Buttnekkiddoodles

Well, it’s been, hmmmmmm, weeks and weeks and weeks since I ventured into a life drawing session. Usually, when out on the road, I find some venue, somewhere, that has open life drawing sessions. Didn’t do that this last trek of 2 months. So last night, took the Pitt Pens, fountain pens, grease pencil, and a ledger book from who knows where that was gifted to me by Louisville’s Ed Nelson, and looked toknock off the rust. The opening nude in this post is a drawing from almost 4 years ago.

 

 

 

The above 2 are from 2009. I think it’s good to keep looking to see if you’re gaining or loosing ground on yourself.

  

After Florida, I flew to Los Angeles, Pasadena to be specific. A community that has seen the return of some of it’s former luster. I stayed just a couple blocks from the main drag, Colorado Blvd., which sports some very tony clothiers and boutiques. I scoured the stores looking for a pair of rugged shorts as I was looking to do some rafting and possible white water once I got to Oregon, plus it was 88 freakin’ degrees. The stores had already switched to their Fall/Winter lines, it was on the eve of Halloween. Nothing to be found but long pants, sweaters, wool cardigans, leather jackets, and Empire coats. Couldn’t risk an epidemic of pneumonia sweeping thru poorly clad Los Angelinos.

 

Formerly a grand hotel and now a la-di-da condo, Castle Green presented the challenge of trying to define architectural structure swarmed by various plant shapes, (the leaf clusters of hedges were easy compared to the 10 thousand swords of palm fronds), while capturing the ever shifting play of light and shadow and the changing hues of green. I threw in the towel before finishing a number of palm trees. Several people stopped to have a look, some of them making comments, but perhaps most interesting were 2  denizens of street life, both by all appearances homeless, who engaged in brief conversations with me about the drawing.

 

  

Some grease pencil, otherwise Pitt Artist Pens.

Ybor City, a community in Tampa that was home to Cuban and Italian immigrants and where the cigar making industry flourished. Still some shops where men hand roll the cigars. I was too late the day I went there to draw one at work. Had a reputation for being a tad rough but looked to be settling down and accommodating tourist and upscale restaurants right next to tattoo parlors and vintage clothing stores. Notice that I got lazy with the flag. Not only didn’t finish it, but drew the star pattern of 48 states.

     

Got nothing but beautiful weather while scooting thru the South. Spent several hours at the John and Mabel Ringling Museum in Sarasota, which was full of choice stuff. Eye catching feature – all the fig leaves were removed from the copies of very recognizable sculptures, and the heroic figures’ manley attributes were restored.

 

       

Drew my friend Adam as he drove us from Charleston to Savanah. Pitt Pens on toned paper. Adam was chewin’ his cud over a court case he was in the middle of, while talking to me about various topics and managing to steer a car hurtling thru space. Super wonderful guy.

 e    

              

Sorry to have neglected the website for so long, but now that I’m back from a 2 month road trip, I will put forth a flurry of sketches from across the country. You can see drawings from that trip if you go to: doncolleyroadtrip.tumbler.com. Drawn in an old doctor’s ledger book from 1937 and in a Utrecht toned sketchbook with Pitt Artist Pens and my old pal, the white China marker, aka the grease pencil. Cheers, Darn