies but I think these will be helpful. I especially like comparing similar colors. It turns out that the Indian Red in the Hydrus line is exactly the same color as Winsor Newton's Brown Madder. If I mix a small amount of Hydrus Burnt Sienna into the Indian Red, I get Quin Burnt Orange. The traditional Indian Red is amazingly dull and muted. This is the perfect example why you can't trust the name alone.

THE BEST OF THE LOT!

Here is the drawing I liked the best from the drawing marathon. I took another photo of it and that solved the download problem.

I took a colored photo from the newspaper (It covered the entire page of the paper) and used gesso to glue it down on the watercolor paper. Gesso really isn't a good acrylic glue (matt medium is what should be used for good adherence) so part of the sheet didn't stick down. I pulled up the loose part slowly. The paper was pretty soggy. I put it down in another place on the paper . The newspaper ink started to color the gesso and created a pale beige color as I brushed over the paper. While the paper was drying I started putting thick gesso on another sheet of paper. I used a scraper with small teeth on the edge and textured the page. I then took a sheet of wax paper and brayered over the wet gesso. I then transferred what was on the wax paper to the first sheet with the newspaper on it. I hope I can create another sheet that will have this look. Sometimes lightening only strikes once.

There is going to be another Drawing Marathon at Merritt College in Oakland on Sunday, December 7th. I understand this one is even more exciting with lots of models posing simultaneously. I had better get busy preparing my papers!