Portraiture

Recently, I came across a short internet film of street artists performing live portrait drawing.   The producer interviewed various artists and followed the progress of their work from start to finish.  Most, worked incredibly quickly with deft and confident movements.  It's fascinating to watch each development take place and how the artist considers the role of each mark before applying it to paper.        These artists make it look easy but it requires techniques that are far from simple.   A couple of swift and perfectly placed marks by a skilled artist can bring a drawing to life but it is based on a foundation of knowledge, concentration and practice.  A great example of  drawing can be seen in the works by one of my favourite impressionist artists, Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec.  His works are full of energy and personality and it is obvious they have been created with a quick and confident hand.  His works are not full of hesitant random marks but conjure up the image of a hand that has moved freely and unhindered across the page.  Encountering this kind of work is inspiring but, thankfully, it doesn't stem from an innate talent.   It originates from practice, observation, memory and of course a determination to improve.   In my own practice, it means that I need to study the face in all it's detail, right down to muscle, bone and sinew.  It means reading art books, studying other artist's works, drawing daily and not being afraid to fail.  Sometimes, I feel like I'm too old to begin this journey and it's scary to fail but I  do feel good when I draw.  When I'm not judging myself or trying to achieve something beyond my skill, drawing is wonderful.  I hope I can keep finding the motivation to continue this journey.  Here are a couple of quick self-portrait studies: 

This photo was taken after approximately 2 mins of drawing.  I tried to work fast so as not to get caught up in any intricate details and I used a blunt charcoal pencil which meant I could't get too fussy anyway.
















This drawing is not successful as it comes across as flat and two dimensional.  The structure of the neck and face is out of proportion and the shading is too built up.  Unlike the lips where a three-dimensional structure is beginning to form.

Shells

Pretty shells in watercolour......

Sometimes, it is just enjoyable to sit and draw a simple still life.  I collected these shells on a trip to the coast and thought they would be useful in practicing with water colour (the most difficult medium in the world, in my opinion!). I'm not totally dissatisfied with these, mainly because I think it is obvious they are shells.  The shell at the top has taken on a bit of a muddy quality but the big white shell on the left and green shells are not too bad! 

Autumn Leaves

Drawing autumn leaves makes me happy.  Again, I love just sitting and listening to music or a podcast and drawing.  These leaves, were a delight to draw and I enjoyed trying to capture the beautiful reds and yellows and crinkly texture of the leaves. I used water colour and then applied pen to add detail and outlines to lift the leaves from the page. 

Printing

My husband, Thom bought me a basic lino cut kit for xmas, containing a small linocut block, a pot of ink, lino cut handle and a few different blades plus a soft rubber brayer to roll the ink onto the lino. I really love the expressive tonal quality of woodcuts and lino cuts so was really excited to try this out. It is a process that requires planning and forethought. Once a mark is made, it is there forever, so I found it a little intimidating getting started. I would like to explore this process further.  

One of my favourite artists is German artist, Kathe Kollwitz who worked in Germany during the early part of the 20th century.  She is known for her powerfully graphic and expressive studies of the less fortunate.  The devastated, sad and skeletal faces in her prints are emphasised by the strong graphic qualities of black and white.  My subject matter fo rthis purpose (a simple oak leaf) is not a confronting subject but it is interesting to see how this medium gives the oak leaf a kind of presence.

Lino Cut of an Oak Leaf

Ballet Russes Sketches

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Ballet Russes exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia.  The Ballet Russes were an innovative French ballet company that performed around the world in the early part of the 20th century.  They were known for their innovative collaborations with famous artists, choreographers, dancers and composers.  This exhibition contained costumes, paintings, photos, set designs, stories and ephemera from the company.   I took my sketchbook and a couple of pencils with me and did a few quick drawings of some of my favourite costumes,  adding a bit of colour to them back at home.  The textures, colours and craftsmanship of these costumes were just beautiful and very inspiring. 

Costume for a Seahorse, design by Natalie Goncharovna from the Ballet 'Sadko'

Mysteriously Round and Round or Mysteriously Lying Down?

I finished an A4 sized illustration for the daughter of one of Thom's work mate's who asked me to illustrate her poem-"Mysteriously Round and Round" based on childhood innocence and growing up.

I did a couple of versions of this poem and this is my first- a girl with a spinny skirt. 

After a couple of quick sketches I came up with a different composition- a girl lying in the grass looking up at the sky.

I used watercolour which requires a a lot of patience especially if you're a beginner. Firstly, It takes time selecting the colours and secondly it takes time waiting for each wash to dry before adding a new one. Although the result is often spontaneous, it requires a lot of sitting back and waiting....which I am not very good at!

Faces!

Here are some sketches of my sister and fiancé. I started with some sketches without looking at the page for observational practice.  Not looking at the page helps to focus on details in the face that can be warped by memory and pre-conceived ideas of what a face should look like.
The outcome, although slightly messier has a more life-like quality and an essense of the person which I find can be lost when a drawing is overworked. 

This is a drawing I did of Thom about 1 year ago.  I thought I would post it to demonstrate what happens when a drawing becomes overworked. He looks so still and flat like a 14th century portrait.