For the past two years the Covid variants have behaved like those annoying guests who refuse to leave, long after the party's over. Even after we finally get angry, and push them out the door, they linger and lurk for an opportunity to mutate; then sneak back into our lives and go viral.
Category Archives: Student Work
Getting Out & Getting Real
We are drawing again. And loving it!
Since closing my studio a year and a half ago due to Covid, it is a joy to finally connect with students through on-location workshops and private sessions. We are escaping digital screens, getting outdoors, and getting real with our sketchbooks at … Continue Reading ››
Call of the Wild: Youth & Adult Students Draw Animals in the Brave Real World
Our irrepressible youth sketchers have forged ahead to improve their drawing skills while enduring month after month of pandemic restrictions. And they're staying true to their passion for drawing as they balance online school courses with phased reopening of hybrid classrooms.
Youth sketcher Scout emailed me several drawings of animals that she … Continue Reading ››
Drawing Lab Farewell Music Video
With a cautious sigh of relief, we glance in the rearview mirror while leaving a turbulent 2020 in the dust behind us. But let's not forget the great strides we made during our Drawing Lab sessions in the months prior to the pandemic shutdown.
Continue Reading ›› 
The Art of Studying
Showing off our finished drawings to family and friends can be gratifying. Enthusiastic viewers appreciate your techniques and may even understand that you spend many hours practicing to improve your skills. But hidden to their eyes is your dedication to doing studies—a most misunderstood aspect of learning to draw from observation.
In the tradition of the … Continue Reading ››
Sketches In Paradise
Waking up to a misty Payne’s Gray sky that engulfs coastal Santa Cruz is common at this time of year. On this particular Saturday morning, I was hoping for summer sunshine that would keep our paper dry and help us to see and sketch crucial shadows.
Anticipation ran high as I packed my sketchbook and a … Continue Reading ››
The Things We Draw
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 ››
Drawing Out Your Inner Kid
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 ››