Bristles and Whiskers
Another busy week leaves me less time to paint than I would like. My days are broken into so many chores that all that is left are scraps of time, ragged moments, too small for me to settle and paint. Sketch books are great for the snippets of time in between the 'must do's' and 'should do's'. Or those patches of waiting where none of the do's can be done and time just ambles along regardless of my impatience.
The quickest sketches I draw take only seconds to complete. I will often do some during a life class or a portrait class if I have finished my 'proper' piece and have time to spare. I love to capture my fellow artists whilst they are concentrating on their work. There is something mesmerising about their intense focus that renders them almost unaware of their surroundings. I always try to keep my gaze soft, so as not to attract attention to myself but sometimes I'm not sure that it's necessary.
Here are some quickies from this weeks class;
These sketches take probably no more than 30 seconds, if that. The eyes explore the subject and the hand responds via pencil on paper without thought or judgement. There is something that happens to the line in these brief drawings, where response to the subject is uninhibited by mind. It is more expressive. A squiggle that shouldn't describe an eye does exactly that. It never ceases to fascinate me when it happens.
My hand and eyes seem to have a memory of their own. In the days after my classes, sometimes my sketches reflect the characteristics that I have seen earlier in the week, all be it exaggerated by an over active imagination. Below is a little sketch from today, drawn whilst sitting in the sunshine amidst birdsong, tulips and furry companions.
The quickest sketches I draw take only seconds to complete. I will often do some during a life class or a portrait class if I have finished my 'proper' piece and have time to spare. I love to capture my fellow artists whilst they are concentrating on their work. There is something mesmerising about their intense focus that renders them almost unaware of their surroundings. I always try to keep my gaze soft, so as not to attract attention to myself but sometimes I'm not sure that it's necessary.
Here are some quickies from this weeks class;
These sketches take probably no more than 30 seconds, if that. The eyes explore the subject and the hand responds via pencil on paper without thought or judgement. There is something that happens to the line in these brief drawings, where response to the subject is uninhibited by mind. It is more expressive. A squiggle that shouldn't describe an eye does exactly that. It never ceases to fascinate me when it happens.
My hand and eyes seem to have a memory of their own. In the days after my classes, sometimes my sketches reflect the characteristics that I have seen earlier in the week, all be it exaggerated by an over active imagination. Below is a little sketch from today, drawn whilst sitting in the sunshine amidst birdsong, tulips and furry companions.
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