Playing With a Variety of Drawing and Painting Materials

 

I am fairly sure I posted this photo on top of the "peace pole" project here at University Woods but I did take a photo of it after it was placed in someone's garden.  They are randomly placed around the grounds in the gardens and planters.  Look very cool.  Acrylic.  

The Tiger Lillies are blooming all over campus now and around the Wisconsin area.  And Lillies of all kinds.  It's just "Lilly season" now.  they are such a pretty waxy flower...so vibrant.  These are just outside on the patio here at University Oaks.  Watercolor and ink. 

This is one of those sketches you do when you are waiting for something.  I was down in the Oaks Community Room the other day and waiting for something...can't even remember what for at the moment.  But I do like the lamps and the furniture in our center.  Sort of a Frank Lloyd Wright theme.  Ink and white charcoal.  

Graphtint pencils by Derwent.   I got the initial box of 6 "tints".  They are a water soluble graphite with just a hint of color.  I think I am going to enjoy using them.  They do also come in 24 shades but I am thinking that I'll play with these 6 for awhile first.  

They are different from "watercolor pencils" which do not contain graphite.  I used 3 tints in this sketch...a dark indigo shade, a Mountain gray shade and then just a touch of Ivy green around the label.  It's quite lovely for studies like this.  I hope to put them into my sketching bag and try them more.  So easy to use with just a water brush to activate.  Here's a look at the tints:

Day One of Drawing Class

Dave is instructing the class about how to position a photographic reference for a study on tone...or value.  

The lesson is about shapes...trying to stop thinking about this as a "hand" and more about a group of "shapes".  Drawing my own left hand.  

After doing a value study of a 2B pencil's range of dark to light...

then we all looked at this photo example and with help from "gridding" of our paper and the photo planned out a copy of the photograph.  Working hard to look and replicate some of the pencil tones.  I switched to a 6B Derwent pencil for the darkest darks.

This was day 1 of a 3-day class.  

We have some suggested homework assignments to read in our text book....Keys to Drawing by Bert Dodson.  And a few exercises that Dave has suggested we try.  Looks like a rainy couple of days up north and so good to be in the studio!  

The book has been around a long time...but has a lot of good information.  Can be purchased used for about $5 plus shipping.

Bits and Pieces of my Recent days...

I think I forgot to post my "littles" for March 1-April 2.  Note the baby Sandhill Crane near the bottom on the right.  He is SO tiny next to his huge tall parents.  Such a delight to see.  Three books, an amazing swarm of swallows, a hail storm, taxes, etc.  Nice to look back on these days...some more delightful than others.  But all worthy of contemplation.  

A little pencil study of the gifts (and the gift bag) that each teacher in the art club received at the lunch given in our honor in March.

The little bit to the right is a handkerchief and in a fascinating little card.  I didn't know they still made real hankies!  To the left a little glass ball that hangs in your house with a small sprig of some air plant that you just spritz lightly once a week.  And hang out of direct sunlight.  How fun.  And a pretty towel.  

I used this little sketch of our dear old canoe to adorn the for sale sign that went up on the board in the hall.  We had two calls the first day!  Greg is meeting with someone in the morning to see if he would like it.  $25 plus two paddles and two life jackets!!!  It's a very good deal.