Recent Figure Drawings

GROUP 301 11/5

This was a brand new model and she did very well. All these were 20 minute drawings. We've decided to put aside the warm-up quickies for the time being. May have to think about that. It might be good for the model.

These are all charcoal. It may not be my best medium or maybe I need more time. So fragments.

FAIRHOPE 10/31

Same model we've had there the 3 times I've been. Good model.

The last 2 were about 25 minutes. Maybe graphite isn't my best medium.
What's left?

Painting Produce #3-Red Delicious,Acrylic on canvas 42 x 38

Can't get the color perfect on this one. Actually I added the apples to make this a produce painting. May take them out. These were numbered in the starting order and #1 hasn't showed up yet. Maybe the tomatoes will turn up one day.

More Figger Drawing in Fairhope

Not as bad as I thought on Saturday. The drawing group the is a wonderful except for getting there. Ron Thomson who's in charge does a great job, the model for the times I've been there is good, works hard, holds the pose and has a personality. Hope we can set up a group that functions this well on our side of the bay.

Walked through a couple of galleries afterward. Lo and behold, Ron Thomson's work was the best I saw. There was some work from Ocean Springs at the ESAC that I found pretty spotty quality-wise.

Painting Produce #5, Corn-O-Copia USA, 20" x 20", Acrylic/Faux copper on Canvas

The Devil made me do it. I've still got one more produce painting that's almost finished. That may be the end.

Figure Drawing at 301- 9/24

Last night was the first night of the Space 301 figure drawing group and it went very well. Sharon who modeled this summer for Ben Shamback's class was the model and moderator. Multi-tasking. She will continue to monitor the group and will model one more time this quarter. For information call Space 301.

A few examples:

I've really got to get serious about hands and particularly feets.

Drawing Figures in Fairhope

Even though I was very tired this was a good day. Professionally run. Model didn't take long breaks. Monitored by a man named Ron Thomson who does a very good job. This group is tentatively scheduled for twice a month through Dec. I recommend it.

Nothing new about any of this. I've really got to start dealing with hands and feet.

Painting Produce #4, 30 x 28, Acrylic

Another effort in immortalizing groceries. Next will probably be red delicious apples.



Last night was the first session of the Downtown Figure Drawing Group meeting back at the Temple. I wasn't in the group in the past when they regularly met there. It's unfortunate but I don't think I can deal with that space. Guess it will be Space 301 only. I was going to do both.

Painting Produce #2, Bell Pepper, 18 x 18, Oil

I had started to paint this Alla Prima as most of the Painting A Day paintings are done but the colors seem to become muddy that way and the translucent colors of the red bell pepper were lost. So there were glazes over opaque and vise versa and it took a long time even using alkyd medium. I really like working better in acrylic but there are things you can get with oil that don't look quite the same in acrylic.

There are more produce paintings nearing completion.

An artist friend sent the below photos when she heard I was painting produce. They are called Peter Peppers. Enough said.

I understand that seeds are available from: Totally Tomatoes, P.O. Box1626, Augusta, Ga 30903-1926

Hummers 2, 18 x 18, Acrylic

I nearly dumped this little painting and still may do. It certainly isn't up to the first Hummer painting. Guess which one's the female.

Figure Drawinhg Class 7/23

Last night of the class. For me, working on a drawing for 3 hours is way more than a gracious plenty.

Figure Group 7/22

Same model for the second week in a row. This women just started model last spring I think. She's turned into a good one. Just don't seem to get finished even with a longer pose. Gettin' slow.

I learned on this one that BK Rives paper is not good for charcoal.

I was consoled on this one when someone told me the foot was good, it had 5 toes.

The prospect for next week ain't good.

Figure Group 7/15

Not much shakin last night. 2 minutes is either too long or too short so a few fragments.

So since it was raining someone had an umbrella.

Hopefully things will level out with this group in the fall.

Figure Drawing Class 7/9

Last Thursday we worked on breaking the parts of the figure into planes, basically 3 planes per form as I understood it. Good exercise but in my opinion you have to use it with discretion when not doing an exercise.


Wiped out most of this one. What's left is OK.

The British artist, Euan Uglow, who was used as an example was very interesting. Really liked his work. He apparently was into measuring and proportions, etc but we found several of his figures that were like 9 or 10 heads, mainly elongated from the hips down.

Figure Drawing 7/2

After a couple of frustrating weeks in both the Figure Drawing Group and figure drawing class last night produced insight into seeing, analizing and rendering light and shade. These drawings go from begining to end of the class. This drawing is my first try with the fat charcoal.

In my opinion this drawing represents my best effort dealing with technique that Ben Shamback was getting us to try for rendering light and shade. This was about 20 minutes and obviously could use a lot more time.

The last was a longer pose, about 25 0r 30 minutes. An awkward pose from my angle and should have had been darker on the back in the core shadows.

Maybe it won't be so long to the next post.

Figure Group 6/17 Plus

Very good model this session. She knew how to pose and held the pose like a statue.

Messed up the figure on this one but an OK study of her head. She was a great portrait study.

Finally, the plus. When I left Indianapolis for NYC I gave a piece of sculpture to the Herron Museum, now the Indianapolis Museum. Recently I learned that they had deaccessioned it. Since this was my only sculpture I'm trying to get it back. I started another but never cast it. This is in fiberglas by the way.

I called the concept "Barbie Dolls for Big People". It's life size. Not sure what to do with it if I get it back but don't want it to get away.

The red bird should be up on the arm of the chair.

LITTLE HUMMERS- a near Mike Angelo moment 30x30 acrylic

A little different. Maybe a baby step toward painting grogeries.

FIGURE GROUP 4/20

Things started out slow for me last night but a couple of things that aren't too bad.

One for "realism".

MARI MY FRIEND-NOW AND THEN charcoal, acrylic and WC 41 x 28

Nothing of note from the Figure Group from me last night. This is a drawing of an old friend,

also a member of the Atlanta School of Art Class of '62. She's done and is still doing very well as an artist.

LITTLE HUMMERS

A friend forwarded an email with great pictures of humming birds. Beautiful little creatures.

CHARLIE MY BOY acrylic 30" x 38"

Charlie was an old friend who left us a couple of years ago at age 13. I painted him as I remembered him with out some of the problems he had later in life. I have no idea how that nekkid woman got in the picture. I've had that problem before when immortalizing one of my dogs. More on that at a later time.

Had intended to enter this in the "Shared Expressions" exhibit but decided against it.

THE END OF APRIL

The figure drawing group had the same model for the last 2 sessions in April. Some say she's a Sarah Palin look-a-like but I think her saying she'd gone out on Halloween as Sarah may have re-enforced that. I think she's a dead ringer for Monica Lewinsky but that was long ago.

Prone poses have some difficult viewpoints. I picked this one because it offered an exercise in foreshortening. Only one more difficult angle, the opposite end. Devlin had that one. Not a good drawing but does address the situation.

The angle is not quite as challenging on this one.

'Nuff said about this kind of thing. We've had this lady 3 times and for some reason I find her difficult to draw.

The longest pose for anything posted so far is about 25 minutes, the shortest 2 minutes.