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 pens. The realistic ridge of the dune is defined by a curved contour edge. Bold highlights and richly layered shadows show 3-dimensional form of the massive dune.
But we also become intrigued with Jesse’s experimental process of blending ink colors. We begin to share his fascination with orange, yellow, and black ink commingling with the paper’s surface. The line between realism and abstract drawing is blurred, and we are enthralled with Jesse’s subjective experience with materials as much as the image of the sand dune itself. Continue reading Realism or Abstract? You Decide→
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. Continue reading Fast & Furious or Slow & Curious?→
Lucy and her mom, Jamey, are students in our Draw With Your Kids program. While vacationing, they sent us the above photo in an email last week.
“We miss you!!! I don’t think we have been in town for a Thursday this whole summer! Lucy asked me to send you this photo of one of her sketches…you will be happy to know that wherever we are she has the sketch pad with her.”
That unexpected bolt of inspiration can strike anytime, anywhere. It could be the sight of a colorful flower, a folded jacket left on a chair, the movement of an orchestra conductor’s baton, or an arrangement of umbrellas on a beach. Continue reading Aren’t You Glad You Have Your Sketchbook With You?→
“I can’t even draw a straight line!” is a common phrase I hear before beginners start lessons with me. But we soon learn to draw a wide variety of lines, including reasonably straight ones. With practice, even errant and wobbly lines will bend to your command. For students like Dotty, shown above, putting various lines to work is at the heart of learning to draw from observation. Continue reading Putting Lines to Work for You→
“There is only one right way to draw and that is a perfectly natural way. It has nothing to do with artifice or technique. It has nothing to do with aesthetics or conception. It has only to do with the act of correct observation, and by that I mean a physical contact with all sorts of objects through all the senses.” —Kim Nicolaides, The Natural Way to Draw
As a drawing coach, one of my greatest thrills is seeing students smile as they revel in pure, honest sketching from life. I enjoy nudging each student to the next level of exploration and discovery in finding their own confident, natural way to draw. Continue reading The Natural Way to Draw→
Last week our Level 3 students started to explore how ink and water flows on paper as they experimented with various line techniques. Shown above is Fiona’s first study of wonky lines and watercolor from a reference book on urban sketching.
During her private session on Saturday, Nicole lays watercolor onto her pencil sketch of a rose as she ponders the option of adding ink or keeping it only watercolor. We’ll see next week.
Studies from inside and outside the room at Hotel Italia, Rome
After months of anticipation, the moment of departure finally arrived—I was jetting to Italy with the purpose of diving into its culture and drawing in my sketchbooks. During the long flight, arcing over Iceland toward Zurich and Rome, I pondered Robert Henri’s advice in his book The Art Spirit:
“The sketch hunter has delightful days of drifting about among people, in and out of the city, going anywhere, everywhere, stopping as long as he likes—no need to reach any point, moving in any direction following the call of interests. He moves through life as he finds it, not passing negligently the things he loves, but stopping to know them, and to note them down in the shorthand of his sketchbook.”
That would be me; a sketch hunter for a month-long adventure in Italy.
