Buttnekkiddoodles

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.   

          

   

Still fighting with artificial intelligence. Going in to the Apple Store where I hope two things happen. First, that they help upgrade my understanding and skills with this damn thing. And second, I refrain from insulting their company programmers who have added steps and inelegance to the method of editing a website. Super clumsy. I’ll accept that till further evidence that the bug brain in the works is me. I’m the dummy. Trying to get recent nude sketches and transit drawings on here but as I’ve complained for the last 3 post, it’s been frustrating. I did get advice from someone to just post to Tumblr, but I’m looking to make sales from this site one day, so I must adapt to or solve the system.

Love the paper in the ledger book I’m currently drawing in, tho the scale has pluses and minuses. Playing around with the usual suspects regarding pens and ink but something doesn’t seem tone clicking. Can’t tell if the drawings are any good. May need to throw a monkey wrench into the works and bulk up or change entirely the tools I’m using. Been attending sessions at the Palette and Chisel in anticipation of the New Year’s Day 12 hour life drawing marathon.

  

     

Visconti fountain pen w/ Platinum Carbon ink

Argo Tea

Cool Daddio readin’ the paper

problem solver

Got into a life drawing session Friday nite with mixed results. I’ll post those later. Wanted to get several quick studies of the fellow with long hair reading the paper but people kept sitting in front of me blocking my view. Still running into problems trying to get the web page to look as I wish. Graf von Faber fountain pen, Noodler’s Ottoman Blue Ink, Pitt Artist Pens, Visconti Fountain Pen, Platinum Carbon Ink. Working in an old ledger book given me by Louisville Ed. Big and roomy, perhaps a bit awkward drawing in tight public spaces like a bus or the orchestra, but it’s best attribute is how impenetrable the pages are.

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.