Another Crack at Bowie

Used what I learned studying heads yesterday while doodling today.  This is a doodle, done during lunch, about 2" tall.  Though shading still leaves much to be desired, I think it is better than my earlier attempt in proportion and symmetry.  It was so much easier to place the features with the Loomis framework in place.  

Loomis heads

Finally brave enough to start drawing in a sketchbook.  Why was that so hard?  ;)

I took a look at Andrew Loomis's book, Drawing the Head and Hands but hadn't jumped into it until I watched some videos that showed an easier way to do it.  

Following along with the videos and taking notes

Practicing different positions from the book:  Once you do it a lot of times, it is easy to remember the method.

Art Class - Third and Last Project: Acrylic on Canvas 16x20

I won't be going back to this class.  I like some of the things I did in the class, but I'm not sure that I was "taught" anything by the teacher.  She basically allowed us the use of her studio and used negativity as her method to try to teach us something.  Three classes after my daughter did something wrong, the teacher was still yammering on about how she ruined her drawing due to doing it wrong. Would not let up. It was my daughter's first freaking art class.  The teacher should show the proper technique before turning a beginner student loose to do something wrong.  I had my own issues with her as well.  But enough ranting.  Here is the last thing I worked on:

I'd like to remove about 60% of the flowers and add more greenery to look more like the reference picture.

Might also remove the stupid birds that the teacher added "for me."  Maybe some day.  

The art teacher thought that the composition was terrible. AFTER I showed her the picture I wanted to work from, and after I was finished.  The flowers are too distracting, drawing the eye away from the beautiful distant seascape.  Well, being that the inspiration was a picture of flowers close-up with a distant seascape, it was the exact composition that I wanted.  I just wanted to learn to paint.  Guess I'll try it solo for awhile.

This picture was the inspiration:

Painting Course Lesson 7 - Line Variation

Lessons / activities here:  http://painting-course.com/the-painting-and-drawing-classes/

Doodling with the brush pen

Drawing #13:  Shoes

Drawing #14:  Abstract  (and more doodling - perspective practice)

Sketching / gesture

Pause the TV during the Olympics for tons of poses.

Family sits still long enough to sketch while playing Skyrim.

Life takes over

Home remodeling projects plus having a kid home from school have left me little time to dedicate to keeping up!  I may not post very frequently for a little while.  I am still taking a weekly art class, so I should at least be able to post what I do there.  Currently doing an acrylic painting of cliffs and seaside with flowers.  Should be done with it by next week.  Until then!

Art class - second project

Pastels

18x24"

They matted and wrapped it for me at the studio, so please forgive the wrapping glare.
~3.5 hours

Art class - first project

Colored pencil

Prismacolor black and grey pencils

~ 3.5 hours

Painting Course Lesson 6: Gesture Drawings and Observation

All about loose movement, quick gesture drawings

Drawing #10:  30 Drawings, 30 Minutes (30 Gesture Drawings)

Scotch tape, large bottle of eye drops, vacuum attachment, child's croc, pliers, small flashlight, clothespin, clip thingy, simple flute, dog toy, fork, spool of thread.

Camera, key chain, candy, screwdriver, hand mixer attachment, battery, rolling pin, soda can, strangely-shaped glass bottle.

Remote, paintbrush, phone, wooden cactus, gyroscope, measuring cup, hairspray, pill bottle, stapler.

Drawing #11:  Draw All the things!  (Observational Still Life: Small Objects), 1 hour
I ran out of room!  Maybe 26 things?  Ordering larger-size paper today.

Drawing #12:  Rembrandt Copy

Lesson 5 from Painting-Course.com: Symbols of Drawing

Drawing 8: Drawing from memory:

Assignment:  Study a photo for 3 minutes then draw from memory.  This illustrates the fact that we use learned symbols for drawing -- symbols that have been learned in childhood for eyes, hair, nose, etc.  Betty Edwards would say that those symbols were taken from storage in the left side of the brain, just like the symbols "A" "B" and "C."  When I thought of drawing the eyes, I brought out the way I draw eyes, not the eyes that were in the photograph that I studied for 3 minutes.  

Drawing 9:  Drawing from a photo (sideways):

Assignment:  Place the photograph on its side and draw the shapes and shadows that you see.  For this drawing, the stored symbols were not utilized; observed shapes were (right brain).  Though I drew the shapes and shadows that I saw, I still think I had some of those verbally-identified things in mind from time to time ("eyes," "nose", etc.).  I wonder how different it would have been upside-down.

I didn't do very well sticking to the shading instructions.  I was supposed to keep the shading to simple horizontal lines.  I did it on the neck but that's about it.  

Original photo:

I may try this again with a photo that has more defined shadows.  It is definitely interesting to see the difference between stored symbols and the "artist's eye."  I'd like to do better.

Another try:

Did this one upside down.

Picture Plane exercise from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

I did not like this exercise.  Drawing directly on the glass was interesting, I guess; but I did not like copying from the glass to paper.  Plus, I was not able to replicate the position of my hand.  I put off doing this as long as I could.

The glass plane:  

If you look closely, you can see the drawing of my hand.  This was made by balancing the glass directly upon my left hand, closing one eye, and drawing the contours of my hand directly on the glass with a marker.

A quick copy while watching TV:

Trying harder, used toned paper.  Bleh.

Contour drawings

More contour drawing practice.

Daily Drawings

Face tutorial

Face practice

Another Upside Down Drawing

Lesson 4 from Painting-Course.com: Drawing Lines

Blind Drawings (Not looking at the paper)

Peeking while drawing:

Regular drawing of hand

1-Hour Mucha Copy

Upside Down Drawing

Got this exercise from Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.  The assignment was to draw this without turning it right-side-up.

   

The pictures right-side-up: