Promise 60: Leg One

My copy of a study sketch in Harold Speed's book on drawing.

Promise 59: Cowboy, Day 3

Hmmmm, kinda fun. Whatdya think?

Promise 58: Cowboy, Day 2

Lots of work on this little guy. But I do see some changes for the better, so I'll keep on til he's finished. And yes, I am learning from him too. The wrapped part around his hat is really fun. Like everybody says, 'turning the form' with the lights, darks and midtones is the best part of all!

Promise 57: Cowboy Study

The day and the sketch started badly. I quit, then went back, two--maybe three times. Finally it started coming together. Interesting how that happens. I still call it 'magic' but now I'm fairly certain I can make it happen again, a little bit, sometimes anyway!

Promise 56: Disaster Day

OK so here's what happened. I started by planning on and sketching a nose. But then I thought, oh what the heck, and I added the mouth, then an eye, then another eye. All without benefit of any scaffolding or lines to relate the parts of the face to. What a disaster. It is so bad it's hilarious and I was tempted to post it...but not quite! So here're just the two eyes and the nose. Everyday I learn or re-learn something important.

Promise 55: Bill's Hat

Absolutely forced myself to draw something from life instead of a copy. I thought this old hat of Bill's would be a good subject with good shadows and interest. OMG. It was impossible. All day on a silly hat. But it's learning that matters, right? Right.

Promise 54: Bowl & Cherries

Just a quick teenie tiny little sketch about 1 x 1 inch! And on this awful brown paper. I worked on connecting and re-connecting three! DVD players, the sound system, the iPod and the TV today and when it was finally done I was just plain too pooped to do anything more. Bill helped me rearrange the studio (again) for setting up a still life where there will be only one light source and I can sit and draw comfortably. We'll see what this brings. I'm motivated to do more than just single items by yesterday's bananas and apples.

Promise 53: Bananas & Apples

Ah, my old friends the apples. I was wondering if I could still draw an apple--it's been so long. And I've never drawn a banana. So I was very proud of myself with this drawing until I took the photo. The apples are far too small for the bananas. Oh well, again, tomorrow :-) The drawing is tiny, only about 2 x 3" and it WAS fun.

Promise 52: Curl

Just a tiny curl of mustache from the drawing of the cast I've used to copy. Not much time today, too many errands to run, things to do. Tomorrow WILL be more calm.

Promise 51: Nose 3

From a drawing of a cast in a book. I like this much better than yesterday's. The model has more character to begin with. Not a nice thing to say, but this face is astounding. Someday I'll show you the whole face...

Promise 50: Nose 2

My second try at a nose. Learned a lot. This one's for Cousin Nancy. And the answer is 'yes, noses are hard.' Don't know how hard, since it always seems really strange at first...more tomorrow.

Promise 49: Eye 10

My version of the left eye of Sargent's Lady Sarah Spencer, 1916. A quick sketch at the end of a long day, and remarkably it worked. Pretty much anyway. Always lots of room for improvement. But my TENTH eye sketch. That's an accomplishment for me! Actually going to start a series of noses today. You can probably guess what the goal is...a whole face!

Promise 48: Accuracy

OK, so today I was looking at yesterday's sketch of the bowl. I was thinking it was a pretty good sketch, but truly it doesn't look anything like the real bowl. So I went back to--guess what--scaffolding--drawing lines in the drawing first and using them to check the dimensions and the curves. Here's the result. Not much, but closer in shape to the real thing. Boy does it take a long time!

Promise 47: Bowl No. 7

From yesterday. I tried to apply the lessons learned from my shaded sphere practice to the little bowl. Some success I'd say. Going to give it another try though.

Promise 46: Eye No. 9

Worked a little on my own eye drawing of yesterday. When I stopped looking for what I THINK I look like and started drawing what I was SEEING, it went a little better. I think I improved it? Not much sketching for today and I have to quit now. Company coming for dinner and I've lots of cooking to do. Tomorrow is all ours...no company, no restaurants. Hooray!

Promise 45: Eye No. 9

Ugh. A difficult day. This is my own eye, my first try at drawing myself. It was hard looking at myself so closely, especially with the years showing clearly. It seems I left all the wrinkles out of the drawing.

Promise 44: Shaded Sphere 1

Wow. You can't imagine how much I learned today about mid tones, pencil strokes, shading, and the use of different pencils! This is from an explanation of drawing a shaded sphere by Sadie Valeri. I know it looks incredibly simple, but it just SHOWS me so much in how to present light, shadow, midtones and to not smudge my drawing with my finger to get shades and shapes. Thanks Sadie, Karen Appleton, Paul Foxworth and my sweet supportive husband who says everything I do is 'great"...everybody who is helping me on my little journey! It is so very important to me.

