Buttnekkiddoodles

Flew down to San Antonio for a week of work & play in central Texas. Got a break from the weather in Illinois and chewed me some bar-b-cue.

        

Finished the Pentalic book and am plowing thru the ledger book I received from Ed Nelson. Hauled a slew of Pitt Artist brush pens and a cluster of fountain pens with me. Didn’t think I’d need much green so came up short in my sketches on the River Walk because it was verdant with loads of plants. While most of these were drawn in public and on site, I doctored a couple because I was so limited in my color selection. Popped into the San Antonio Museum of Art and received a very pleasant surprise in the small but engaging collection. That’s where I drew the Maya underworld figure and the statue of Marsyas.

Portraiture is tuff enuff and admittedly, I struggle with catching a likeness of the subject at hand. Even when I pose someone, who can hold still, and I have loads of time, I just as often run right into the ditch. I find it amusing that given an unaware subject (save the nudes scattered throughout) who may fidget, and leave at any moment, I have just as much a chance of capturing something essential about that person as I might were I to set up ideal conditions for portraying that sitter  as others might recognize them. So here is a wall of attempts to see what’s recognizable from rear and oblique views, when the person gives me little to work with. Clothing and posture may at times hinder or help convey the personality of the subject.

                                                                                   

These sketches, done in public, often in transit, where drawn on a variety of papers – Utrecht and Cachet toned papers, Clairefontaine, and a preponderance of various ledger books. Michael Kalman has turned me onto the new series of sketchbooks by Stillman & Birn.  Drawn with a variety of inks from several fountain pen inks – Iroshizuku, Platinum Carbon, Noodler’s, Diamine,  Calli, to ballpoint (especially the Bic Bold 1.6mm, also like the Pilot Ageless), gel (Uniball Impact RT)  and rollerball pens. I make heavy use of  Pitt Artist Pens. The fountain pens I enjoy working with are – Pelikan 115, Pelikano Junior, Pelikan M205 Duo, Namiki Vanishing Point, Lamy Studio, Lamy Safari, Graf vov Faber Guilloche, Graf von Faber Classic, Faber-Castell Coconut Ambition. Occasionally I like using a bristle brush pen such as the Pentel and a couple made by Kuretake and Kaimei. Not to be forgotten is my darling little Ugly Duckling, the grease pencil.

Trying to stay in the fray. Out drawing a lot in cafes and at life drawing sessions. Felt a need to bring back a little color after working with predominately blue and black. Maybe that sparked me a bit as and I responded last night with some of my more relaxed nude sketches. Earlier work this month is in black and blue. Did take color pencils out with me but have too much fun with fountain pen and Pitt Pens.

 

      

OK, so not every drawing comes off so well even on a “good” day, even when you may have a good start. In the drawing above of the seated nude female, I was excited about a really fun pose with good props, I had 25 minutes and I decided not to play it too prescious. It doesn’t really destroy me if I don’t catch an accurate likeness as long as the features are structurally sound and/or the drawing has appeal be it vigor, compelling line work, something to hang your hat on, right. Well, this draw comes apart for me a number of ways but none more irritating than her right arm. Especially from the elbow to the knuckles, it feels wooden. Forearm is too short and there’s no suppleness. And it’s right smack dab in the middle. A couple days later, I got the color drawings at the top which I was much more encouraged by. I love the craft and fully appreciate the slippery nature of the command of it.

 

Woke early, made it downtown and into The Palette & Chisel by 7:30 AM, where I drew till 7 PM that night. Knocked out some sketching on the train to and fro as well. Opening drawing is DeLawn, hadn’t drawn him in many months. Brought a ton of stuff to draw with but wound up only using the black and grey Pitt Pens and a couple fountain pens gassed up with Platinum Carbon in my current ledger book. My figure drawing has been quite uneven as this post will bear witness to. Sorry if the images are not sharp enough. I’ve been photoraphing them with ahi-pod rather than scanning them on the hp because the ledger book is too large to fit on the scanner.   

          

Caught Larry Coryell wit Paul Wertico and Larry Gray at The Jazz Showcase in Chicago. Terrific performance by a hopped up trio. Had a decent vantage point with enough overhead light to see what I was drawing. In the drawing on the CTA transit system, bottom right, the guy with the shaggy hair reminder me of “Shaggy” Rogers  from Scooby Doo. Fountain pen w/ Noodler’s Ottoman Blue ink, Pitt Artist Brush Pens, including a new White PAP, and white China marker. The toned paper is an older Cachet, pre Daler-Rowney buyout, sketch book that keeps a crisper edge than the toned Utrecht sketch books I make heavy use of.