One afternoon, while rearranging the studio between sessions with students, I picked up a vase of flowers. Holding the vase in my hands, I slowly rotated it to notice a cluster of freshly cut tree leaves embracing a curved carnation stem—they seemed to be performing a graceful dance together. Fascinating drawing subjects have a way … Continue Reading ››
I'm starting to hear that voice again.
Still only a faint whisper, but growing steadily louder, is the annual mantra that echos in every teacher's mind, "Prepare yourself for back-to-school madness."
Planning drawing lessons for six high schools is quite challenging, especially while mother nature tempts me with perfect summer mountain biking weather outside the studio door. … Continue Reading ››
In the opening scene of the classic comedy What About Bob, we see a perplexed Bob Wiley, played by Bill Murray, contemplating his fate of stepping outside the door of his apartment and onto the streets of New York. He quickly becomes overwhelmed by his … Continue Reading ››
How can a tattered and worn sketchbook possibly compete with the dopamine rush of seeing dozens of Likes on your latest Facebook post?
Whether we’re satisfying a sense of urgency or simply alleviating boredom, the gravitational pull of Facebook, YouTube, texting, and email holds us in ever-tighter orbits of distraction. Yet, I’m always amazed … Continue Reading ››
While paging through Charles Bargue’s Drawing course book, Scout’s eyes lit up as we came upon the print of the plaster cast torso.
“It even has block-in lines!” she said enthusiastically, referring to the angled directional lines that would help her depict weight distribution of the figure’s muscles. We promptly bookmarked the page as the … Continue Reading ››
The world can be a crazy place these days. Ignoring the disturbing news of cultural upheaval and catastrophic disasters can be difficult, to say the least. Times like these make me think back to when I was a kid, and how easy it was to escape the world’s problems by hiding out in my bedroom … Continue Reading ››
As we welcome new Level 1 students to Drawing Lab sessions, our courageous Level 3 sketchers continue to lead the way, forging ahead to explore the possibilities of realistic and abstract drawing.
In the above drawing of a sand dune, youth student Jesse ventures out of his comfort zone to learn blending techniques of colorful Tombow … Continue Reading ››
The mountains of Santa Cruz are a great place to practice drawing fast. While on a mountain bike ride, I completed the ink study shown above in just a few minutes. Being able to draw anything, anywhere—fast or slow—is how I like to roll.
Legendary teacher, Kim Nicolaides wrote, “For an artist, the important thing … Continue Reading ››