Promise 43: Eye No. 8

Here's the other day's eye with a little finishing to it. It's my copy of Paul Foxworth's sketch from a portrait by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a 17th century baroque artist.

Promise 43: Eye No. 8

Today started as a very difficult sketching day--I just couldn't figure out why it was so hard. Then I realized I'd failed to draw the scaffolding lines on which the sketch is based...the foundation of the drawing as Harold Speed calls it. After establishing the support, the drawing came much easier, though there are a lot of corrections still to be made.

I read somewhere (wish I could remember where now), that drawing or painting is a series of constant and tiny corrections. How true. For me anyway. See you tomorrow.

Promise 42: Eye No. 7

I decided to draw an eye from 'life' today instead of copying from a drawing. And yes, it was MUCH harder. This strange looking eye is from a cast that's really interesting and handsome in it's entirety. It came from Bill's family and is a cast of two faces. Someday I'll draw the whole thing and you'll see! But today, just one eye. Some of my edges are too hard and lines too sharp or dark, but otherwise, a C minus for today's drawing, an A for effort. It was difficult!

Promise 41: Eye No. 6

Actually I sketched quite a bit today, but lots of 'just practice' stuff. This is the best of the lot, from another of Sargent's portraits, Mrs. Horace Weber. Sargent made all his subjects look beautiful or handsome.

Promise 40: Eye No. 5

Did I tell you I decided to do a series of eye sketches? Guess that's not a surprise to you now! This is another from Sargent's drawings. Much more sedate, soft and kind than yesterday's. I'm in a rush, company for dinner, but wanted to do something. I failed to capture the beauty and gentleness of Mrs. John Beals Mills' pretty eye. I'll try again.

Promise 39: Eye No. 4

OK OK, so I'm hung up on eyes. They're kind of fun actually. And I've been studying and reading about the anatomy of the eye as well. Absolutely fascinating. This is the 'other' eye from Michelangelo's Portrait of Andrea Quarates, 1528. I sketched the first eye day before yesterday.

Promise 38: Eye No. 3

Today's eye is from a portrait of Henry James by John Singer Sargent. At the recommendation of Paul Foxworth, I bought of a book of Sargent's portrait drawings published by the Dover Art Library. Paul had sketched this eye as part of one of his series so I thought I'd give it a try. Not too bad, eh? I used Paul's drawing as well as Sargent's drawing to do mine. I'm leaving the studio happy today with this little work.

Promise 37: Eye No. 2

Well, well, well. Finally a good and fairly easy day in the studio. I'm just posting these pics for now. I'll come back tonight with some info. Let me hear from you...

Promise 36: New Bowl

A tiny little bowl. I'll tell you about this practice later tonight. I've been neglecting Billy and Lilly...

Promise 35: Woman

Oh my, this poor woman. She looks much better in the original sketch in John Vanderpoel's book, "The Human Figure." Maybe tomorrow back to the bowl, or better yet, another familiar lime or lemon? See you then.

Promise 34: Bowl No. 3

Yep, the bowl again. I am nothing if not determined. Karen gave me a hand today and her advice is always invaluable. If you've never visited her blog or web site, boy are you in for a real treat. Just click here and away you'll go into a land of beauty from her brush and canvas. Thanks Karen! More tomorrow. I think the bowl, again.

Promise 33: Bowl No. 2

The bowl again. Not sure if I should thank you Karen! It's impossible. I have that old 'I'm moving backwards' feeling again. Discouraging. But on I go. No choice really.

Promise 32: Same Bowl

Did a tiny bit more work on the bowl sketch yesterday. Very unhappy with this. Ugh.

Promise 31: Bowl

What I learned today: It is far easier to sketch by eye and have a poor drawing result than it is to sketch properly, measuring and establishing a foundation, which then results in a poor drawing. The drawing above is a perfect example of the latter.

I have to remember that the goal is practice and improvement, not a finished piece. But this little bowl was simply impossible! So I left it at home! We are at Vashon for our last visit. We go home Friday and the new owners of the cottage move in. What changes life brings.

Promise 30: Practice

I know this doesn't look like much, but it's a practice of placing salient points, straightening curves with lines, and blocking in the form--from a wonderful book by Harold Speed.  It was a hard exercise actually. I'm sure every art student knows and has done it a million times but it was a first for me.

Promise 29: Lime & Lemon, Again

OK, today I left the first sketch of the lime with the lemon outlined in the background alone. Karen and I like it the unfinished way it is! Then I finished the second lime and lemon drawing. Just fair results. At least I think I achieved my goal of making it appear that there is a lime and a lemon, using black and white only.

