Working from the Model with Thumbnails, part 2

More great drawings, note the one minute small thumbnails, a great quick gestural tool for seeing the big shapes. It's fun to compare quick thumbnails to more developed drawings, and how much information was captured in those quick sketches.

Fall Portrait Drawing Class

Starting in October, I will be teaching a portrait drawing class. Sunday Mornings 10 am to 12 :30. We will be working in black and white, concentrating on our observation and rendering skills. Class will be open to beginners thru advanced level artists. Dates and location to be announced soon.

The Tricky Nose, Week 5

This week we talked specifically about the nose. We identified 5 basic areas: the keystone at the top, the top, 2 sides, and the area underneath. We talked about characteristics of each area, and looked at old master drawings to see how different artists have rendered the nose. Our model, Rosa, was fantastic today!

A Stellar Start to Our Portrait Class Feb-March Session 2

This is going to be a wonderful class, I can see already there is a lot of skill in this group, we will be seeing some wonderful portraits. Check back each week this spring to see how we are progressing.

Week 5, Expressive Mouth Part 2

Today we took a close look at the mouth, noting the philtrum, above our lips. and the curve of the upper lip. We saw how the upper lip is often in shadow, and the lower lip catches light. The cast shadow from the nose moves over the topography of the philtrum. We saw that the line across the mouth isn't a straight line, instead following the lobes of the lips. We also noted that the corners of the mouth have soft indentations. Our model today was outstanding, local musician, Dave M., held fantastic expressive poses. I have a photo of Dave and then a posterized version, showing how the shadow shapes become a flat shape before we add details. It's hard not to go straight to details, but artists will get better drawings by mapping out bigger shadow shapes and major construction lines first, and adding details later once things are in place. Across the board, everyone is making great progress!