Winter seems to have sagged hereabouts, just as I was finally getting the resolve to got stand outside on a face numbing day to draw. So the weeks set of drawing was more locals in transit and some grown up mall rats.
 
Back at The Palette & Chisel for a less than stellar Friday night life drawing session. Drew rather timidly on the nudes didn’t get much accomplished. A winter with sparse drawing is starting to show in the sluggish character of the drawings, especially the nudes.
Always try to have an auspicious start to the year by getting to the Palette & Chisel’s 12 hour New Year’s Day Life Drawing Marathon. Hadn’t drawn much in the week that led up to this much anticipated event. Shook some of the rust off .
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Headed out with a large ledger book and a new sketchbook, a Seven Seas Tomoe River Pad – the paper I’m most excited to draw on. It is a very thin paper that holds an edge when drawn on with fountain pen and Pitt Pens, and doesn’t bled. Quite remarkable for a paper as light weight, just a bit more substantial than onion skin or tracing paper.
 
Added the last few from the latest visit to the Friday night session. Wicked cold outside and I was having a lousy time warming up my drawing skills despite having gotten a nice very rapid sketch of a passenger on the way to the P&C(just below). Preoccupied with too many other pursuits and not drawing as regularly as I’d like and I’m lacking a fluid feel much of the time.
Have been working with Platinum Carbon ink in the fountain pens with very little exception and not being that diligent about flushing or cleaning some of the pens that regularly. Not to many issues. The Sailors and the Pelikans pretty much flow whenever I put the to pad. Had a bit of an issue with one pen but that may have been due to sub zero temps here in Chicago.
Some nude studies from the past year.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Burning thru my reserves of ledger books but that is not all bad. I’ve been really leaning on Pitt Pens and fountain pens and it might prove interesting if not valuable to make a concerted return to graphite.
Once in awhile, I actually put up some doodles of naked butts. Went to the Palette & Chisel last night to see a strong show of Errol Jacobs paintings from the last few years and made it upstairs for the last 2 hours of life drawing. Been awhile.
 
 
Well it’s been some time since I settled in to some nude drawing having managed to travel the country extensively this Fall so I squeezed in a half session last night with less than what I might have hoped for. Since I returned to Chicago 5 days ago much has gotten in the way of my daily drawing so some of the slap dash I was looking for came in fits and starts. I also left the house with a limited range of grays and wound up making careless use of cool and warm grays on the model which is irritating me  sufficiently on the morning after. I did have with me a Sailor bent nib fountain pen that give both bold and narrow line widths depending on the angle you attack the page with and you can see it’s effect in the drawings of the dude with the Jeff cap & blue backpack and the slouching fellow in ski cap texting away. Fun to draw with and loosens you up. On the page immediately above of cafe goers and transit riders, I could have used some of the darker Pitt Big Brush Artist Pens which would have knocked in richer values and strokes on the clothing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
Back on after a brief retreat to clear out a virus. Apologies if you caught the cold. Life studies and urban sketches in fountain pen and Pitt Pens on the most recent ledger book which has the best blocking ability yet to prevent bleed thru.