Have a mentioned that I HATE the paper I'm using. I promise I will NOT use it anymore. It feels slick and cheap, whether it is or not.  See you tomorrow. It is exciting...I feel I'm moving in a forwardly direction, not sure of the path, but moving ahead.

Promise 28: Lime & Lemon, Again

For fear of messing up yesterday's lime, I transferred the outline to a new paper and sketched just the lemon today. I ran out of time and Lilly, the cat, ran out of patience waiting for me to pet her. So I'll touch up the lemon more tomorrow. I don't like it as well as the lime. If I do both sketches, then I'll have double the practice on two drawings of a lemon and a lime! Helpful critiques welcome!

Promise 27: Lime & Lemon

I know, I know, I said no more lemons or limes for a bit. But I've been thinking about this combination for a while now. Since I have to make the lime appear green and the lemon appear yellow, while only using black and white...well that sounded like a challenge to me and a good practice exercise. After all, I can't draw just one of anything by itself forever!

Promise 26: Nose No. 1

Today's nose and yesterday's eye are copies from an old Master study. Just for practice for me. Tomorrow maybe a nose from a very old granite cast-like scupture we have from Bill's family. It will be almost like drawing a real nose! Thanks for following along. I do have a plan now to guide me. I'll tell you about it later.

Promise 25: Eye, Lime

Whoa. TWO sketches in one day. Okay results. Something is wrong with the left bottom side of the lime I think. Any ideas out there? So today I reworked yesterday's lime and tried to duplicate an eye from a drawing. Good practice I suppose. See you tomorrow.

Promise 24: Stuff

I did sketch today though it was a frustrating and discouraging day. Here's the promised photo. I feel as if I am floundering, just drawing here and there, with no real focus. I have a desperate need for a plan of action--what to do now and next and then after that--instead of just drawing whatever comes to mind or is handy at the moment. I have a couple of books on order to arrive soon that I hope will provide some direction. Til tomorrow...

Promise 23: Grapes, Spheres

I am making another promise. I am leaving these grapes alone for a while. Sheese! All the time sketching on them today and I'm not sure I can see any significant difference from yesterday. Karen, I tried to push the background grapes back as you suggested, but not sure I succeeded. The little balls were just a last minute practice.

I have got to set up something new to draw. Hmmmm. Maybe a bow, a la Karen Appleton? Sounds hard, but fun, and off the fruit for a little while! Though I am thinking of doing a sketch with more than one fruit. A set up of a lemon, lime, pear, cherries, and grapes? Maybe I should just start with two different fruits. See how I get so confused about what to do next? So I just keep doing something! Advice anybody? Suggestions? Help!

Promise 22: Same Grapes, Again

Just got home from Vashon and thought I'd take just a few minutes to sketch, since I've missed the last few days. I didn't want to start anything new, so I worked on the grapes, trying to give more definition, weight and volume. The three on the right were coming along pretty well I thought, so I worked on most of the rest of them.

Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! Karen? Sadie? Theresa? Anybody. Thanks.

Promise 21: Cubes & Grapes

I did a 'lesson' a la Paul Foxworth on values of gray, black and white cubes which proved very enlightening. Then I did a tiny bit of work on yesterday's grapes--adding some darks to the grapes on the right. I think they look a little better. Anyhow, I did do some work and study in the midst of a busy busy day. Off to vashon with sketch pad tomorrow.

Promise 20: Grapes, again

Whew. Those are hard to do! Ack. I don't really want to draw them again, but I know I should. Maybe I'll just use five or six grapes tomorrow. Think I'll eat these now. They're so sweet and juicy.

Promise 19: Grapes

This is obviously going to be more than a one day sketch. Yikes. It's like drawing a million lemons or cherries. I need to slow down and study each grape.

An artist I admire told this story: Her teacher set up a group of apples and told her to do a painting of the apples. My friend took all day to paint the apples. At the end of the day her teacher came in, put all the apples in a bag, mixed them up, and then dumped the apples out on the table. He then asked my friend to identify each apple on the table with the apple in her painting. Maybe it's not quite so detailed for grapes, but you get the idea. Each grape is an idividual, unique and special in its own way. I must slow down and look so I can see.

Promise 18: Lime

I know, I know. You're tired of lemons and limes too! Well I really haven't done a lime, though at least one of the past lemon sketches looks like a lime. I was just lazy and not wanting to set anything up. We had a small party at our house yesterday and we are both still pooped! I did the this lime this morning, and the next post, the grapes, started in the afternoon.